Last Minute Lecture

Defusing Counterwill in ADD: Nine Keys to Restoring Connection and Cooperation | Chapter 21 of Scattered Minds by Gabor Maté Welcome to Last Minute Lecture’s summary of Chapter 21 from Scattered Minds by Dr. Gabor Maté. This chapter offers parents and caregivers a practical, compassionate guide to diffusing counterwill—the instinctive resistance children (especially those with ADD) display when they feel controlled or unsafe. Healing begins with connection, not control. Watch the full video summary below, and subscribe to Last Minute Lecture for more trauma-informed, psychology-based chapter guides and family support: Subscribe to Last Minute Lecture for chapter-by-chapter textbook summaries and expert parenting insights. Counterwill: Normal, Not Pathological Dr. Maté explains that counterwill is a natural drive to protect autonomy, not a sign of bad character or deliberate defiance. It is triggered when attachment is threatened, and is especially strong in sensitive, AD...

Counterwill, Defiance, and Emotional Safety in ADD: The Defiant Ones | Chapter 20 of Scattered Minds by Gabor Maté Welcome to Last Minute Lecture’s summary of Chapter 20 from Scattered Minds by Dr. Gabor Maté. In this chapter, Dr. Maté unpacks defiance and oppositionality in ADD children, revealing that “stubbornness” is often counterwill—a natural, protective response to feeling controlled, not a sign of willful disobedience. Watch our full chapter video below, and subscribe to Last Minute Lecture for more trauma-informed parenting guides and deep-dives into child psychology: Subscribe to Last Minute Lecture for more chapter-by-chapter textbook summaries and family support resources. Understanding Counterwill: Natural Resistance, Not Rebellion Dr. Maté introduces the concept of counterwill—a biologically-wired resistance to control or coercion. In ADD, this can manifest as verbal defiance, passive refusal, mood swings, and all-or-nothing thinking. Rather than being a ch...