As a biologist that actually met Treadwell, I found this fascinating. Here are just a few of my personal "insights" as a person who studied brown bears and who met, and tried to encourage Treadwell to behave in ways more conducive to long life. Treadwell didn't work with the Park Rangers and biologists at Katmai. Many of us tried to gently suggest to him the idea that naturalists actually DO contribute to the body of knowledge we have about the natural world and encouraged him to direct his obsession toward activities more in line with how a naturalist would observe the natural world. But Tim didn't have the discipline for doing the kind of observation that would have been useful. He filmed bears doing unnatural things - interacting with a human - instead of staying away and filming them doing what they would naturally be doing without human interference. Some of his video inadvertently caught bears in the distance, but most of what he filmed does not shed any light on the natural behavior of the bears. Treadwell had actually left the park and got all the way to the airport, but had some kind of altercation with an airline employee and decided to go back to the park. One of the rangers saw him at a local store appearing to "gear up" and pretty much knew he was going back to the wilderness. Treadwell was reminded that most bears are already hibernating and the only ones that are still out and about that time of the year are the ones that instinctively know they have not put on enough weight to make it through hibernation. Those bears are desperately fighting against time. They must get the weight on and then find a safe place to hibernate and it was very late into the season, so late that most bears were already in hibernation. They are far more dangerous at this point. The audio has not been released to the public, there are many fakes out there. In the fake audios you hear the bear growling and everyone thinks oh how scary. A growling bear is actually trying to scare you away, not trying to actually physically attack you. In the real recording the bear doesn't growl at all. The copy that was made by staff in order to be studied for clues as to what happened was destroyed. Keep in mind that bears don't have bandages and antibiotics they can apply to themselves. I know this sounds snarky, but it's important to know they will not take unnecessary risks, even a risk that doesn't appear to present a danger of actual death. A wound that gets infected can be devastating for non human animals. Here is an explanation of the situations where a bear will become aggressive. No growling of any kind by the bear is heard on the audio of the actual event where Tim lost his life. We have no such audio of the event that ended Amy's life and can't say whether it was a feeding event or some other reason for the aggression on her. The audio ends partway through the event involving Tim. 1. A female bear will become physically aggressive to protect her cubs. In this case the female will growl, stand up trying to look as big as possible, do everything she can do physically intimidate the encroacher to leave on it's own. This involves the bear making lots of growling noises. 2. A bear that has found a good location for feeding will protect the area they are currently feeding. This is another case where they will make lots of noise, they will stand up in an effort to present as large a presence as possible. Again, loud growling will be a large part of the effort to protect a prime feeding location. 3. Males will aggressively protect access to females during breeding season. This is yet another instance where loud growling takes place. Again, these animals in this and the first two situations are trying to get the encroaching animal to leave without having to resort to actual physical contact, which could seriously wound or kill one or both animals. 4. The last form of "aggression" is feeding. This is the one type of aggression that does not involve growling and noise. The real tape was horrifyingly chilling BECAUSE of the lack of growling by the bear.
Thank you for a very informative comment! One thing that I find fascinating and enchanting about biologists is the lengths to which they'll go to observe animals with minimal interference. By now, drones and increasingly small cameras make that easier, but in a lot of documentaries you see scientists crouching in hide-out for hours and days. My impression of Timothy Treadwell from any clip I've ever seen is that he wanted that status as the gentle powerful fearless Friend and Protector of the bears more than he wanted to really observe and learn. His videos document how bears react to a human intruder, and sadly, so does his death. I imagine it must have been hard for the rangers to see somebody messing about with both the bears and the park rules for years, always with the unspoken question of whether _this_ would be the year when his luck would run out.
@@Julia-lk8jn Yes, it was hard not to think it was going to end badly for Treadwell. He seemed very paranoid and somehow convinced himself that we were his enemy. But the rangers are specifically there to make sure people enjoy their time in the wild, they wanted him to be able to get great video of bears and other wildlife, to enjoy himself, and to be safe so he could continue to do that year after year. National Parks are specifically designated as land where no area is off limits (aside from living quarters and areas designated for the staff). So, Timothy wasn't actually breaking any laws, but he often broke the safety rules, particularly the rules that involve safe distances between yourself and wildlife. And he started more and more breaking rules regarding camping as he convinced himself more and more that rangers were his enemy and somehow they were stalking him, leaving messages for him, and trying to "stop him from protecting the bears." His paranoia really grew more and more over the years. I do not believe those "messages" were left by anyone, I think Tim set those up himself. That area is accessible by plane and rangers generally spend their time in the area around the falls, interacting with visitors. I don't believe anyone flew out there to leave him these bizarre messages. I think Dr van der Vaart's insight is spot on and actually helped me feel less guilty about not being able to help Tim. As much as he could be very frustrating, all of us were truly heartbroken, but ultimately I think most of us weren't surprised that something terrible happened. Your description of biologists crouching in the wild reminds me of the earliest days - I was primarily a behavioral biologist, but also involved in survey and monitoring work. Today biologists use advanced tools for tracking and monitoring bears - GPS collars, video collars, we also still sedate bears to investigate their general condition. So, there isn't as much crouching in the wild as in the old days, but us old timers really enjoy that part of it. Sorry to write so much. Can you tell that part of the job I truly loved the most involved conducting programs for the general public, which I enjoyed being able to do from time to time. 🙂
@@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat Yes. Treadwell spent 13 SUMMERS there, not 13 years. It was a total of about 3 1/2 years that he was out there and almost always in Summer, when grasses, berries and Salmon were present. A fed bear isn't safe, but they're safer than a hungry aggressive one about to go into hibernation.
It’s because he only spent the summer in an area with plentiful food. That final year he stayed into the fall when bears start to become more aggressive in a year with food scarcities that would have aggravated the bears. Finally, staying later in the season brought in bears that treadwell hadn’t been around before in the previous summers.
@@barbarapaine8054 virtually 100%. My wife is a nurse, she worked at a bariatric clinic. That’s where morbidly obese people get weight loss surgery. She said quite a few of them, once they were no longer able to indulge in over eating, became alcoholics or drug addicts instead. Some even became sex addicts.
@@MrJeffcoley1 sums it up nicely. The weirdest thing: you'd think being obsessed with bears, though physically risky, would at least be mentally healthier than drugs - fresh air, exercise and so on. But no, he manages to get increasingly deluded, paranoid and aggressive about that, too. It's sad, but it looks like that was just how his mind was structured at that point and if he'd have picked up any other hobby, it'd have gone the same.
It’s so strange to see a grown ass man on his knees in the grass, baby talking to a big stinking grizzly bear that’s clearly stalking him. Surreal almost.
In my retirement, I have become a trainer of hyper-aggressive breeds of dogs, including American Timberwolf hybrids and dingo hybrids. Only a few generations from wild animals, but domesticated nonetheless. After decades of both amateur and professional training, with nothing but respect for these DOMESTICATED animals, I can say Tim Treadwell was not mentally well. And he took a lot of good people and animals down with him.
Another thing I didn't mention is that contrary to Timothy's claims of "saving" and "protecting" bears, several bears had to be put down either directly because of Tim's interference with them or indirectly. The bear that consumed Timothy was killed the day his remains were collected. That bear was necropsied the following day. A younger bear also had to be killed on that first day because we were trying to collect remains and map out the whole site and that bear acted aggressively. We were unable to necropsy that younger bear because he was eaten by other bears before we got back the next day to do the necropsies. but aside from those two bears, over the years that Timothy was engaged in activity that resulted in some bears becoming habituated and potentially dangerous to visitors, we had to put some of them down. And it's hard to describe how deflating and sickening it feels to put down an animal in that situation. It breaks your heart even as you understand it has to be done for the safety of human visitors.
I just finished reading another comment you posted and also your replies to the people who commented on it. I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts, opinions and experiences with this situation. There were a few things I have always wondered about in the back of my mind after watching a documentary about Tim a long time ago. It sounds like there were quite a few tragedies that happened and it all could have easily been avoided. I’m sure it felt terrible to be put in that position to take the lives of animals when it shouldn’t have come to that in the first place. I hear of this happening far too often with all sorts of different animals because of human interference in one way or another. That’s why we have so many types of animals that are not extinct or on the verge of extinction. It’s so unfortunate, to say the least.
I agree just in these clips he was aggressive & loud & frightening himself towards them!! ~ because he was afraid & sick thinking he was superior 2 them- 💙
Yeah, I grew up around my dad's guard dogs. They were family, but dad made very clear that I needed to respect them and their personal space. I can't imagine disrespecting wild animals and thinking it will end well...
honestly it makes sense. his "i'm an unintrusive fly" comment in the beginning really struck me because flies are one of the most intrusive and annoying animals you can have flying around and getting in your face, which is exactly what he did with these bears in the clips.
This is the clearest and most detailed explanation of the story behind Timothy Treadwell’s mental health in Herzog’s documentary. Understanding the complicated relationship between addiction and behavior make Timothy’s choices able to be viewed with compassion; as viewers, we know the terrible danger he faces, and we are conversely gripped with fear for him and in awe at his delusional fearlessness. What a wonderful video. Thank you for taking the time to make this ❤ I hope your channel grows, your insight is uniquely thorough.
His irresponsible and reckless actions led to the deaths of a number of bears. His interactions with them caused them to be less afraid of humans, leading to them being in closer proximity to and aggressive toward other humans. Because of this, they were killed. Also killed was the bear that ate him and another that was in the area while his death was being investigated. If the only victim was Treadwell I'd have a lot more sympathy for him, but his actions led directly and indirectly to the death of another human and far too many bears.
@@pearcat08 Oh yes, I agree with you about his actions leading to the absolutely avoidable destruction of another human life and also, bears. He was reckless and utterly irresponsible, with no concern for the long term effects his presence, let alone his behaviors, could have on the environment and the bears. I wanted only to comment on the psychological impetus that led him to make the uniquely dangerous choice he made. It is interesting and a shame, to consider how he could have really done some good for conservation and education had he been a more mentally healthy person.
Thanks. To add: he only spent a few weeks out of each year in the wild, not constantly. Even the natives in the area hated him, normalizing animals to human presence is deadly.
This seems obvious in retrospect, but as a kid i imagined him living in a cabin off grid with bears all year. He didn't really "know" these bears at all. He was like a guy who visits Paris every summer and doesn't speak French thinking he's knows the city better than the natives.
And leads to death for the grizzlies that begin habitually ransacking tourist sites and nearby humans’ homes, because they end up executed by law enforcement or wildlife management.
@@tredjesongen Mental health care is more than psych meds, and is valuable and important. I respect that you may have had a negative experience, but that is not reflective of the field as a whole, and your language matters.
after watching grizzly man, I asked my partner to sum up his feelings about the film in one sentiment. He said "He had a good thing going with the foxes"
@DylanJo123 it's confusing, and very non specific it seems. I don't care about people's personal decisions about who they want to be with. It's just a very interesting term, is all.
@@ryanohara4986 he’s my boyfriend/lifepartner. We don’t want to get married. But we’ve been together and lived together for years so boyfriend feels too casual.
@@spiralrose No they weren’t. He needlessly killed lots of tigers and all sorts of animals. Not even the humans around him were safe in the end.. You should check the series out.
Fun fact: back when he was a police officer he had a very famous ufo encounter. A car chase, in fact. There’s old footage of him talking to the press about it.
Honestly that video of him with the foxes was beautiful in a way, hearing the genuine joy in his voice while interacting with them just hits me man. In a perfect world Tim was just content with filming foxes.
Tim Treadwell's "Rescue Mission" actually endangered the Grizzlies. I cant remember the source, but some Natives of this area were furious about Treadwell. Reason was, that the bears got used to humans because of Tim and started wandering closer to settlements. Some bears had to be shot because of this behavior if I remember correctly. Tim Treadwell was never interested in protecting bears. He was only interested in a cheap adrenaline rush that will eventually result in his death.
You’re correct. A park ranger or official who dealt with Treadwell directly confirmed in the comments here that they did indeed put down a few bears because of this moron.
At 2 min in, i was questioning how much of this behavior could be explained by him being an adrenaline junkie. Hence, why he crept into more and more dangerous areas/situations. Was sifting through comments to see if anyone else thought this, besides the obvious screw loose he had. It's sad to hear him say he thought his life didn't have purpose prior to getting into this.
I see so many people nowadays who don’t know how to even read the body language of cats and dogs. Pushing these animals to the point of lashing out, thinking they are oh so special with their ability to anthropomorphize.
Body language is a pseudoscience. People can’t read animals’s mind with body language. It’s like when humans think animals are saying “I love you” through their body language by barking. You even mention this. People make up patterns and that’s why you can’t just read body language. There isn’t one real science article that states reading body language is real. I really hate how some psychologists push it. There’s no evidence to it.
I sing to my neighbor's cat in the window because i really get off on how it looks down on me with the face that clearly says "Who the FK is this idiot?!?! AGAIN!?!?!"
Ever since I came across the videos of a dog using buttons to communicate start becoming self aware of itself and having an existential crisis was when I realized cats/dogs are so much more complex than most would ever realize. The dog is on anti-anxiety meds now. They are so smart and can be taught to communicate as well as a small child. That alone should elevate their treatment and protection in society yet we still have so many abusers in the world :( also I was very skeptical of the story before watching many videos of the dog using the buttons in different context and truly don't think it's random. There are even prestigious university research papers being written about this dog and some others with the usage of communication buttons. If I remember the name of the dog I will come back and update my comment. It's easy to look up though if you search existential crisis dog
This video was so far the best analysis I have heard of Tteadwell. His regression into childhood and away from addiction, at the cost of his life, is a very powerful statement about the poignancy of addiction itself and the lengths many will go, even unconsciously, to either fight it or justify it. A riveting and thought-provoking analysis.
Perhaps most perplexing to me is that he was vowing to protect these bears while inside Katmai National Park, where these bears are protected by law already. And in the end the bears he swore to protect where euthanized and dissected to recover his own body parts. Not to mention the danger the recovery team was placed in
something that gets me about this are those clips where he has a little interaction with a red fox. the fox is clearly cautious of him, but also curious enough that it doesn’t immediately bolt. it sniffs his hand and even gives his finger a little exploratory nibble. i’d spend the rest of my life thinking about something like that, how lucky i’d feel to even get that close to a single little fox, let alone interact with it. but timothy couldn’t *just* be happy with the privilege of those little genuine moments. he was a showman, obsessed with the image of being a mere man able to control the bears, oooh, aaaah. how tragic.
@@sh4rkb4it I guess one cute little fox nibbling at your finger doesn't get you into late night shows, but endangering yourself, others and the bears does.
