From Pain to Purpose: How DR. GAbor Maté’s Compassionate Inquiry can help you

Written by: Reilly Scott, Practicum Student Counsellor

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re searching for healing, clarity, or a new way forward. I’m Reilly, and as a practitioner of Compassionate Inquiry (CI) at Strength in Heart Counselling, I want to share how this approach—developed by Dr. Gabor Maté—can help you transform pain into purpose.

During his years working with people facing immense challenges, Dr. Maté developed Compassionate Inquiry as a way to gently uncover the roots of our suffering. What drew me to CI is its deep respect for your story, your body, and your innate wisdom. In our work together, you are not a problem to be fixed. You are a resilient, adaptive human being, and my role is to support you as you reconnect with your own inner healer.

Compassionate Inquiry is different from traditional talk therapy. Rather than focusing on “fixing” symptoms, we work together to understand them—often discovering that these patterns began as brilliant survival strategies in childhood. Dr. Maté describes this as “wearing a snowsuit in the tropics”—protective at one time, but now possibly holding us back. Through CI, we compassionately explore these patterns, not with judgment, but with curiosity and care.

In our sessions, I’ll invite you to connect with the felt sense of your body, where old beliefs and emotions are often stored. My goal is to create a safe, non-judgmental space where you can feel seen, heard, and empowered to guide your own healing journey. I’m not here to be the expert on your life—you are. My job is to walk beside you, holding space for your process and helping you listen to what your body and heart are truly saying.

I believe everyone is capable of healing and rediscovering wholeness. If you’re curious about how Compassionate Inquiry can support your journey, I’d love to meet you. To make it easy to get started, I’m offering your first session absolutely free—no pressure, just an opportunity to see if this approach resonates with you.

If you feel ready to take the first step, I invite you to book your free session with me at Strength in Heart Counselling. Together, let’s explore what’s possible when pain is met with compassion.

Ready to begin?
Book your free session with Reilly now (in our Victoria office or online across Canada) or reach out to Strength in Heart Counselling for more information.

To learn more about Gabor Mate, Compassionate Inquiry and its origin, visit www.compassionateinquiry.com.