In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

by Gabor Maté

The lack of an emotionally attuned and consistently available parenting figure is a major source of stress for the child. Such a lack can occur when the parent is physically present but emotionally distracted—a situation that has been called proximate separation. Proximate separation happens when attuned contact between parent and child is interrupted due to stresses that draw the parent away from the interaction. The levels of physiological stress experienced by the child during proximate separation approach the levels experienced during physical separation.7 The development of the brain’s neurotransmitter and self-regulating systems and, in particular, the stress-control circuits is then disrupted, and once entrenched, these physiological dysfunctions increase the risk for addictions.