"showman" is a good descriptions. I could niggle about the fact that showmen usually *know* that they are putting on a show, that they can't really fly, that fire will burn them and that they can't cut a pretty leotard-clad woman into bits and then magic her back together.
I had my own experience with a fox ,it befriended ? my dog ( we often walked in a large very old cemetery for off leash time ) and this fox would come and chase my dog and they "played " together ...One day my dog n I were taking a break under a tree and the little fox came and sat with us ,I was in awe ,I felt so amazed and it was so special ,I could have taken a photo but instead I just sat there taking in every moment ,it was so beautiful ,it curled up and snoozed beside us ,it was. warm sunny mid morning and it was a truly magical moment that I treasure ....Thnakyou for reminding me of it ....such a beautiful moment in time
The Guardian had this amazing photo set once of wildlife photographers who had animals come check them out. There are some incredible shots. They had a set where a bunch of owlets just take over the camera like little goofballs. I love those unexpected encounters. I'm in a new place so I have to build new relationships but the local urban wildlife got to know me in an old place. Agree with OP; such privilege to have those moments, & I've never had to force a bird into an interaction with me. I just need to show them respect + be predictable for them (which is another thing I notice Treadwill wasn't great at) & those social birds catch on fast if you're a friendly human who fills bird feeders or carries peanuts. The gulls here gather in October to migrate together & if I set up with a loaf of bread & throw chunks up + against the wind, they'll line up like a row of airplanes & hover, then arc upwards or downwards to perfectly catch bread & they circle around & land to gobble it while the next gull hovers, waiting for its chunk to get thrown. I prefer not to anthropomorphize bc it's way cooler that we can be different species or clades & still have these mutualist moments. I shouldn't be that shocked bc wild animals have to do that with each other all the time, tho. We're the weak link.
Treadwell KNEW that he was probably going to be killed out there by a Bear. He actually spoke of it on at least two occasions that we know of, because they were documented on film. Therefore, I considered Treadwell clinically depressed, and inadvertently su*cidal. The REAL tragedy of this situation is that he allowed Amy to perish in that fatal Bear attack. Timothy KNEW it was late in the season, and the danger levels were high; being that there were Bears literally starving in the area. Amy had NO BUSINESS being there with him, and HE is responsible for the loss of her life as well as his own.
@Rick_Cleland I've commented before Timothy spoke at my daughters school and my middle daughter absolutely loved her ,his girlfriend,she was around 7 or 8 but thought there was something wrong with Timothy .his girlfriend had braided my daughters hair and my daughter had told her to not go back to Alaska to just stay in Washington. I know sounds lame but no joke my ex wife was substitute teacher at the time I didn't gave a clue never heard of Timothy
I met Timothy Treadwell once, just a couple of years before he died. He never stopped talking, not even to breathe. He would ask a question, then answer it before I could open my mouth. Very animated, with disjointed racing thoughts. I’m no psychiatrist, but it looked like the most extreme episode of mania I’ve ever seen! And when he walked away, I said to the other person present, “That dude’s gonna get eaten by bears.” And that person looked me in the eye, grinning from ear to ear & replied, “Oh yeah he is!” ✌🏼
When I first watched the documentary, I wasn't sure at first that it wasn't a "Mockumentary", like "This Is Spinal Tap" or "Best In Show". My wife and I found ourselves laughing uncomfortably to tears. He was , as we say down South, 'a character'.
The scene with Treadwell talking like an adolescent on the rocks, the bear behind him standing over a bloody mess, and the crow in the background is ominous.
@@Steph8o8 is that what he did? I couldn't tell. It's messed up. It's like the guy says, Treadwell wanted them to both fear and love him. Is that the relationship he had with his parents?
Your analysis is fascinating! Thanks for mentioning the two things I took away from Grizzly Man: 1) Why couldn't Treadwell have enjoyed the genuine relationship he had with the foxes, 2) His delusional compulsion made the bears less safe by habituating them to human contact. What a bizarre tragedy and pitiable character.
Treadwell was somebody who thought he had to master whatever situation he put himself in. The foxes weren't enough of a conquest. He convinced himself that he loved the bears, but really his goal was to "dominate" them and bolster his own ego. The point I'm making has been made in other comments, just reiterating.
"It just seems like he wasn't going to be satisfied until he was eaten." I'm fairly certain that he probably changed his mind about *that* in his last agonizing moments alive.
As well as being a crackpot, he was also a content creator, and I think he felt the pressure to do what some content creators feel they need to do- keep churning out new, more exciting content. There’s lots of footage of bears photographed and videoed from the required 100 yards away, or from a viewing platform. What was going to keep that sponsorship money flowing was pictures and videos of bears from a few feet away.
Because, you see, SHE DIDNT RUN AWAY....he didn't either. In essence, that both had this psychology. People blame him for her death often....but think about it a bit: is he the kind of person super attractive to women?...or is it because SHE wasn't much different than he was?? I'd claim the later.
Chapter 2 : Addicted to bears and the explanation between 29:07 and 33:40 is just GOLD ! "The addiction has all the currency. De-value the risk, and over-value the reward."
This is EXACTLY what I was about to say. It’s so crazy bc I’m not at 39 days FULLY sober /clean and last night was the first time I’ve experienced dopamine in a while. I didn’t even know I could anymore honestly. (UGA vs Longhorns game - of all fkn things, gave me dopamine for hours 😂)
I understand that Dr. vdV is a busy medical and mental health professional, but man I wish he had the time to create more content. His channel is one I very frequently search for new content. Thank you for this one, Doc!
As a new sub as of this video, it's actually nice to see this little thread. It speaks well of him he doesn't post much but he posts quality. Also tbh so many people I follow go from having chill channels to posting more often but less good, then having 2nd & 3rd channels, & I feel assaulted by content. So I wasn't going to sub to anyone else but this doctor had such good analysis. Lol so yeah I'm relieved he's a slow creator bc I'm getting overwhelmed by people doing too much.
Timothy seems very childlike, like he has rejected the adult world and has regressed to childhood, to the time when he was happier. Somewhere along the line he must have had a bad experience in life and he chose to create a different reality for himself rather than deal with life as it is. It's a shame because he seems to have had a gentle nature and a good soul. Many of us go the other way, we try to harden ourselves against the pain and disappointment of life. We lose interest in friendships, become hard hearted, selfish, bitter, disillusioned, and cynical.
I think he was trying to emulate Steve Irwin. Only Steve was trained and didn’t imbue human traits onto crocodiles, he knew crocs were dangerous at all times especially when they were hungry. This guy saw bears as cute I think and didn’t realise they are just as dangerous as a tiger when hungry. The fact he could visit 13 years was purely due to the fact of food resources and time of year for the bears.
Well that's fun and pithy to say, i feel its an inane and superficial takeaway from the actual psychology that is being discussed here. Because when you talk about the actual psychological mechanisms and motivations that humans have, in this case Timothy treadwell, you find that that idea isn't unique. We all love ourselves more than anything else and all of the things in our lives serve as "plot devices" for our own mental landscapes of how we relate and interact with the world. Some of that has positive outcomes for other people around them and the people themselves, and some of it is negative and self-destructive. We humans consider some of that behavior and validation seeking behavior to be healthy and, in this case, sometimes unhealthy. This video examines that system validation and motivation led Timothy to this point, but it's not because he's any more self-obsessed than you are. It's just about what motivates that self-obsession for him. His addiction to reward seeking was unregulated, and while he did find some slightly positive ways to reaffirm that in likely genuinely thinking he could have a positive benefit to the bears, ultimately it moved back into unhealthy behaviors, eventually leading to him taking unnecessary risks and endangering others. At least that's my completely uneducated opinion. I get what you mean it just seems so reductive to look at this situation as a self-obsessed person and not someone who couldn't find healthy ways to validate themselves.
This was a brilliant analysis of a tragic, disturbing case. Treadwell exhibits narcissistic traits and ran to his demise in many ways. I feel very sad for his girlfriend, who placed too much faith in him. Thank you - new subscriber.
@@jamalwest7658 Yep, prepositions are serious business. No bear gained anything from Treadwell's presence - that one meal doesn't count, seeing that the grizzly in question was killed. And all in all, Treadwell probably caused dangerous human-bear incidents over the years because he habituated the grizzlies to the presence of humans.
I recently relapsed after my service dog died a few months ago, and now I want to reach a sober place again and really needed to hear the part about addiction. thank you. I did it before for almost ten years, (it was a few months before my ten year sobriety) I can do it again.
It is probably a very bad moment in your life, so no wonder you relapsed. I wish you a lot of strength to endure this tough time. Your doggie would want you happy. ❤ don’t give up
As someone who’s struggled his whole life with various addictions I have never heard anyone break things down like that. I found it very helpful. Gave me some more insight into myself.
I'm so sorry to hear about your service dog. I know from family who utilize them that they are not just companions they are such a huge part of being independent and navigating the world, often literally. Also, relapsing in no way means you can't keep going at sobriety. Relapaes happen. Life is fckin hard and sh1t happens, it's challenging. Sober living is a daily practice, you've got this.
Hey Dr ✌🏻 10+ years sober here :) with AA and a long time consumer of psychiatric services DR Andrew - this made more sense to me than anything I have ever heard or seen . I am so glad you came across my feed !!! In AA i used not god but Mother Nature ( the controller of the planet ) I hand it over to . I love your explanation of what happening on a biologically / neurologically
This was a masterpiece in explaining addiction in a way I've never heard before. His understanding goes so deep, and he is able to convey in term so an idiot like me can understand.
This was so interesting, I've never heard my experience of addiction so well articulated and explained. I didn't realize that dopamine and movement were linked like that - I had heard about it being a 'reward' chemical but I didn't realize how fundamental it is to movement, and then to motivation and seeking. And how addiction is perpetual seeking for that fleeting feeling of being ok. Thank you for this video, this really made an impact on me.
This is a wonderful analysis of all the factors driving Treadwell's behaviors, you touched on all the feelings I had when I first watched Grizzly Man. I've also noticed the distinct similarities between addiction and the power the one ring exerts over Gollum.
You are right. The bears are another form of addiction for him - you see it in a lot of addicts who get themselves clean. They start another addiction, buying clothes, start training excessively, eating food for self soothing, staying in control and distracting themselves. Drugs and alcohol is a form of self regulation when you can’t regulate your own feelings, it’s just shows up differently in people. I love your videos - keep up the good work!
After getting clean, I gained 60 pounds in a matter of months. I ate a pint of Ben and Jerry’s every night, by myself. I still haven’t been able to lose all the weight. It’s horrid.
Ceebee Same story I’ve heard from most men women who quit drinking or using drugs. A lot of them joining Overeaters Anonymous and it helps a lot. There is a spiritual aspect to the program, but most people more on having other people who know what they’ve been through and they know what they’re going through and you don’t get judged there It’s really nice to walk into a room and people get it I gotta go back
I saw a woman tell a mother that a dolphin looking at her child “loved” the child and you could even see the dolphins mouth trying to make those “I love you” movements. She was serious. Dolphins are vicious predators; like bears, they are beautiful in nature, but they are not our friend and they don’t love us. Your explanation of lack of a sense of self becoming addiction and replacing that with an unattainable delusion was fascinating. You add so much to RUclips, I wish you had time to post more. I always think about your videos for days.
I don't think it's a stretch to say a dolphin mom loves her offspring, maternal love is a powerful mammalian drive. HOWEVER a dolphin mouthing "I love you" is nonsense, they don't speak English (although they can be trained to understand and respond to human language commands) and they don't mouth words they make sounds with their blowhole and the don't have the facial muscles to really do anything like that
Well they are predators but not towards humans. Even orcas don't prey upon humans. And while a dolphin wouldn't say "I love you" to some random person at the zoo, they could have affection for their human attendants. Animals aren't unfeeling automatons, I mean humans *are* animals, and the same individual spirits that we possess are possessed by them as well. The word "animal" even comes from the Latin word "anima" for "spirit". The mother was probably just trying to give the child a sense of emotional connection that would please them without actually believing deep down that dolphins spontaneously mouth the words "I love you", I mean they don't even have lips so you wouldn't be able to discern them "mouthing" any words. Parents tell white lies like that to their kids all the time, like making up Santa Klaus to make Christmas more fun.
Thank you Dr. V for this insightful look into a fascinating and heartbreaking event. I learned from your analysis. Unresolved childhood issues can create enormous hurdles even as an adult. And your words remind us all to never be afraid to look inside ourselves with the greatest honesty possible.
Is it possible that Treadwell stacked those rocks with the smiley face drawn on them himself? I can believe that park rangers left the “see you next year” flier at his campsite as a hint for him to leave, but the rock piles seem too childish to be from them as well. If Treadwell was always creating villains in his mind for him to protect the bears from, it feels plausible that he might create fake warnings from those villains for the sake of his on-camera narrative, or maybe even to make his own personal delusion feel more real to himself.
Almost without a doubt he did. And those "skinning stations" for poachers are his dumbest claim, probably made by him. Bears are skinned where they lie because how big they are. I even read a book about how he took a picture of a friend carrying a shotgun and distributed a flier claiming it was a poacher stalking a bear. He was a con man.
Notice how he have to insert himself in each and every one of his footage when we know documentarians will just document nature from afar as to not influence their behaviour. I truly think his true nature is being in the closet and denying it because Hollywood are still prejudiced against gay people at that time
There's a commenter on this page (Bees in username) who was with USF&W & worked in the area at the time. You'd have to have the patience to read both threads bc Bees posted 2 separate ones with multiple comments & replies. Bees states in their opinion Tim did all that stuff himself & Bees adds a few reasons why. If you're genuinely curious, find & read Bees 2 threads. Full of extra detail & you can see why I believe Bees is who they say they are + believe what Bees says about TT.
My impression from Grizzly Man was that Treadwell's root psychological problem - the source of the unhappiness that drove his addictions and his risky behavior - had to be closeted homosexuality. Which seemed odd to me because this was the 1990's, not the 1950's , and his affect was so flamboyantly effeminate that staying in the closet served no purpose.
