Conscious awareness Quote by Gabor Maté
““It’s a subtle thing, freedom. It takes effort; it takes attention and focus to not act something like an automaton. Although we do have freedom, we exercise it only when we strive for awareness, when we are conscious not just of the content of the mind but also of the mind itself as a process.’ We may say, then, that in the world of the psyche, freedom is a relative concept: the power to choose exists only when our automatic mechanisms are subject to those brain systems that are able to maintain conscious awareness. A person experiences greater or less freedom from one situation to the next, from one interaction to the next, from one moment to the next. Anyone whose automatic brain mechanisms habitually run in overdrive has diminished capacity for free decision making, especially if the parts of the brain that facilitate conscious choice are impaired or underdeveloped.””
About This Quote
Source Book: In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Gabor Maté, 2008
Freedom requires conscious awareness; without mindfulness, automatic mental processes dominate, limiting true choice.
In simple terms: Freedom needs attention and mindfulness.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate awareness to expand choice.
Themes
mindfulness
autonomy
psychology
self‑regulation
Mood
reflective
introspective
Type
philosophical
psychological
When to use this quote
- therapy sessions
- decision‑making
- stress management
- personal growth
Key Concepts
consciousness
automaticity
neuroscience
free will
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you notice automatic thoughts?
- What practices deepen self‑awareness?
A Different Perspective
Awareness is hard to sustain under chronic stress.
