Compassionate Inquiry by Gabor Maté

Compassionate Inquiry is a therapeutic approach developed by Dr. Gabor Maté, designed to help people gently uncover the unconscious patterns and emotional wounds that drive their current behaviors, beliefs, and health challenges.

At its heart, Compassionate Inquiry asks:
“What happened to you?” instead of “What’s wrong with you?”

Rather than staying at the surface level of symptoms or stories, this method invites deep curiosity into the emotional truth beneath a person’s reactions - with an emphasis on safety, presence, and compassion. Through skilled questioning and attuned presence, clients are guided to:

→ Identify core beliefs formed in childhood (e.g., “I’m not enough,” “I have to earn love”)

→ Notice somatic cues in the body that signal stored pain or defense mechanisms

→ Bring awareness and compassion to the protective parts that emerged from early emotional wounds

Compassionate Inquiry isn’t about fixing or forcing - it’s about meeting yourself with honesty and kindness, so the deeper truth beneath the coping patterns can emerge and begin to transform.