Thank you for taking your meds. I know how hard that is, how the numbness can get. Your people love you, they want the best for you. You are doing right, making this sacrifice for themselves, and yourself. *hugs*
@@weaviejeebies The manic energy is a symptom of Bipolar, but Bipolar is actually one of those disorders that rarely exists on its own. It's usually comorbid with something like ADHD or Schizophrenia. I have ADHD on top of my Bipolar. I no longer take ADHD meds because the Vyvanse turned me into a bitch. Haha
@@weaviejeebies From what I understand (having ADHD, but not having bipolar, so please correct and inform me if I’m wrong), bipolar mania can kind of act like ADHD blown way, waaaaay out of proportion. Lack of inhibition, impulsivity, emotional deregulation (being euphoric to passionately angry very quickly), mind racing-all amped to 11. It almost reminds me of Adderall side effects, too-euphoria, talking really fast, not sleeping
@mariecarie1 Both disorders run in my family. I have adhd, my sister has bp2 (depression with occasional hypomania).My niece has both adhd and bp1, and is very much the DSM description of both disorders. Just observing her, I've seen one big distinction between her everyday adhd and manic episodes is suddenly talking of having a special purpose, or understanding of the universe that signals her tipping into psychosis. "I'm the Buddha of this era, the return of Jesus, I'm the Mother Goddess and the portal to divine grace," is something she has said more than once while having an episode. My hyperactivity is just scattered agitated energy I can't put in gear to go in a focused direction. I actually don't like it and never think it's a special power or indication of a mission from God. Fortunately for me, Adderall unsticks whatever circuit that gets me so tangled, but give it to my niece and there's a bad escalation of euphoria and she starts talking like Robin Williams. She struggles with alcohol because it's such a potent depressant and is fast acting. It gives her a false sense of control. I think Treadwell was very similar in makeup. He certainly felt that sense of divine calling, but then there's also his everyday weird busy thoughts that shape his speech patterns, especially when he was excited, "he's a big bear! Big bear!!" and "it's her poop! It's her life!" that just reminds me sooooo much of me before meds that I cringe. I wonder sometimes if I hadn't had my diagnosis and started meds, would I have turned into a similar sort of half kid, half adult out doing risky, boundary pushing, kinda deluded stuff 🤔? Honestly, he's a fascinating lesson for me. I feel bad for him, he seemed like he wanted to help the world, but couldn't get his stuff together. But I also smh and want to smack him for getting himself, Amy, and even those 2 bears killed. What a horrible way to die.
@@LasPhoenix777 I would argue that anybody trying to diet or dropping an addiction is trying to do exactly that: win an argument against your dopamine.
Absolutely brilliant. I am 44. And you have described my psychological problems better in this than 10 years with UK Psychotherapists. I have the 'Hole' in me. And I'm incapable of avoiding Fights. The more outnumbered or over power looking the fight, the more that emptiness gets filled for a time.
I'm a family med MD working in an acute care setting. I brush against mental health and personality issues constantly, without ever having an excuse to delve into them much further than considering med interactions and "dealing with" mental health issues as a barrier to my history, physical and compliance to my plan for treatment of their diabetic foot wound (or whatever). I look forward to your videos above all the similar channels because yours ring true to medical academia. I understand these are not scrupulous works of science, but you maintain an admirable level of integrity while remaining entertaining. The others grossly compromise intellectual honesty in favor of likes and subscribes.
What a valuable response and perspective. FWIW, I work in the publishing space with a genre focus on psychology and mental health (nonfiction, grounded in science and peer reviewed academic research). And I’ve partly been watching this channel with a curious eye to Dr. Van der Vaart’s rapid growth, especially given that he seems to defy the usual norms for such. For example, he’s not a content mill-no rapid or regular productions, etc. People are watching and subscribing because his videos are thoughtful, even philosophical, as much as they are entertaining, from someone in a position to *see* a bit more clearly and deeply-as much due to personal disposition as to credentials and experience. An annoying fact in my industry today is that most publishers are only willing to buy manuscripts because someone already has a “presence” and a following. This channel is evidence that people will in fact pay attention to quality essays, not because they are packaged by larger-than-life personas. But because they are valuable in and of themselves.
Wow wow wow. You blew my mind with the entire conceptualization of Tim - in particular his regression back to the oral stage via his alcohol addiction, and then the desire to regress into the womb or innards of the bear by engaging in such high risk behaviors that he literally ended up inside of a bear. Just fascinating. You are truly one of the greatest minds and I am awestruck after every single one of your videos. Thank you for the time and effort you put into these masterpieces for us so that we can be enlightened!! 💗
I feel deeply sorry for Amy who had been brought into an environment and season where the bears were even more dangerous than usual. In some ways Mr Treadwell reminds me also of those aspiring cult 'leaders' who, declaring a non existent threat, present themselves as a saviour, with tragic consequences.
He's very camp and hearing him repeat himself over and over again - it sounds like he's trying to convince himself, not the viewer. This guy was very unwell IMO. He comes across as anxious and desperate to be liked.
@@rebekah7635 I think the "camp" impression comes from him acting so childish: high voice, baby talk and those constant repetitions. But with him it's not an affectation or personal style. I would say it's a mix of arrested development and the after effects of years of drug abuse. I could imagine that part of what made him survive for twelve years was that thanks to his "mutual respect" delusion he didn't act like prey, so the bears finally labeled him as "weird, ignore if possible" . And since bears are social creatures, cubs would copy that "not edible, not dangerous --> ignore" from their Mamas.
@@Vitaminsiobhan English isn't my first language, but l think 'camp' describes a grown man acting cutesy/ childlike on purpose. Treadwell wasn't doing that on purpose, and IMO he was much more Peter Pan than grown man.
@Julia-lk8jn no, it doesn't. Camp is a word that essentially means "funny in a gay way". Its over the top and silliness but in ways that are reminiscent of/paying homage to gay men. Very weird word they chose to use for this point.
I watched this documentary film when it was first released and when I was studying for a master's degree in counseling psychology. Tim's behavior and statements seemed like a person in a constant state of hypomania. Dr, van der Vaart brings all the pieces together for a much fuller picture than that. (Thank you!)
"So why are addictions so hard to quit"? Because, as was stated here, we are NOT addressing the root problem...which is "SELF". The moment I completely accepted that Mark was the root problem, was the very moment I began to recover. Not once in more than 30 years of continuous sobriety, have I doubted that fact. True sobriety is about being ok in the midst of chaos, (not of our making, hopefully.) or at 3:18am when I am alone and in complete silence. What a gift! Thank you for this fascinating study!
I lost my best friend 4 years ago. He had been sober for 48 years. From a drunk down and out on the street to a man who helped and sponsored so many people, R.I.P Tommy F.💚☘
Just found your channel today. You've got yourself a new fan!! Looking forward to hearing more of your insightful and educated thoughts on the science and factors behind personalities and behavior
I'm sure it didn't help his mental health to be absolutely by himself for months at a time, just him and his paranoid thinking churning and churning. We need each other to stay sane!
Although I agree people are social animals. Treadwell only went to Alaska once a year for 2 weeks. He also had his girlfriend with him in this dangerous trip.
@@lizblock9593 yes and no, I think other human beings can drive you just as nuts as solitude. I think in Treadwell's case, his mental problems drove him away from people; animals had the great advantage that they can't verbally tell you "get lost, weirdo". And you are right, he could happily indulge in his delusions and reinforce them with his video clips / soliloquies.
I don't know why the Park Services didn't remove Treadwell for disturbing the wildlife and being delusional. He clearly was. He was "interested" in bears, but like a 6 year old, his interest was limited to wanting to pet them and pretending they liked him and wanted to be his friend, so that he felt special and was some modern day Dr. Doolittle that he could brag about in books and public appearances. Pathetic, really.
The longstanding feud between Treadwell and the park rangers is a consistent part of his story. I’m not sure what it takes to get “trespassed” from national parks, but he had a long rap sheet with them
The park cannot kick a person out of a national park, unless they have an order from a judge. At the time these orders were hard to get in Alaska. Remember Alaska is more about personal freedom than any place in the USA. But since this tragedy they have made it easier for parks to remove dangerous people. A former park ranger gives a much more detailed explanation above.
very much enjoyed this commentary. Can't help but say though, as an audio guy, that spacey sound on your mic comes from the sound being out of phase. Most audio editing (and audio edit tools in video editing software) let you reverse the polarity on the channel, and that will take care of it!
Glad I found this channel. Narcissism was my first & overwhelming impression regarding Treadwell & not only did it get him killed, it got his girlfriend killed too.
I know, he’s incredible!!! Such a genius. I thought I had analytical skills prior to finding his channel - and he puts me and my graduate degree in clinical psychology to serious shame. I always wonder how much time and effort goes into each video of his. I wish he could post more but I’ll take every minute of content he puts out!!
To clarify...this fellow has a background in Both psychiatry AND psycholoanalysis. BOTH of those take HUGE HUGE amounts of time, money and energy to even obtain those degrees. Most people are unaware of how much this takes to get even ONE of these. This is grilled/stamped into people with so much education. They live, breathe, think, react only to their classical training, like clockwork. Indeed, what you see here is SUPERB psychoanalysis...it is the result of a NATURAL inclination towards this thinking and a LONG LONG education. He has both.
Wow this is a VERY good video. Not only learned a lot from what you said but also comments from others. As someone who suffers from mental illness and trained and showed horses and was a vet tech AND a recovering meth addict thank you im always interested in content that informs and educates me. Very good commentary what a tragic story. And your right about addiction thank god for dual diagnosis being used now that wasnt always the case.
In Treadwell's video of the foxes, you can see how dogs and humans have a certain way with each other that makes relationships between members of the two species possible. I know dogs are the result of the domestication of wolves, not foxes, but still. That fox was interacting with him, it was interested in him. It shows a glimpse to 30,000 years ago when people first started the domestication process. Treadwell had more of a relationship with that fox than he ever did with any of the bears. In all of the videos of him, I have never seen a real interaction with a bear. He seemed meaningless to them. His communion with the bears was all in his head. Bears have never been domesticated by people for a reason, something that Treadwell never seemed to contemplate.
Foxes are cat software in dog hardware. They don't run in the same nature circles or food chains as people, so they aren't as threatened as they should be. The dog breed that is closest to wolves is oddly, the Shar Pei. That is why they are only recommended for experienced dog owners, are ornery and difficult to train, and aloof. Think of the opposite of a golden retriever. Same with Akitas, or the Japanese bear hunting dog. Same as Shar Peis, it should be one owner dogs and only the experienced. Honestly, foxes are probably nicer.
@@stellviahohenheimActually, if you think about it, it probably all started on a trash heap. Humans are messy, we dump tasty garbage, the less shy and more lazy wolves come up and get some. We don't care, it's trash, as long as they don't bite anyone or eat any little kids. Anyone who does that gets murdered. Anyone who's chill and friendly gets to eat tasty garbage and benefit from fire in winter. Puppies and kids start playing, everyone gets used to each other, and when those goddamn people from over the hill show up to kidnap the women and steal our stuff, hey, our friends on the trash heap start yelling and biting, that's pretty cool! Really, this is probably all happening at once, with hunters realizing that we make a great team, somebody feeling sorry for an orphaned puppy (probably a woman, since to this day it's always Dad who insists he doesn't want the dog,) some proto-dog feeling bad for a human puppy in trouble and pulling the world's first Lassie...
23:30 The foxes are SOO cute. He should've showed the animals RESPECT by admiring them and studying them from a distance and not getting in their personal space or scaring them by talking to them nonstop in a manic way. He should've just embraced how lucky he was to be in their presence at all but it wasn't enough for him
As I just shared with one of the viewers a biologist who had great personal insight and knowledge of this case .. I just found out my daughter has gone back to college she is majoring in environmental science and plans to pursue a career as a park ranger. Interestingly her partner is now almost finished getting his masters in Psychology at Chico state to become a therapist! So running across this has been fantastic! Not for the tragic fate if those involved obviously but for your excellent commentary as well as the comments insights of certain viewers. This will be something for both of them to watch and very relevant now. Lessons to be learned from. Thank you I had no idea this one video would suddenly become something personally important to me !
I've been fascinated with Timothy Treadwell and the documentary for years. I probably watch it 3x a year. I've done my days trying to analyze him and what he was thinking to do what he did however, I am more fascinated about his girlfriend who was reluctant to leave his side and once she finally did decide to leave, it was too late because the bear attack happened to them both just a day or two before she was flying out in an end to their romantic relationship. That's what's must interesting to me: why women stay around men who are clearly unbalanced and who endanger them.
I do think it’s a leftover/result of patriarchal values that women are more willing to sacrifice for romantic relationships. I think it’s changing slowly, but there is still this very common notion that women’s value comes from being desired and chosen by a man, and the older women get without nailing down a man, the less value they have, the more sad and pathetic they become. Even women who would claim to be immune from archaic notions like this are often subconsciously beholden to them, and find themselves doing all kinds of things contrary to their well being or values or self respect in order to keep or lock down a man. This is changing oh so slowly. But from the time we are little girls, it’s woven into the fabric of our identities, that we are women, and the end goal of womanhood is wife-hood and motherhood. Your career, your passions and hobbies, your independence, your wanderlust, your politics, all this is just stuff to get out of the way early, a prelude to the real show, which is domestic bliss. This is changing partly out of necessity, as our economic climate has made “domestic bliss”, the suburban American dream, a thing of the past for most people. Anyway, she was an older single woman. Why did she go along with Timothy’s antics for so long? Well, besides obviously loving him, it might be as simple as being an older, single woman made her hold on to something longer than she might have in her early 20’s. More reluctant to give up on it after putting in the time with this man, even knowing it was dangerous and not in her best interest.
Your content is so interesting, some of the best on the internet in my opinion - I’ve rewatched your videos countless times! Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to provide us with all this cool stuff! It has helped me improve my perspective on life and myself in general in many ways. I would love to leave a suggestion for a future video that I think would be very interesting and maybe provide some help for those in a vulnerable position, is it okay if I do that? I don’t want to stress you out by seeming too demanding. Either way, I hope you are doing well! Can’t wait to see what you have in store for us :)
@@boobootheballbreaker2092 As a neuroscientist + psychologist his schedule is probable quite packed, which is why I hesitate to request topics/videos/etc. Let’s hope he has time and motivation one day! Until then i’ll rewatch his available content, it never gets old😁
This is the best Analisis I have ever heard. I’m a licensed Psych Nurse. So educational! TY for this . Huge I think Tim is hearing this somewhere in another demention because you cared and spoke it. Wrote it. Became a living prayer. ( but I’m delusional ) haha take it lightly please.
I've worked with animals for my entire career and when i tell you that animals bring out the very best and worst of us - i speak from experience. And people want to believe their special connections to animals are a real thing and they are often, OFTEN behaving in ways that are alarming or even threatening to animals. At worst it leads to a sad end for the animal. People who believe they're specially connected to animals are often quite resistant to factual or scientific knowledge and information about animals and their behaviors. It's so sad.
I swear, one of the strongest signs that you actually have a way with animals is knowing that it won't work on all of them, and certainly not all the time.
Yes and no. I have a special connection to animals in that I can empathize with them and understand how they probably are feeling while we interact. I have a harder time doing that with humans. That said, I too have worked professionally with animals my whole adult life. The very first thing I ever learned, when small, was to respect their boundaries and avoid a bite at all costs. This was constantly reinforced in my professional training later on. I get very frustrated at people when they do foolish things like kiss a dog’s face, pick up a cat they don’t know, touch any animal that is not a cat or dog without knowing the animal, etc. The way I tell it to these types is “you want a stranger to walk up and touch your head? Or pick you up?” This usually helps them empathize with the animal instead of just trying to indulge their own selfish impulses.
I find it interesting that this "special connection to animals" is something that turns up in most mythologies, and in oh so many children's stories. And not even exclusively children's stories. I think those people who really _have_ a deep understanding or even relationship with animals, especially wild ones, gained it through years and years of work and learning, and they tend to be humble and realistic. Showcasing and advertising yourself constantly is what con artists do, and isn't it amazing how well it works. I really thing that Treadwell being invited to some high profile shows didn't help at all, it gave him a sense validation..
🌿🐻🌿 The indigenous people of that territory who have a deep respect and a clear delineation between the animal world and human habitat: repeatedly warned Timothy. Somehow, he felt that their wisdom was somehow misdirected. He was absolutely a frightening child like character. Sad. EXCELLENT COMMENTARY AND VIDEO PRODUCTION.
They're the Forest People, and *you let the Forest People alone.* Like, from the Alaska Native perspective, of course this timeline is crappy, we keep doing things like knocking bears out and putting tags in their ears without so much as a by-your-leave, and that's bad karma.
@@janerecluse4344 I would absolutely love to believe that knocking out an animal and tagging it is even close to the most problematic things happening these days. As it is: not by a mile. Bonus points for the fact that bears are apex predators who routinely knock out anything from salmon all the way up to moose. And no, not to put a small tag in its ear.
A very sad story and I think you did an excellent job breaking down the facts. You did the right thing just presenting the facts of the audio recording, I don’t need to listen to those poor peoples last moments. His poor girlfriend must have been utterly terrified in her last moments and I’m saddened that Tim thought he could stop a bear attacking them.
I remember when this happened. I figured his luck would run out sooner or later. He lasted quite a few years camping in grizzly country….and because he got so close to the bears, he took some awesome wildlife photos, and video. Right after this happened, I saw photos of what was left of Tim. The bear ate him down to the bone. Just about the only thing the bear did not consume were Tim’s feet…..his hiking shoes were still on but from the ankle up…..it was all leg bone. His girlfriend was in pieces. The bear was found to be old and malnourished. I believe there were two bears involved and the second bear was a juvenile I think. The bear wanted a meal before going into hibernation. That’s normal. What is not normal is for a person to place themselves directly in the line of a hungry, old bear 🐻. Tim placed himself right on the trails that the grizzlies use to moved around the area. He rolled the dice time after time and eventually, the bears got him. Just like Steve Irwin….took chance after chance, until……..
I don't believe you but I'll humor you. We've all heard that ol'y ate him and left nothing but his head and right forearm. I wasn't sure if they meant that literally or were just exaggerating. So if you're telling the truth, was he damn near fully eaten as they say?
It's astonishing to me how powerful the delusions he held must have been. Especially if you've ever been in the presence of (even) just a "small" black bear. It stirs a deep, instinctive level of fear. Timothy's need for specialness and his desire to create this sort of parallel reality was so strong, it propelled him into a place where he could and would completely disregard the staggering reality of nature. That reality being; one of those bears, without a thought, would (and ultimately did), shred through him as though he were wet paper. I can think of nothing more disrespectful of nature.
Hearing your opinion about 12 step programs was a nice surprise. I'm in recovery, and I know what alcohol does for me. It changed my life when I got drunk for the first time. It was both amazing, and terrible. I chased all of the good times, but didn't want the consequences of the bad. Step 2 hit me over the head out of nowhere, and it truly was the only way out for me.
He was doing what I see so many people do with animals-anthropomorphism. "He loves me, he loves my kids, he would never hurt the baby!! Hes family!" Makes me crazy. Talking to you, social media people who force their dog to snuggle your newborn baby so you can get likes!👋
😂 yeah yeah. People that bandy that word about , anthro whatever, Ohhh you hate vegans (understandable ) and you also shoe horn in “ubiquitous “ whenever possible
I get what you're saying, but humans are far more dangerous than dogs. Human adults maim or kill more children (and dogs) than dogs, and there's a reason that parents are investigated first when a child dies from unnatural causes or goes missing.
Why would you hate vegans? Is animal cruelty acceptable to you? You couldn't cope with the things I have seen or read. That's not a boast. That's the awful reality of existing in a world where completely unhinged, diabolical degeneracy is perpetrated on sentient beings who can't escape, and whose horrific violent end was perpetrated by people who could be your next door neighbour. You have no idea.
I just went through almost 10 years of mental health & addiction & eating disorder treatment and have never heard of why dopamine is so powerful in holding me hostage to those addictive cycles. I have now recovered but damn it was hard. Inside I am constantly seeking - even though today I have the skills to say no, plan ahead, and set up my life to a level where addiction is no longer possible. Thank for explaining this to me. Appreciate you sharing your knowledge, about this poor man Mr. Treadwell and his partner too. I understand his desire to escape into that world of addiction - on the one hand. On the other, it's a life sentence if you don't find a way of beating yourself at your own game and becoming stronger than your own physiology / psychology.
Fascinating as always. I feel sorry for this man with his delusions. I need to listen to your video several more times; there’s so much knowledge you’re imparting that I couldn’t absorb it all in one pass. Thank you so much!
I met Timothy on a number of occasions in Malibu, he was friends with clients of mine whose home I worked on. He was very enthusiastic about what he was doing in Alaska and sharing his experiences with people when not in Alaska. I was skeptical about what he was doing and believed it was only a matter of time before something bad happened. It is sad all the way around for all involved. He should have left the bears alone and stayed out of their habitat.
Thank you for this very insightful analysis of a troubled man. Your description of addiction was enlightening. I have been sober 34 years and turned my life over to a higher power not knowing what that was. For you to explain how the higher brain can try and tripwire the dopamine driven need for movement, was incredible to me (still trying to wrap my mind around (reptilian analogy) this explanation. I've never thought of it that way. I still struggle with the reasons why I drank and have quite a bit of PTSD. I work with a therapist now and doing CPT to face the feelings and thoughts about myself and the world, that first drove my addictions. A sad reality that so many never live to have the chance to face their seemingly hopeless challenges.
Treadwell's demeanor rings of child abuse at the hands of a narcissist. The infantilizing, the unaddressed vulnerable narcissism, the attachment towards animals above humans, delusions of grandeur, etc. On one hand, I hold pathos for him, because he was clearly a damaged soul who thought he was doing well. On the other hand, he helped endanger many other people's lives by acclimating many of these bears to human presences. Worse yet, he also endangered the very bears he claimed to love. But, it wasn't about a healthy love. It was a one-sided, delusional love that comes from someone who is detached from reality and seeking validation through his "selfless acts" and his "better approach to naturalism". He felt like he was being gifted something, because he alone was special, and that everyone else was wrong, including specialists in this field.
Thanks for covering this - I’ve watched Grizzly Man a few times - his interactions with the fox are delightful - if only, as you say, he’d been happy with that. 100% agree that he was a tragic figure.
This is such a great channel. Combining neuroscience with psychoanalysis and true crime is extremely interesting. His explanations of things is also very compelling.
33:20 the description of how addiction and dopamine works in addiction was so clear and concise and in easy to understand terms. Its the clearest picture Ive ever gotton. Thank you plus that nakes sense that he replaced his addiction sadly without coming to face the core dysfunction and really healing
I agree! This was a great explanation of dopamine's role in addiction along with the explanation of how it reassigns value and why other things don't matter. I also loved the inclusion of St. Anselm's ontological argument. ;-)
This whole topic and breaking it down is so valuable Thankyou so much The cringe factor when you watch Timothy Treadwell is so huge that it must mean that it presses buttons in each of us visa vie the Timothy Treadwell in each of us The disempowered Timothy Treadwell trying to empower himself in in life at the cost of his life is such an interesting question
Thank you so much for making this video, Andrew. There's so much insightful information here. Especially the connection between dopamine and addiction. These revelations are priceless.
As a biologist that actually met Treadwell, I found this fascinating. Here are just a few of my personal "insights" as a person who studied brown bears and who met, and tried to encourage Treadwell to behave in ways more conducive to long life.
Treadwell didn't work with the Park Rangers and biologists at Katmai. Many of us tried to gently suggest to him the idea that naturalists actually DO contribute to the body of knowledge we have about the natural world and encouraged him to direct his obsession toward activities more in line with how a naturalist would observe the natural world. But Tim didn't have the discipline for doing the kind of observation that would have been useful. He filmed bears doing unnatural things - interacting with a human - instead of staying away and filming them doing what they would naturally be doing without human interference. Some of his video inadvertently caught bears in the distance, but most of what he filmed does not shed any light on the natural behavior of the bears.
Treadwell had actually left the park and got all the way to the airport, but had some kind of altercation with an airline employee and decided to go back to the park. One of the rangers saw him at a local store appearing to "gear up" and pretty much knew he was going back to the wilderness. Treadwell was reminded that most bears are already hibernating and the only ones that are still out and about that time of the year are the ones that instinctively know they have not put on enough weight to make it through hibernation. Those bears are desperately fighting against time. They must get the weight on and then find a safe place to hibernate and it was very late into the season, so late that most bears were already in hibernation. They are far more dangerous at this point.
The audio has not been released to the public, there are many fakes out there. In the fake audios you hear the bear growling and everyone thinks oh how scary. A growling bear is actually trying to scare you away, not trying to actually physically attack you. In the real recording the bear doesn't growl at all. The copy that was made by staff in order to be studied for clues as to what happened was destroyed.
Keep in mind that bears don't have bandages and antibiotics they can apply to themselves. I know this sounds snarky, but it's important to know they will not take unnecessary risks, even a risk that doesn't appear to present a danger of actual death. A wound that gets infected can be devastating for non human animals.
Here is an explanation of the situations where a bear will become aggressive. No growling of any kind by the bear is heard on the audio of the actual event where Tim lost his life. We have no such audio of the event that ended Amy's life and can't say whether it was a feeding event or some other reason for the aggression on her. The audio ends partway through the event involving Tim.
1. A female bear will become physically aggressive to protect her cubs. In this case the female will growl, stand up trying to look as big as possible, do everything she can do physically intimidate the encroacher to leave on it's own. This involves the bear making lots of growling noises.
2. A bear that has found a good location for feeding will protect the area they are currently feeding. This is another case where they will make lots of noise, they will stand up in an effort to present as large a presence as possible. Again, loud growling will be a large part of the effort to protect a prime feeding location.
3. Males will aggressively protect access to females during breeding season. This is yet another instance where loud growling takes place. Again, these animals in this and the first two situations are trying to get the encroaching animal to leave without having to resort to actual physical contact, which could seriously wound or kill one or both animals.
4. The last form of "aggression" is feeding. This is the one type of aggression that does not involve growling and noise. The real tape was horrifyingly chilling BECAUSE of the lack of growling by the bear.
Thank you for your excellent comment!
This was fascinating. Thank you for sharing.
It was all for him. He didn't care about the harm he would cause.
Thank you for a very informative comment!
One thing that I find fascinating and enchanting about biologists is the lengths to which they'll go to observe animals with minimal interference. By now, drones and increasingly small cameras make that easier, but in a lot of documentaries you see scientists crouching in hide-out for hours and days.
My impression of Timothy Treadwell from any clip I've ever seen is that he wanted that status as the gentle powerful fearless Friend and Protector of the bears more than he wanted to really observe and learn. His videos document how bears react to a human intruder, and sadly, so does his death.
I imagine it must have been hard for the rangers to see somebody messing about with both the bears and the park rules for years, always with the unspoken question of whether _this_ would be the year when his luck would run out.
@@Julia-lk8jn Yes, it was hard not to think it was going to end badly for Treadwell. He seemed very paranoid and somehow convinced himself that we were his enemy. But the rangers are specifically there to make sure people enjoy their time in the wild, they wanted him to be able to get great video of bears and other wildlife, to enjoy himself, and to be safe so he could continue to do that year after year.
National Parks are specifically designated as land where no area is off limits (aside from living quarters and areas designated for the staff). So, Timothy wasn't actually breaking any laws, but he often broke the safety rules, particularly the rules that involve safe distances between yourself and wildlife. And he started more and more breaking rules regarding camping as he convinced himself more and more that rangers were his enemy and somehow they were stalking him, leaving messages for him, and trying to "stop him from protecting the bears." His paranoia really grew more and more over the years.
I do not believe those "messages" were left by anyone, I think Tim set those up himself. That area is accessible by plane and rangers generally spend their time in the area around the falls, interacting with visitors. I don't believe anyone flew out there to leave him these bizarre messages.
I think Dr van der Vaart's insight is spot on and actually helped me feel less guilty about not being able to help Tim.
As much as he could be very frustrating, all of us were truly heartbroken, but ultimately I think most of us weren't surprised that something terrible happened.
Your description of biologists crouching in the wild reminds me of the earliest days - I was primarily a behavioral biologist, but also involved in survey and monitoring work. Today biologists use advanced tools for tracking and monitoring bears - GPS collars, video collars, we also still sedate bears to investigate their general condition. So, there isn't as much crouching in the wild as in the old days, but us old timers really enjoy that part of it.
Sorry to write so much. Can you tell that part of the job I truly loved the most involved conducting programs for the general public, which I enjoyed being able to do from time to time. 🙂
What's astonishing to me is that he lasted 13 years, considering the way he was all up in the bears' faces....
To be honest, he only spent a few weeks out of each year, not constantly, but I agree
@@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat Yes. Treadwell spent 13 SUMMERS there, not 13 years. It was a total of about 3 1/2 years that he was out there and almost always in Summer, when grasses, berries and Salmon were present. A fed bear isn't safe, but they're safer than a hungry aggressive one about to go into hibernation.
It’s because he only spent the summer in an area with plentiful food. That final year he stayed into the fall when bears start to become more aggressive in a year with food scarcities that would have aggravated the bears. Finally, staying later in the season brought in bears that treadwell hadn’t been around before in the previous summers.
I would like to see him in the beginning, comfort seems to lead to overconfidence.
This only confirms that bears do not attack humans very often actually. He lasted 13 years and was provoking almost an attack.
“Before I found the bears, I was all messed up on drugs. Now that I’ve found the bears, I’m all messed up on bears.”
How often do we see people substituting one addiction for another?
@@barbarapaine8054 virtually 100%. My wife is a nurse, she worked at a bariatric clinic. That’s where morbidly obese people get weight loss surgery. She said quite a few of them, once they were no longer able to indulge in over eating, became alcoholics or drug addicts instead. Some even became sex addicts.
@@barbarapaine8054the my pillow guy.
Meth > imaginary election fraud.
Should've just stuck with the drugs.
@@MrJeffcoley1 sums it up nicely.
The weirdest thing: you'd think being obsessed with bears, though physically risky, would at least be mentally healthier than drugs - fresh air, exercise and so on.
But no, he manages to get increasingly deluded, paranoid and aggressive about that, too.
It's sad, but it looks like that was just how his mind was structured at that point and if he'd have picked up any other hobby, it'd have gone the same.
It’s so strange to see a grown ass man on his knees in the grass, baby talking to a big stinking grizzly bear that’s clearly stalking him. Surreal almost.
Tone of voice has a lot to do with bonding/training an animal
@@jadedoe9966 Which tone of voice do you think it would work please? I have no intention of speaking to bears Im just curious.
@musicbrazilian7065 the only tone i would ever use to speak to a bear comes from brass, lead, and a LOT of gunpowder...
I wuv u. Its okay i wuv u
@@danbaron2561on;y coz it was right time of year and it was not hungry.
I think the bears showed incredible patience.
ruclips.net/video/qwloBFzpBeA/видео.htmlm44s
the guy saying i think they thought somethign was wrong with him was hilarious
They probably were freaked out by this guy
@@Kelp_Farming 0:38 hearing him talk "Don't do that!!! It's ok, love you! I love you!" alone makes makes my alarm go off so hard... he's psycho.
In my retirement, I have become a trainer of hyper-aggressive breeds of dogs, including American Timberwolf hybrids and dingo hybrids. Only a few generations from wild animals, but domesticated nonetheless. After decades of both amateur and professional training, with nothing but respect for these DOMESTICATED animals, I can say Tim Treadwell was not mentally well. And he took a lot of good people and animals down with him.
When watching the herzog doc, I was so struck by how paranoid he was. Paranoid of non-existent poachers, of the park rangers… but never of the bears.
Another thing I didn't mention is that contrary to Timothy's claims of "saving" and "protecting" bears, several bears had to be put down either directly because of Tim's interference with them or indirectly.
The bear that consumed Timothy was killed the day his remains were collected. That bear was necropsied the following day. A younger bear also had to be killed on that first day because we were trying to collect remains and map out the whole site and that bear acted aggressively. We were unable to necropsy that younger bear because he was eaten by other bears before we got back the next day to do the necropsies.
but aside from those two bears, over the years that Timothy was engaged in activity that resulted in some bears becoming habituated and potentially dangerous to visitors, we had to put some of them down. And it's hard to describe how deflating and sickening it feels to put down an animal in that situation. It breaks your heart even as you understand it has to be done for the safety of human visitors.
That’s so heartbreaking. I can’t imagine how devastating & frustrating that was to deal with. I’m so sorry you had to deal the mess Timothy created.
Exactly. He couldn’t see beyond his nose
Exactly, anyone doing this stuff is doing it solely to feed their ego, even if they haven't admitted it to themselves.
I just finished reading another comment you posted and also your replies to the people who commented on it. I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts, opinions and experiences with this situation. There were a few things I have always wondered about in the back of my mind after watching a documentary about Tim a long time ago. It sounds like there were quite a few tragedies that happened and it all could have easily been avoided. I’m sure it felt terrible to be put in that position to take the lives of animals when it shouldn’t have come to that in the first place. I hear of this happening far too often with all sorts of different animals because of human interference in one way or another. That’s why we have so many types of animals that are not extinct or on the verge of extinction. It’s so unfortunate, to say the least.
This is the real tragedy for me. Poor bears
His behaviour with these bears. Hell, my dog would have bit him for being so f*cking annoying.
I agree just in these clips he was aggressive & loud & frightening himself towards them!! ~ because he was afraid & sick thinking he was superior 2 them- 💙
Yeah, I grew up around my dad's guard dogs. They were family, but dad made very clear that I needed to respect them and their personal space. I can't imagine disrespecting wild animals and thinking it will end well...
lol
Yeah mine would have bitten him too.
honestly it makes sense. his "i'm an unintrusive fly" comment in the beginning really struck me because flies are one of the most intrusive and annoying animals you can have flying around and getting in your face, which is exactly what he did with these bears in the clips.
This is the clearest and most detailed explanation of the story behind Timothy Treadwell’s mental health in Herzog’s documentary. Understanding the complicated relationship between addiction and behavior make Timothy’s choices able to be viewed with compassion; as viewers, we know the terrible danger he faces, and we are conversely gripped with fear for him and in awe at his delusional fearlessness. What a wonderful video. Thank you for taking the time to make this ❤ I hope your channel grows, your insight is uniquely thorough.
His irresponsible and reckless actions led to the deaths of a number of bears. His interactions with them caused them to be less afraid of humans, leading to them being in closer proximity to and aggressive toward other humans. Because of this, they were killed. Also killed was the bear that ate him and another that was in the area while his death was being investigated. If the only victim was Treadwell I'd have a lot more sympathy for him, but his actions led directly and indirectly to the death of another human and far too many bears.
@@pearcat08 Oh yes, I agree with you about his actions leading to the absolutely avoidable destruction of another human life and also, bears. He was reckless and utterly irresponsible, with no concern for the long term effects his presence, let alone his behaviors, could have on the environment and the bears. I wanted only to comment on the psychological impetus that led him to make the uniquely dangerous choice he made. It is interesting and a shame, to consider how he could have really done some good for conservation and education had he been a more mentally healthy person.
Thanks. To add: he only spent a few weeks out of each year in the wild, not constantly. Even the natives in the area hated him, normalizing animals to human presence is deadly.
This seems obvious in retrospect, but as a kid i imagined him living in a cabin off grid with bears all year. He didn't really "know" these bears at all. He was like a guy who visits Paris every summer and doesn't speak French thinking he's knows the city better than the natives.
And leads to death for the grizzlies that begin habitually ransacking tourist sites and nearby humans’ homes, because they end up executed by law enforcement or wildlife management.
1:18 "he did live among them, every summer for 13 years"
sounds like a couple weeks of the year and not constantly imo
@kingti85 okay, but summer is 3 months, he only spent 3 or 4 weeks out of that, so not even 1/3 of the summer. Let's just agree he was foolish.❤️
@@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat Oh yea...I been playing too much Stardew Valley I forgot irl seasons are 3 months not 1 🤦😩
He needed to live among mental health professionals, not bears.
Yes, sadly, Timothy needed a mental health intervention and evaluation.
🤣🤣🤣 💯
That's good
@@tredjesongen Hahaha a fresh take on the men vs bears dialogue
@@tredjesongen Mental health care is more than psych meds, and is valuable and important. I respect that you may have had a negative experience, but that is not reflective of the field as a whole, and your language matters.
after watching grizzly man, I asked my partner to sum up his feelings about the film in one sentiment. He said "He had a good thing going with the foxes"
Your boyfriend or girlfriend? Husband or wife?Partner? What's that mean?
@@ryanohara4986 im confused as to why youre so hung up on that. Who cares
@DylanJo123 it's confusing, and very non specific it seems. I don't care about people's personal decisions about who they want to be with. It's just a very interesting term, is all.
@@ryanohara4986 he’s my boyfriend/lifepartner. We don’t want to get married. But we’ve been together and lived together for years so boyfriend feels too casual.
@@ryanohara4986 Clearly it's meant to refer to business partner.
Another example of a similar delusion was the Tiger King. When a tiger attacked him, he was furious as if the tiger had betrayed him. 😏
Ah yes The Tiger King.. March 2020 was weird as hell😂
Poor tiger… I haven’t seen the documentary, but I hope the animals were OK when all was said and done
@spiralrose if the animals were all fine and good at the end dude wouldn't be in jail.
@@spiralrose No they weren’t. He needlessly killed lots of tigers and all sorts of animals. Not even the humans around him were safe in the end.. You should check the series out.
Yes, extremely bad for humans and tigers. One human life, one human arm, and countless tigers were lost because of the "tiger king"
I hope this never happens to that guy who feeds hot dogs to racoons on his porch.
Fun fact: back when he was a police officer he had a very famous ufo encounter. A car chase, in fact. There’s old footage of him talking to the press about it.
Good point OP
You think a bear might show up one night?
The coons and squirrel on my deck sit up and beg…though, I would not want to get close to them.
😂
Honestly that video of him with the foxes was beautiful in a way, hearing the genuine joy in his voice while interacting with them just hits me man. In a perfect world Tim was just content with filming foxes.
Tim Treadwell's "Rescue Mission" actually endangered the Grizzlies. I cant remember the source, but some Natives of this area were furious about Treadwell. Reason was, that the bears got used to humans because of Tim and started wandering closer to settlements. Some bears had to be shot because of this behavior if I remember correctly. Tim Treadwell was never interested in protecting bears. He was only interested in a cheap adrenaline rush that will eventually result in his death.
You’re correct. A park ranger or official who dealt with Treadwell directly confirmed in the comments here that they did indeed put down a few bears because of this moron.
That makes perfect sense. This type of personality is immune to logic and reason and wouldn't listen to anyone.
Those animals root in garbagebins regardless of this bloke.
At 2 min in, i was questioning how much of this behavior could be explained by him being an adrenaline junkie. Hence, why he crept into more and more dangerous areas/situations.
Was sifting through comments to see if anyone else thought this, besides the obvious screw loose he had. It's sad to hear him say he thought his life didn't have purpose prior to getting into this.
He ended up getting the bear killed that ate him and the young girl he lured to her death.
I see so many people nowadays who don’t know how to even read the body language of cats and dogs. Pushing these animals to the point of lashing out, thinking they are oh so special with their ability to anthropomorphize.
Body language is a pseudoscience. People can’t read animals’s mind with body language. It’s like when humans think animals are saying “I love you” through their body language by barking. You even mention this. People make up patterns and that’s why you can’t just read body language. There isn’t one real science article that states reading body language is real. I really hate how some psychologists push it. There’s no evidence to it.
This. 👆
I sing to my neighbor's cat in the window because i really get off on how it looks down on me with the face that clearly says "Who the FK is this idiot?!?! AGAIN!?!?!"
Ever since I came across the videos of a dog using buttons to communicate start becoming self aware of itself and having an existential crisis was when I realized cats/dogs are so much more complex than most would ever realize. The dog is on anti-anxiety meds now. They are so smart and can be taught to communicate as well as a small child. That alone should elevate their treatment and protection in society yet we still have so many abusers in the world :(
also I was very skeptical of the story before watching many videos of the dog using the buttons in different context and truly don't think it's random. There are even prestigious university research papers being written about this dog and some others with the usage of communication buttons. If I remember the name of the dog I will come back and update my comment. It's easy to look up though if you search existential crisis dog
@@litneyloxancats are doing it now.
This video was so far the best analysis I have heard of Tteadwell. His regression into childhood and away from addiction, at the cost of his life, is a very powerful statement about the poignancy of addiction itself and the lengths many will go, even unconsciously, to either fight it or justify it. A riveting and thought-provoking analysis.
Perhaps most perplexing to me is that he was vowing to protect these bears while inside Katmai National Park, where these bears are protected by law already. And in the end the bears he swore to protect where euthanized and dissected to recover his own body parts. Not to mention the danger the recovery team was placed in
The recovery team had to kill a smaller bear because it was being aggressive. 😢
something that gets me about this are those clips where he has a little interaction with a red fox. the fox is clearly cautious of him, but also curious enough that it doesn’t immediately bolt. it sniffs his hand and even gives his finger a little exploratory nibble. i’d spend the rest of my life thinking about something like that, how lucky i’d feel to even get that close to a single little fox, let alone interact with it. but timothy couldn’t *just* be happy with the privilege of those little genuine moments. he was a showman, obsessed with the image of being a mere man able to control the bears, oooh, aaaah. how tragic.
@@sh4rkb4it I guess one cute little fox nibbling at your finger doesn't get you into late night shows, but endangering yourself, others and the bears does.
"showman" is a good descriptions. I could niggle about the fact that showmen usually *know* that they are putting on a show, that they can't really fly, that fire will burn them and that they can't cut a pretty leotard-clad woman into bits and then magic her back together.
@@Julia-lk8jnlmao what's n*ggle?
I had my own experience with a fox ,it befriended ? my dog ( we often walked in a large very old cemetery for off leash time ) and this fox would come and chase my dog and they "played " together ...One day my dog n I were taking a break under a tree and the little fox came and sat with us ,I was in awe ,I felt so amazed and it was so special ,I could have taken a photo but instead I just sat there taking in every moment ,it was so beautiful ,it curled up and snoozed beside us ,it was. warm sunny mid morning and it was a truly magical moment that I treasure ....Thnakyou for reminding me of it ....such a beautiful moment in time
The Guardian had this amazing photo set once of wildlife photographers who had animals come check them out. There are some incredible shots. They had a set where a bunch of owlets just take over the camera like little goofballs. I love those unexpected encounters. I'm in a new place so I have to build new relationships but the local urban wildlife got to know me in an old place. Agree with OP; such privilege to have those moments, & I've never had to force a bird into an interaction with me. I just need to show them respect + be predictable for them (which is another thing I notice Treadwill wasn't great at) & those social birds catch on fast if you're a friendly human who fills bird feeders or carries peanuts. The gulls here gather in October to migrate together & if I set up with a loaf of bread & throw chunks up + against the wind, they'll line up like a row of airplanes & hover, then arc upwards or downwards to perfectly catch bread & they circle around & land to gobble it while the next gull hovers, waiting for its chunk to get thrown. I prefer not to anthropomorphize bc it's way cooler that we can be different species or clades & still have these mutualist moments. I shouldn't be that shocked bc wild animals have to do that with each other all the time, tho. We're the weak link.
Treadwell KNEW that he was probably going to be killed out there by a Bear. He actually spoke of it on at least two occasions that we know of, because they were documented on film.
Therefore, I considered Treadwell clinically depressed, and inadvertently su*cidal.
The REAL tragedy of this situation is that he allowed Amy to perish in that fatal Bear attack.
Timothy KNEW it was late in the season, and the danger levels were high; being that there were Bears literally starving in the area. Amy had NO BUSINESS being there with him, and HE is responsible for the loss of her life as well as his own.
su*icide by nature; my thoughts exactly. same thing with the magic bus guy, mccandless, imo
The most shocking thing about this case is that he lasted as long as he did
Yes the bears should've got rid of him long ago
He didn't know the bears developed an appetite for liberal fruitcake.
I just feel sorry for his girlfriend, she knew bad stuff was going to happen.
@Rick_Cleland I've commented before Timothy spoke at my daughters school and my middle daughter absolutely loved her ,his girlfriend,she was around 7 or 8 but thought there was something wrong with Timothy .his girlfriend had braided my daughters hair and my daughter had told her to not go back to Alaska to just stay in Washington. I know sounds lame but no joke my ex wife was substitute teacher at the time I didn't gave a clue never heard of Timothy
Not really - he was not so completly worthless as this man, and many others, make him out to be.
I met Timothy Treadwell once, just a couple of years before he died. He never stopped talking, not even to breathe. He would ask a question, then answer it before I could open my mouth. Very animated, with disjointed racing thoughts. I’m no psychiatrist, but it looked like the most extreme episode of mania I’ve ever seen!
And when he walked away, I said to the other person present, “That dude’s gonna get eaten by bears.” And that person looked me in the eye, grinning from ear to ear & replied, “Oh yeah he is!” ✌🏼
I call bs
I call bear shit.
When I first watched the documentary, I wasn't sure at first that it wasn't a "Mockumentary", like "This Is Spinal Tap" or "Best In Show". My wife and I found ourselves laughing uncomfortably to tears. He was , as we say down South, 'a character'.
Ron White even has an old bit where he said it was the funniest movie he’d ever seen
The scene with Treadwell talking like an adolescent on the rocks, the bear behind him standing over a bloody mess, and the crow in the background is ominous.
1. I never want to intentionally be near a wild bear 2. If I did get near one and happened to be by his food/snack I'D BE EVEN MORE WORRIED
The crow was getting excited like "aww shit it's finally going down i told you tim i told you"
Sad to see him punch the bear. 🐻
@@Steph8o8 is that what he did? I couldn't tell. It's messed up. It's like the guy says, Treadwell wanted them to both fear and love him. Is that the relationship he had with his parents?
And the fact you could see the bears ribs..meaning it waa probably starving...hes lucky to have lasted as long as he did
Your analysis is fascinating! Thanks for mentioning the two things I took away from Grizzly Man: 1) Why couldn't Treadwell have enjoyed the genuine relationship he had with the foxes, 2) His delusional compulsion made the bears less safe by habituating them to human contact. What a bizarre tragedy and pitiable character.
He put his ego over the animals he said he loved. He didn't.
If he had just stuck with the foxes he'd be a worldwide sensation
1 - thats a great point 🦊🤔 sad
Treadwell was somebody who thought he had to master whatever situation he put himself in. The foxes weren't enough of a conquest. He convinced himself that he loved the bears, but really his goal was to "dominate" them and bolster his own ego. The point I'm making has been made in other comments, just reiterating.
I'm 95% confident that he was feeding those foxes, or "accidentally" leaving out food for them.
I thank the algorithm for bringing your channel across me, these are great videos
"It just seems like he wasn't going to be satisfied until he was eaten."
I'm fairly certain that he probably changed his mind about *that* in his last agonizing moments alive.
He probably thought it as impossible that these "friends" would harm him lol
@@stellviahohenheim Millions of years are evolution are more powerful than anything else on this planet. Fight it at your peril. :/
As well as being a crackpot, he was also a content creator, and I think he felt the pressure to do what some content creators feel they need to do- keep churning out new, more exciting content. There’s lots of footage of bears photographed and videoed from the required 100 yards away, or from a viewing platform. What was going to keep that sponsorship money flowing was pictures and videos of bears from a few feet away.
That poor bastard was so full of himself. How did he ever find a girlfriend, much less one willing to be eaten by bears.
He got her by seeming gentle and wounded, I'm assuming. So freaking dangerous.
Because, you see, SHE DIDNT RUN AWAY....he didn't either. In essence, that both had this psychology. People blame him for her death often....but think about it a bit: is he the kind of person super attractive to women?...or is it because SHE wasn't much different than he was?? I'd claim the later.
Well they do say there's someone for everyone- no matter how much of an asshol they are.
He seemed gay to me
@@Skinny-e5h Oh yea big dog, she was DEFINITELY a beard 😂
Chapter 2 : Addicted to bears and the explanation between 29:07 and 33:40 is just GOLD ! "The addiction has all the currency. De-value the risk, and over-value the reward."
"You can't argue with your own dopamine, because your dopamine is defining what's worth doing."
This is EXACTLY what I was about to say. It’s so crazy bc I’m not at 39 days FULLY sober /clean and last night was the first time I’ve experienced dopamine in a while. I didn’t even know I could anymore honestly. (UGA vs Longhorns game - of all fkn things, gave me dopamine for hours 😂)
I understand that Dr. vdV is a busy medical and mental health professional, but man I wish he had the time to create more content. His channel is one I very frequently search for new content. Thank you for this one, Doc!
Me too. All his content is fascinating. I feel like I've been to a lecture after I've watched one.
Me too!!
I don’t think I appreciate anyone else’s professional and human opinion more than Dr. VdV.
As a new sub as of this video, it's actually nice to see this little thread. It speaks well of him he doesn't post much but he posts quality. Also tbh so many people I follow go from having chill channels to posting more often but less good, then having 2nd & 3rd channels, & I feel assaulted by content. So I wasn't going to sub to anyone else but this doctor had such good analysis. Lol so yeah I'm relieved he's a slow creator bc I'm getting overwhelmed by people doing too much.
Agree. I just came across this today. Amazing content. I've always been fascinated by Treadwell, but now I think I understand him.
Timothy seems very childlike, like he has rejected the adult world and has regressed to childhood, to the time when he was happier. Somewhere along the line he must have had a bad experience in life and he chose to create a different reality for himself rather than deal with life as it is. It's a shame because he seems to have had a gentle nature and a good soul.
Many of us go the other way, we try to harden ourselves against the pain and disappointment of life. We lose interest in friendships, become hard hearted, selfish, bitter, disillusioned, and cynical.
He seems to have seen himself as a sort of Dian Fossey or Jane Goodall with bears, only without the education
They were both pretty delusional too tbh
To be fair, and this is not in support of Timothy, but Dian Fossey only had an education in occupational therapy.
3 cuckoo's in the same cage. 😂
A big streak of "tiger king" as well.
I think he was trying to emulate Steve Irwin. Only Steve was trained and didn’t imbue human traits onto crocodiles, he knew crocs were dangerous at all times especially when they were hungry. This guy saw bears as cute I think and didn’t realise they are just as dangerous as a tiger when hungry. The fact he could visit 13 years was purely due to the fact of food resources and time of year for the bears.
Came here to learn abourt Tim Treadwell delusion but learned way more about myself... subbed for sure!
Men will literally move to Alaska to live with grizzly bears instead of going to therapy
I saw a post on instagram of a woman saying she’s safer with a bear than a man
@@thefunguy5069speaking purely statistically she’s not wrong lol. The most likely animal to kill you is another human being
One man. One.
@@thefunguy5069 depends on the man.
@@thefunguy5069Yeah because she probably wouldn't be getting in the bears face and baby talking them like this dude
Timothy Treadwell was in love with Timothy Treadwell. The bears, regardless of his words, were secondary. A plot device to propel his own image.
100% 👏👏👏✔️☝️
I agree like some families use their own children for “likes” --
True and so was his poor girlfriend. He didn’t think twice about putting her in danger.
Well that's fun and pithy to say, i feel its an inane and superficial takeaway from the actual psychology that is being discussed here. Because when you talk about the actual psychological mechanisms and motivations that humans have, in this case Timothy treadwell, you find that that idea isn't unique. We all love ourselves more than anything else and all of the things in our lives serve as "plot devices" for our own mental landscapes of how we relate and interact with the world. Some of that has positive outcomes for other people around them and the people themselves, and some of it is negative and self-destructive. We humans consider some of that behavior and validation seeking behavior to be healthy and, in this case, sometimes unhealthy.
This video examines that system validation and motivation led Timothy to this point, but it's not because he's any more self-obsessed than you are. It's just about what motivates that self-obsession for him. His addiction to reward seeking was unregulated, and while he did find some slightly positive ways to reaffirm that in likely genuinely thinking he could have a positive benefit to the bears, ultimately it moved back into unhealthy behaviors, eventually leading to him taking unnecessary risks and endangering others. At least that's my completely uneducated opinion.
I get what you mean it just seems so reductive to look at this situation as a self-obsessed person and not someone who couldn't find healthy ways to validate themselves.
If he was so fearless why didn't he ever bang a female bear on camera..like any REAL man lol.
This was a brilliant analysis of a tragic, disturbing case. Treadwell exhibits narcissistic traits and ran to his demise in many ways. I feel very sad for his girlfriend, who placed too much faith in him. Thank you - new subscriber.
"I will die for these animals." Well, he got that part right.
Correction, he died FROM the animals
@@jamalwest7658 Yep, prepositions are serious business.
No bear gained anything from Treadwell's presence - that one meal doesn't count, seeing that the grizzly in question was killed.
And all in all, Treadwell probably caused dangerous human-bear incidents over the years because he habituated the grizzlies to the presence of humans.
And two bears died because of him 😅
I think he would have chosen no other end.
He died to feed the danger floof
I recently relapsed after my service dog died a few months ago, and now I want to reach a sober place again and really needed to hear the part about addiction. thank you. I did it before for almost ten years, (it was a few months before my ten year sobriety) I can do it again.
It is probably a very bad moment in your life, so no wonder you relapsed. I wish you a lot of strength to endure this tough time. Your doggie would want you happy. ❤ don’t give up
As someone who’s struggled his whole life with various addictions I have never heard anyone break things down like that. I found it very helpful. Gave me some more insight into myself.
❤
YOU GOT THIS!! KEEP GOING STRONG!!
I'm so sorry to hear about your service dog. I know from family who utilize them that they are not just companions they are such a huge part of being independent and navigating the world, often literally. Also, relapsing in no way means you can't keep going at sobriety. Relapaes happen. Life is fckin hard and sh1t happens, it's challenging. Sober living is a daily practice, you've got this.
Hey Dr ✌🏻 10+ years sober here :) with AA and a long time consumer of psychiatric services DR Andrew - this made more sense to me than anything I have ever heard or seen . I am so glad you came across my feed !!!
In AA i used not god but Mother Nature ( the controller of the planet ) I hand it over to .
I love your explanation of what happening on a biologically / neurologically
One of the best explanations of addiction that I’ve ever heard. I work in the recovery space and have been in recovery for 34 years. Thank you doc!
This was a masterpiece in explaining addiction in a way I've never heard before. His understanding goes so deep, and he is able to convey in term so an idiot like me can understand.
I work in the recovery space 😅😅😅 eye roll
This was so interesting, I've never heard my experience of addiction so well articulated and explained. I didn't realize that dopamine and movement were linked like that - I had heard about it being a 'reward' chemical but I didn't realize how fundamental it is to movement, and then to motivation and seeking. And how addiction is perpetual seeking for that fleeting feeling of being ok. Thank you for this video, this really made an impact on me.
This is a wonderful analysis of all the factors driving Treadwell's behaviors, you touched on all the feelings I had when I first watched Grizzly Man. I've also noticed the distinct similarities between addiction and the power the one ring exerts over Gollum.
You are right. The bears are another form of addiction for him - you see it in a lot of addicts who get themselves clean. They start another addiction, buying clothes, start training excessively, eating food for self soothing, staying in control and distracting themselves. Drugs and alcohol is a form of self regulation when you can’t regulate your own feelings, it’s just shows up differently in people.
I love your videos - keep up the good work!
After getting clean, I gained 60 pounds in a matter of months. I ate a pint of Ben and Jerry’s every night, by myself. I still haven’t been able to lose all the weight. It’s horrid.
Alice Cooper changed his addiction from alcohol to golf.
Ceebee
Same story I’ve heard from most men women who quit drinking or using drugs.
A lot of them joining Overeaters Anonymous and it helps a lot.
There is a spiritual aspect to the program, but most people more on having other people who know what they’ve been through and they know what they’re going through and you don’t get judged there
It’s really nice to walk into a room and people get it
I gotta go back
I'm sorry for your struggles. I hope you overcome them@@CeeBee781
I saw a woman tell a mother that a dolphin looking at her child “loved” the child and you could even see the dolphins mouth trying to make those “I love you” movements. She was serious. Dolphins are vicious predators; like bears, they are beautiful in nature, but they are not our friend and they don’t love us.
Your explanation of lack of a sense of self becoming addiction and replacing that with an unattainable delusion was fascinating. You add so much to RUclips, I wish you had time to post more. I always think about your videos for days.
I don’t know, I’ve heard about dolphins that REALLY REALLY love humans. Wink, wink.
I don't think it's a stretch to say a dolphin mom loves her offspring, maternal love is a powerful mammalian drive. HOWEVER a dolphin mouthing "I love you" is nonsense, they don't speak English (although they can be trained to understand and respond to human language commands) and they don't mouth words they make sounds with their blowhole and the don't have the facial muscles to really do anything like that
@@Archie0pteryx dolphins are really rapey, with humans. That’s my point.
Well they are predators but not towards humans. Even orcas don't prey upon humans. And while a dolphin wouldn't say "I love you" to some random person at the zoo, they could have affection for their human attendants. Animals aren't unfeeling automatons, I mean humans *are* animals, and the same individual spirits that we possess are possessed by them as well. The word "animal" even comes from the Latin word "anima" for "spirit". The mother was probably just trying to give the child a sense of emotional connection that would please them without actually believing deep down that dolphins spontaneously mouth the words "I love you", I mean they don't even have lips so you wouldn't be able to discern them "mouthing" any words. Parents tell white lies like that to their kids all the time, like making up Santa Klaus to make Christmas more fun.
I think any animal can express love. But human child whey would probably use as a toy and eat it later lol.
Thank you Dr. V for this insightful look into a fascinating and heartbreaking event. I learned from your analysis. Unresolved childhood issues can create enormous hurdles even as an adult. And your words remind us all to never be afraid to look inside ourselves with the greatest honesty possible.
Is it possible that Treadwell stacked those rocks with the smiley face drawn on them himself? I can believe that park rangers left the “see you next year” flier at his campsite as a hint for him to leave, but the rock piles seem too childish to be from them as well. If Treadwell was always creating villains in his mind for him to protect the bears from, it feels plausible that he might create fake warnings from those villains for the sake of his on-camera narrative, or maybe even to make his own personal delusion feel more real to himself.
Almost without a doubt he did. And those "skinning stations" for poachers are his dumbest claim, probably made by him. Bears are skinned where they lie because how big they are.
I even read a book about how he took a picture of a friend carrying a shotgun and distributed a flier claiming it was a poacher stalking a bear.
He was a con man.
@@Wanderlust598100% . Clown definitely got what was coming to him, and for a very long time, oh well don’t mess with bears, right?
Notice how he have to insert himself in each and every one of his footage when we know documentarians will just document nature from afar as to not influence their behaviour. I truly think his true nature is being in the closet and denying it because Hollywood are still prejudiced against gay people at that time
There's a commenter on this page (Bees in username) who was with USF&W & worked in the area at the time. You'd have to have the patience to read both threads bc Bees posted 2 separate ones with multiple comments & replies.
Bees states in their opinion Tim did all that stuff himself & Bees adds a few reasons why. If you're genuinely curious, find & read Bees 2 threads. Full of extra detail & you can see why I believe Bees is who they say they are + believe what Bees says about TT.
Park rangers don't like it when you feed the bears
It's fucking dangerous
The fact that he just HAD to talk THE WHOLE time, is a huge red flag to me re his narcissism, versus just appreciating the bears, being bears!
the Werner Hertzog documentary is mind blowing. His delusion was off the charts, and he was allowed into so many schools to speak with children.
My impression from Grizzly Man was that Treadwell's root psychological problem - the source of the unhappiness that drove his addictions and his risky behavior - had to be closeted homosexuality. Which seemed odd to me because this was the 1990's, not the 1950's , and his affect was so flamboyantly effeminate that staying in the closet served no purpose.
Same here. Stamp it out by perceived uber masculine personae/actions. Felt that on first viewing of the Hertzog film.
I dont think he is a homo. Just a histronic redditor
Yep, very gay
I remember thinking he seemed pretty gay first time I saw it....
I think he must have been gay for the bears.
I have severe Bipolar. Whenever people ask what I'd be like without meds, I tell them to watch the Herzog documentary about Tredwell.
Thank you for taking your meds. I know how hard that is, how the numbness can get. Your people love you, they want the best for you. You are doing right, making this sacrifice for themselves, and yourself. *hugs*
Funny/sad but I have always thought I acted a lot like him before I started ADHD meds. Maybe he was manic and hyperactive both.
@@weaviejeebies The manic energy is a symptom of Bipolar, but Bipolar is actually one of those disorders that rarely exists on its own. It's usually comorbid with something like ADHD or Schizophrenia. I have ADHD on top of my Bipolar. I no longer take ADHD meds because the Vyvanse turned me into a bitch. Haha
@@weaviejeebies From what I understand (having ADHD, but not having bipolar, so please correct and inform me if I’m wrong), bipolar mania can kind of act like ADHD blown way, waaaaay out of proportion. Lack of inhibition, impulsivity, emotional deregulation (being euphoric to passionately angry very quickly), mind racing-all amped to 11. It almost reminds me of Adderall side effects, too-euphoria, talking really fast, not sleeping
@mariecarie1 Both disorders run in my family. I have adhd, my sister has bp2 (depression with occasional hypomania).My niece has both adhd and bp1, and is very much the DSM description of both disorders. Just observing her, I've seen one big distinction between her everyday adhd and manic episodes is suddenly talking of having a special purpose, or understanding of the universe that signals her tipping into psychosis. "I'm the Buddha of this era, the return of Jesus, I'm the Mother Goddess and the portal to divine grace," is something she has said more than once while having an episode. My hyperactivity is just scattered agitated energy I can't put in gear to go in a focused direction. I actually don't like it and never think it's a special power or indication of a mission from God. Fortunately for me, Adderall unsticks whatever circuit that gets me so tangled, but give it to my niece and there's a bad escalation of euphoria and she starts talking like Robin Williams. She struggles with alcohol because it's such a potent depressant and is fast acting. It gives her a false sense of control. I think Treadwell was very similar in makeup. He certainly felt that sense of divine calling, but then there's also his everyday weird busy thoughts that shape his speech patterns, especially when he was excited, "he's a big bear! Big bear!!" and "it's her poop! It's her life!" that just reminds me sooooo much of me before meds that I cringe. I wonder sometimes if I hadn't had my diagnosis and started meds, would I have turned into a similar sort of half kid, half adult out doing risky, boundary pushing, kinda deluded stuff 🤔? Honestly, he's a fascinating lesson for me. I feel bad for him, he seemed like he wanted to help the world, but couldn't get his stuff together. But I also smh and want to smack him for getting himself, Amy, and even those 2 bears killed. What a horrible way to die.
“You can’t argue with your own dopamine”
Touché 😂
well that doesn’t stop me from trying
Right ?
😂
I'd love to be able to control and use my dopamine for my own enjoyment 😉
@@LasPhoenix777 I would argue that anybody trying to diet or dropping an addiction is trying to do exactly that: win an argument against your dopamine.
@@Julia-lk8jn 💯🎯
Precisely.
Absolutely brilliant. I am 44. And you have described my psychological problems better in this than 10 years with UK Psychotherapists. I have the 'Hole' in me. And I'm incapable of avoiding Fights. The more outnumbered or over power looking the fight, the more that emptiness gets filled for a time.
I'm a family med MD working in an acute care setting. I brush against mental health and personality issues constantly, without ever having an excuse to delve into them much further than considering med interactions and "dealing with" mental health issues as a barrier to my history, physical and compliance to my plan for treatment of their diabetic foot wound (or whatever). I look forward to your videos above all the similar channels because yours ring true to medical academia. I understand these are not scrupulous works of science, but you maintain an admirable level of integrity while remaining entertaining. The others grossly compromise intellectual honesty in favor of likes and subscribes.
What a valuable response and perspective. FWIW, I work in the publishing space with a genre focus on psychology and mental health (nonfiction, grounded in science and peer reviewed academic research). And I’ve partly been watching this channel with a curious eye to Dr. Van der Vaart’s rapid growth, especially given that he seems to defy the usual norms for such. For example, he’s not a content mill-no rapid or regular productions, etc. People are watching and subscribing because his videos are thoughtful, even philosophical, as much as they are entertaining, from someone in a position to *see* a bit more clearly and deeply-as much due to personal disposition as to credentials and experience.
An annoying fact in my industry today is that most publishers are only willing to buy manuscripts because someone already has a “presence” and a following. This channel is evidence that people will in fact pay attention to quality essays, not because they are packaged by larger-than-life personas. But because they are valuable in and of themselves.
You need an Integrated Behavioral Health provider in your clinic.
Wow wow wow. You blew my mind with the entire conceptualization of Tim - in particular his regression back to the oral stage via his alcohol addiction, and then the desire to regress into the womb or innards of the bear by engaging in such high risk behaviors that he literally ended up inside of a bear. Just fascinating.
You are truly one of the greatest minds and I am awestruck after every single one of your videos. Thank you for the time and effort you put into these masterpieces for us so that we can be enlightened!! 💗
I feel deeply sorry for Amy who had been brought into an environment and season where the bears were even more dangerous than usual. In some ways Mr Treadwell reminds me also of those aspiring cult 'leaders' who, declaring a non existent threat, present themselves as a saviour, with tragic consequences.
This guy taught wild bears to not fear humans, he taught a couple of them to eat humans....this guy put hikers, hunters and fishermen in danger.
And in turn got bears killed
@@LorraineCyn5675 that's a very good point you made.
He's very camp and hearing him repeat himself over and over again - it sounds like he's trying to convince himself, not the viewer. This guy was very unwell IMO. He comes across as anxious and desperate to be liked.
I was wondering if anyone else noticed the camp
What's being camp got to do with anything?
@@rebekah7635 I think the "camp" impression comes from him acting so childish: high voice, baby talk and those constant repetitions.
But with him it's not an affectation or personal style. I would say it's a mix of arrested development and the after effects of years of drug abuse.
I could imagine that part of what made him survive for twelve years was that thanks to his "mutual respect" delusion he didn't act like prey, so the bears finally labeled him as "weird, ignore if possible" . And since bears are social creatures, cubs would copy that "not edible, not dangerous --> ignore" from their Mamas.
@@Vitaminsiobhan English isn't my first language, but l think 'camp' describes a grown man acting cutesy/ childlike on purpose. Treadwell wasn't doing that on purpose, and IMO he was much more Peter Pan than grown man.
@Julia-lk8jn no, it doesn't. Camp is a word that essentially means "funny in a gay way". Its over the top and silliness but in ways that are reminiscent of/paying homage to gay men. Very weird word they chose to use for this point.
I watched this documentary film when it was first released and when I was studying for a master's degree in counseling psychology. Tim's behavior and statements seemed like a person in a constant state of hypomania. Dr, van der Vaart brings all the pieces together for a much fuller picture than that. (Thank you!)
"So why are addictions so hard to quit"? Because, as was stated here, we are NOT addressing the root problem...which is "SELF". The moment I completely accepted that Mark was the root problem, was the very moment I began to recover.
Not once in more than 30 years of continuous sobriety, have I doubted that fact. True sobriety is about being ok in the midst of chaos, (not of our making, hopefully.) or at 3:18am when I am alone and in complete silence. What a gift! Thank you for this fascinating study!
I lost my best friend 4 years ago. He had been sober for 48 years. From a drunk down and out on the street to a man who helped and sponsored so many people, R.I.P Tommy F.💚☘
Are you speaking in the 3rd person... or is some dude named "Mark" really the problem?
@@juliebarks3195 Beautiful. We can't keep what we have, unless we give it away. ✌️❤️
3rd person @@jmh2105
@@jmh2105you mean first person. And while you’re probably joking, mark is in his user name
He played Russian roulette again, and again, and again.
And dragged his girlfriend into the 'casino'. He had delusions that the bears would not harm him, and she had delusions that he would not harm her.
Yaaaas falecia
They found his severed head, part of his spine, an arm with his watch on it. He was torn apart , eaten alive. What a dumb ass.
Lots of people do…
Russian roulette is perfectly safe. Everyone I have ever met who has played has lived.
Just found your channel today. You've got yourself a new fan!! Looking forward to hearing more of your insightful and educated thoughts on the science and factors behind personalities and behavior
I'm sure it didn't help his mental health to be absolutely by himself for months at a time, just him and his paranoid thinking churning and churning. We need each other to stay sane!
Although I agree people are social animals.
Treadwell only went to Alaska once a year for 2 weeks. He also had his girlfriend with him in this dangerous trip.
He brought his gf a bunch of times.
@@lizblock9593 yes and no, I think other human beings can drive you just as nuts as solitude. I think in Treadwell's case, his mental problems drove him away from people; animals had the great advantage that they can't verbally tell you "get lost, weirdo".
And you are right, he could happily indulge in his delusions and reinforce them with his video clips / soliloquies.
I don't know why the Park Services didn't remove Treadwell for disturbing the wildlife and being delusional. He clearly was. He was "interested" in bears, but like a 6 year old, his interest was limited to wanting to pet them and pretending they liked him and wanted to be his friend, so that he felt special and was some modern day Dr. Doolittle that he could brag about in books and public appearances. Pathetic, really.
The longstanding feud between Treadwell and the park rangers is a consistent part of his story. I’m not sure what it takes to get “trespassed” from national parks, but he had a long rap sheet with them
The park cannot kick a person out of a national park, unless they have an order from a judge. At the time these orders were hard to get in Alaska. Remember Alaska is more about personal freedom than any place in the USA. But since this tragedy they have made it easier for parks to remove dangerous people. A former park ranger gives a much more detailed explanation above.
very much enjoyed this commentary. Can't help but say though, as an audio guy, that spacey sound on your mic comes from the sound being out of phase. Most audio editing (and audio edit tools in video editing software) let you reverse the polarity on the channel, and that will take care of it!
Glad I found this channel. Narcissism was my first & overwhelming impression regarding Treadwell & not only did it get him killed, it got his girlfriend killed too.
and the bears
@@mischr13 Yes!
IMHO I think he felt overwhelmingly depressed from not making the cast of Cheers.
Also he's keeps saying that he's straight when even the bears can see through him
I think Treadwell was bipolar (& narcissistic:)
Thanks so much for another video. You’re definitely one of the most interesting creators on RUclips. I could listen to you for hours and hours.
I know, he’s incredible!!! Such a genius. I thought I had analytical skills prior to finding his channel - and he puts me and my graduate degree in clinical psychology to serious shame. I always wonder how much time and effort goes into each video of his. I wish he could post more but I’ll take every minute of content he puts out!!
Agreed, best most insightful intelligent RUclipsr there is.
Absolutely. Another brilliant creator of video essays here on YT is Horses (that’s the channel name, though it’s not about horses). Highly recommend.
Absolutely agree. It’s an amazing channel!
To clarify...this fellow has a background in Both psychiatry AND psycholoanalysis. BOTH of those take HUGE HUGE amounts of time, money and energy to even obtain those degrees. Most people are unaware of how much this takes to get even ONE of these. This is grilled/stamped into people with so much education. They live, breathe, think, react only to their classical training, like clockwork. Indeed, what you see here is SUPERB psychoanalysis...it is the result of a NATURAL inclination towards this thinking and a LONG LONG education. He has both.
Wow this is a VERY good video. Not only learned a lot from what you said but also comments from others. As someone who suffers from mental illness and trained and showed horses and was a vet tech AND a recovering meth addict thank you im always interested in content that informs and educates me. Very good commentary what a tragic story. And your right about addiction thank god for dual diagnosis being used now that wasnt always the case.
In Treadwell's video of the foxes, you can see how dogs and humans have a certain way with each other that makes relationships between members of the two species possible. I know dogs are the result of the domestication of wolves, not foxes, but still. That fox was interacting with him, it was interested in him. It shows a glimpse to 30,000 years ago when people first started the domestication process. Treadwell had more of a relationship with that fox than he ever did with any of the bears. In all of the videos of him, I have never seen a real interaction with a bear. He seemed meaningless to them. His communion with the bears was all in his head. Bears have never been domesticated by people for a reason, something that Treadwell never seemed to contemplate.
Foxes are cat software in dog hardware. They don't run in the same nature circles or food chains as people, so they aren't as threatened as they should be. The dog breed that is closest to wolves is oddly, the Shar Pei. That is why they are only recommended for experienced dog owners, are ornery and difficult to train, and aloof. Think of the opposite of a golden retriever. Same with Akitas, or the Japanese bear hunting dog. Same as Shar Peis, it should be one owner dogs and only the experienced. Honestly, foxes are probably nicer.
@@Nylon_riotthat’s interesting way of looking at foxes. They even move somewhat catlike.
The first human that approached wild animals probably got killed until one is lucky enough to find a cub that they could tame
@@stellviahohenheimActually, if you think about it, it probably all started on a trash heap. Humans are messy, we dump tasty garbage, the less shy and more lazy wolves come up and get some. We don't care, it's trash, as long as they don't bite anyone or eat any little kids. Anyone who does that gets murdered. Anyone who's chill and friendly gets to eat tasty garbage and benefit from fire in winter. Puppies and kids start playing, everyone gets used to each other, and when those goddamn people from over the hill show up to kidnap the women and steal our stuff, hey, our friends on the trash heap start yelling and biting, that's pretty cool!
Really, this is probably all happening at once, with hunters realizing that we make a great team, somebody feeling sorry for an orphaned puppy (probably a woman, since to this day it's always Dad who insists he doesn't want the dog,) some proto-dog feeling bad for a human puppy in trouble and pulling the world's first Lassie...
@@Nylon_riot I like that conceptualization; I couldn't decide whether they were more like cats or like dogs.
23:30 The foxes are SOO cute. He should've showed the animals RESPECT by admiring them and studying them from a distance and not getting in their personal space or scaring them by talking to them nonstop in a manic way. He should've just embraced how lucky he was to be in their presence at all but it wasn't enough for him
As I just shared with one of the viewers a biologist who had great personal insight and knowledge of this case .. I just found out my daughter has gone back to college she is majoring in environmental science and plans to pursue a career as a park ranger. Interestingly her partner is now almost finished getting his masters in Psychology at Chico state to become a therapist! So running across this has been fantastic! Not for the tragic fate if those involved obviously but for your excellent commentary as well as the comments insights of certain viewers. This will be something for both of them to watch and very relevant now. Lessons to be learned from. Thank you I had no idea this one video would suddenly become something personally important to me !
I've been fascinated with Timothy Treadwell and the documentary for years. I probably watch it 3x a year. I've done my days trying to analyze him and what he was thinking to do what he did however, I am more fascinated about his girlfriend who was reluctant to leave his side and once she finally did decide to leave, it was too late because the bear attack happened to them both just a day or two before she was flying out in an end to their romantic relationship. That's what's must interesting to me: why women stay around men who are clearly unbalanced and who endanger them.
They were breaking up??
I never knew she was trying to leave him.
Do you think it's the same reason men stay unbalanced women who are dangerous to them, or different?
I do think it’s a leftover/result of patriarchal values that women are more willing to sacrifice for romantic relationships. I think it’s changing slowly, but there is still this very common notion that women’s value comes from being desired and chosen by a man, and the older women get without nailing down a man, the less value they have, the more sad and pathetic they become. Even women who would claim to be immune from archaic notions like this are often subconsciously beholden to them, and find themselves doing all kinds of things contrary to their well being or values or self respect in order to keep or lock down a man. This is changing oh so slowly. But from the time we are little girls, it’s woven into the fabric of our identities, that we are women, and the end goal of womanhood is wife-hood and motherhood. Your career, your passions and hobbies, your independence, your wanderlust, your politics, all this is just stuff to get out of the way early, a prelude to the real show, which is domestic bliss. This is changing partly out of necessity, as our economic climate has made “domestic bliss”, the suburban American dream, a thing of the past for most people.
Anyway, she was an older single woman. Why did she go along with Timothy’s antics for so long? Well, besides obviously loving him, it might be as simple as being an older, single woman made her hold on to something longer than she might have in her early 20’s. More reluctant to give up on it after putting in the time with this man, even knowing it was dangerous and not in her best interest.
Say Patriarchy one more time. Psycho hags lmao
Your content is so interesting, some of the best on the internet in my opinion - I’ve rewatched your videos countless times! Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to provide us with all this cool stuff! It has helped me improve my perspective on life and myself in general in many ways.
I would love to leave a suggestion for a future video that I think would be very interesting and maybe provide some help for those in a vulnerable position, is it okay if I do that? I don’t want to stress you out by seeming too demanding. Either way, I hope you are doing well! Can’t wait to see what you have in store for us :)
I would love if he did a q&a. I have one question in particular.
@@boobootheballbreaker2092 As a neuroscientist + psychologist his schedule is probable quite packed, which is why I hesitate to request topics/videos/etc. Let’s hope he has time and motivation one day! Until then i’ll rewatch his available content, it never gets old😁
This is the best Analisis I have ever heard. I’m a licensed Psych Nurse. So educational! TY for this . Huge I think Tim is hearing this somewhere in another demention because you cared and spoke it. Wrote it. Became a living prayer. ( but I’m delusional ) haha take it lightly please.
I thought that Timothy's relationship with the fox was lovely. The rest? Absurd, the conclusion inevitable.
that fox really was a friend to him
I've worked with animals for my entire career and when i tell you that animals bring out the very best and worst of us - i speak from experience. And people want to believe their special connections to animals are a real thing and they are often, OFTEN behaving in ways that are alarming or even threatening to animals. At worst it leads to a sad end for the animal. People who believe they're specially connected to animals are often quite resistant to factual or scientific knowledge and information about animals and their behaviors. It's so sad.
I swear, one of the strongest signs that you actually have a way with animals is knowing that it won't work on all of them, and certainly not all the time.
Yes and no. I have a special connection to animals in that I can empathize with them and understand how they probably are feeling while we interact. I have a harder time doing that with humans. That said, I too have worked professionally with animals my whole adult life. The very first thing I ever learned, when small, was to respect their boundaries and avoid a bite at all costs. This was constantly reinforced in my professional training later on. I get very frustrated at people when they do foolish things like kiss a dog’s face, pick up a cat they don’t know, touch any animal that is not a cat or dog without knowing the animal, etc. The way I tell it to these types is “you want a stranger to walk up and touch your head? Or pick you up?” This usually helps them empathize with the animal instead of just trying to indulge their own selfish impulses.
I find it interesting that this "special connection to animals" is something that turns up in most mythologies, and in oh so many children's stories. And not even exclusively children's stories.
I think those people who really _have_ a deep understanding or even relationship with animals, especially wild ones, gained it through years and years of work and learning, and they tend to be humble and realistic.
Showcasing and advertising yourself constantly is what con artists do, and isn't it amazing how well it works.
I really thing that Treadwell being invited to some high profile shows didn't help at all, it gave him a sense validation..
Best description of dopaminergic salience and addiction on the net!
🌿🐻🌿 The indigenous people of that territory who have a deep respect and a clear delineation between the animal world and human habitat: repeatedly warned Timothy. Somehow, he felt that their wisdom was somehow misdirected. He was absolutely a frightening child like character. Sad. EXCELLENT COMMENTARY AND VIDEO PRODUCTION.
Agreed
They're the Forest People, and *you let the Forest People alone.* Like, from the Alaska Native perspective, of course this timeline is crappy, we keep doing things like knocking bears out and putting tags in their ears without so much as a by-your-leave, and that's bad karma.
@@janerecluse4344 Luckily there's no such thing as karma.
@@lookilookibuthearingtooiyou may not believe in karma, that doesn’t mean karma doesn’t exist. Think of it like this: It’s just cause & effect.
@@janerecluse4344 I would absolutely love to believe that knocking out an animal and tagging it is even close to the most problematic things happening these days.
As it is: not by a mile.
Bonus points for the fact that bears are apex predators who routinely knock out anything from salmon all the way up to moose. And no, not to put a small tag in its ear.
This is hands down the best commentary on Treadwell's psychology. Thank you so much for this!
A very sad story and I think you did an excellent job breaking down the facts.
You did the right thing just presenting the facts of the audio recording, I don’t need to listen to those poor peoples last moments.
His poor girlfriend must have been utterly terrified in her last moments and I’m saddened that Tim thought he could stop a bear attacking them.
I remember when this happened. I figured his luck would run out sooner or later. He lasted quite a few years camping in grizzly country….and because he got so close to the bears, he took some awesome wildlife photos, and video. Right after this happened, I saw photos of what was left of Tim. The bear ate him down to the bone. Just about the only thing the bear did not consume were Tim’s feet…..his hiking shoes were still on but from the ankle up…..it was all leg bone. His girlfriend was in pieces. The bear was found to be old and malnourished. I believe there were two bears involved and the second bear was a juvenile I think. The bear wanted a meal before going into hibernation. That’s normal. What is not normal is for a person to place themselves directly in the line of a hungry, old bear 🐻. Tim placed himself right on the trails that the grizzlies use to moved around the area. He rolled the dice time after time and eventually, the bears got him. Just like Steve Irwin….took chance after chance, until……..
I don't believe you but I'll humor you.
We've all heard that ol'y ate him and left nothing but his head and right forearm.
I wasn't sure if they meant that literally or were just exaggerating.
So if you're telling the truth, was he damn near fully eaten as they say?
His photos?
There is no photos of him tho
@@NickyBlue99 the state of Alaska never released them
At least Steve Irwin made real efforts at conservation, even if it was largely performative
It's astonishing to me how powerful the delusions he held must have been. Especially if you've ever been in the presence of (even) just a "small" black bear. It stirs a deep, instinctive level of fear.
Timothy's need for specialness and his desire to create this sort of parallel reality was so strong, it propelled him into a place where he could and would completely disregard the staggering reality of nature. That reality being; one of those bears, without a thought, would (and ultimately did), shred through him as though he were wet paper.
I can think of nothing more disrespectful of nature.
Hearing your opinion about 12 step programs was a nice surprise. I'm in recovery, and I know what alcohol does for me. It changed my life when I got drunk for the first time. It was both amazing, and terrible. I chased all of the good times, but didn't want the consequences of the bad. Step 2 hit me over the head out of nowhere, and it truly was the only way out for me.
He was doing what I see so many people do with animals-anthropomorphism. "He loves me, he loves my kids, he would never hurt the baby!! Hes family!" Makes me crazy. Talking to you, social media people who force their dog to snuggle your newborn baby so you can get likes!👋
"Fur babies." VOMIT
😂 yeah yeah. People that bandy that word about , anthro whatever,
Ohhh you hate vegans (understandable ) and you also shoe horn in “ubiquitous “ whenever possible
Bingo
I get what you're saying, but humans are far more dangerous than dogs. Human adults maim or kill more children (and dogs) than dogs, and there's a reason that parents are investigated first when a child dies from unnatural causes or goes missing.
Why would you hate vegans? Is animal cruelty acceptable to you? You couldn't cope with the things I have seen or read. That's not a boast. That's the awful reality of existing in a world where completely unhinged, diabolical degeneracy is perpetrated on sentient beings who can't escape, and whose horrific violent end was perpetrated by people who could be your next door neighbour. You have no idea.
I just went through almost 10 years of mental health & addiction & eating disorder treatment and have never heard of why dopamine is so powerful in holding me hostage to those addictive cycles. I have now recovered but damn it was hard. Inside I am constantly seeking - even though today I have the skills to say no, plan ahead, and set up my life to a level where addiction is no longer possible. Thank for explaining this to me. Appreciate you sharing your knowledge, about this poor man Mr. Treadwell and his partner too. I understand his desire to escape into that world of addiction - on the one hand. On the other, it's a life sentence if you don't find a way of beating yourself at your own game and becoming stronger than your own physiology / psychology.
Wonderful narration. And what a voice. I could listen to him reading the dictionary!
Those bears were probably tired of him. Pretty sad but fascinating. Love all of your videos!
nah
Fascinating as always. I feel sorry for this man with his delusions. I need to listen to your video several more times; there’s so much knowledge you’re imparting that I couldn’t absorb it all in one pass. Thank you so much!
I met Timothy on a number of occasions in Malibu, he was friends with clients of mine whose home I worked on. He was very enthusiastic about what he was doing in Alaska and sharing his experiences with people when not in Alaska. I was skeptical about what he was doing and believed it was only a matter of time before something bad happened. It is sad all the way around for all involved. He should have left the bears alone and stayed out of their habitat.
You refer to your employers as “clients”? Were you a carpenter?
So he was from a wealthy family
If only Tim had been obsessed with the cool foxes instead of the hungry, desperate bears; he might still be with us.
As pointed out by the shrink
This is the most detailed explanation of how addiction works. Thank you so much! I learned a lot🎉
The bears got tired of listening to his fingernails-on-a-chalkboard voice.
😂
Thanks for this video. This story has been morbidly fascinating for years. He needed psych meds not bears.
Excellent video. Poor Tim, even after he found the grizzly bears, he was a lost soul.
Thank you for this very insightful analysis of a troubled man. Your description of addiction was enlightening. I have been sober 34 years and turned my life over to a higher power not knowing what that was. For you to explain how the higher brain can try and tripwire the dopamine driven need for movement, was incredible to me (still trying to wrap my mind around (reptilian analogy) this explanation. I've never thought of it that way. I still struggle with the reasons why I drank and have quite a bit of PTSD. I work with a therapist now and doing CPT to face the feelings and thoughts about myself and the world, that first drove my addictions. A sad reality that so many never live to have the chance to face their seemingly hopeless challenges.
Treadwell's demeanor rings of child abuse at the hands of a narcissist. The infantilizing, the unaddressed vulnerable narcissism, the attachment towards animals above humans, delusions of grandeur, etc. On one hand, I hold pathos for him, because he was clearly a damaged soul who thought he was doing well. On the other hand, he helped endanger many other people's lives by acclimating many of these bears to human presences. Worse yet, he also endangered the very bears he claimed to love. But, it wasn't about a healthy love. It was a one-sided, delusional love that comes from someone who is detached from reality and seeking validation through his "selfless acts" and his "better approach to naturalism". He felt like he was being gifted something, because he alone was special, and that everyone else was wrong, including specialists in this field.
Thanks for covering this - I’ve watched Grizzly Man a few times - his interactions with the fox are delightful - if only, as you say, he’d been happy with that. 100% agree that he was a tragic figure.
You explaining dopamine values was really interesting and makes so much sense. Thanks.
This is such a great channel. Combining neuroscience with psychoanalysis and true crime is extremely interesting. His explanations of things is also very compelling.
33:20 the description of how addiction and dopamine works in addiction was so clear and concise and in easy to understand terms. Its the clearest picture Ive ever gotton. Thank you plus that nakes sense that he replaced his addiction sadly without coming to face the core dysfunction and really healing
I agree! This was a great explanation of dopamine's role in addiction along with the explanation of how it reassigns value and why other things don't matter. I also loved the inclusion of St. Anselm's ontological argument. ;-)
This whole topic and breaking it down is so valuable Thankyou so much
The cringe factor when you watch Timothy Treadwell is so huge that it must mean that it presses buttons in each of us visa vie the Timothy Treadwell in each of us
The disempowered Timothy Treadwell trying to empower himself in in life at the cost of his life is such an interesting question
Thank you so much for making this video, Andrew. There's so much insightful information here. Especially the connection between dopamine and addiction. These revelations are priceless.