Nonfiction

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture

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  • Create Date：2022-09-20 00:41:39
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
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  • Author：Gabor Maté
  • ISBN：1785042718
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Summary

'It all starts with waking up。。。 to what our bodies are expressing and our minds are suppressing'

Western countries invest billions in healthcare， yet mental illness and chronic diseases are on a seemingly unstoppable rise。 Nearly 70% of Americans are now on prescription drugs。 So what is 'normal' when it comes to health？

Over four decades of clinical experience， renowned physician and addiction expert Dr Gabor Maté has seen how health systems neglect the role that trauma exerts on our bodies and our minds。 Medicine often fails to treat the whole person， ignoring how today's culture stresses our bodies， burdens our immune systems and undermines emotional balance。

Now， in his most ambitious and urgent book yet， Dr Maté connects the dots between our personal suffering and the pressures of modern-day living - with disease as a natural reflection of a life spent growing further and further apart from our true selves。 But， with deep compassion， he also shows us a pathway to health and healing。

Filled with stories of people in the grip of illness or in the triumphant wake of recovery， this life-affirming book， co-written with his son Daniel， proves true health is possible - if we are willing to reconnect with each other and our authentic selves。

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Reviews

Bryan ，

I haven’t written many reviews this year， but as one of this book’s earlier readers， I feel a duty to write one before it becomes a bestseller。 The Myth of Normal is a book that this world right now。 It’s unlike Dr。 Gabor’s other books， where he chose one topic （addiction， ADHD， etc） and ran with it。 This time he’s going big。 He whistleblows — with compelling research on the mind-body connection — our medical， social， and political systems for their naive disregard for the effects of trauma。 And I haven’t written many reviews this year， but as one of this book’s earlier readers， I feel a duty to write one before it becomes a bestseller。 The Myth of Normal is a book that this world right now。 It’s unlike Dr。 Gabor’s other books， where he chose one topic （addiction， ADHD， etc） and ran with it。 This time he’s going big。 He whistleblows — with compelling research on the mind-body connection — our medical， social， and political systems for their naive disregard for the effects of trauma。 And when I say ‘their’， I don’t mean’ their’。 I mean you; I mean me; I mean us。 These systems aren’t entities separate from ourselves。 We’re in them; in fact， we are them。The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is that his strength in breadth creates one of the weaknesses in this amazing book: a lack of depth。 After investigating our blindness to trauma in meticulous detail in the first four parts， the fifth part （about solutions to healing） seems to be lacking。 But perhaps I’m being a bit unfair to Dr。 Gabor。 He writes about his healing journey， and it appears he’s done much more healing others than healing himself — so his experience on the topic can only go so far。 One may even go so far as to say that his role in this world isn’t to wake up himself but to wake everyone else up。After all， The Myth of Normal will likely dent our healing culture。 As all large-scale changes go， it’s going to be slow。 But this book exists now。 It’s talking about our problems， and not in the new-agey wellness way — which I have no problem with， but doesn’t break through to the people who can make a difference （doctors， politicians， etc） — but in a meaningful， research-backed way that even the most skeptical can’t ignore。 。。。more

Marsha ，

This is a sobering book about the toxicity of our society and how to make things better。 While I enjoy the author's voice and respect his scholarship， this was too much to be packed in to a single book。 In some ways， it overwhelms the reader。 If you buy this， approach it a bit at a time。 Otherwise it can be like trying to take a sip of water from a fire-hydrant。 This is a sobering book about the toxicity of our society and how to make things better。 While I enjoy the author's voice and respect his scholarship， this was too much to be packed in to a single book。 In some ways， it overwhelms the reader。 If you buy this， approach it a bit at a time。 Otherwise it can be like trying to take a sip of water from a fire-hydrant。 。。。more

Erica ，

Trigger Warning: Inherently this book is about trauma。 Various topics are discussed with real life examples included。 Ensure you use caution when reading。“In the most health-obsessed society ever， all is not well”Maté gets right into it – drawing you in with some surprising statistics from around the globe and right here at home in Canada。 It is fascinating。 Through each chapter， we are giving not only the facts， but also real-life stories that help us to connect to these facts。 Maté writes in a Trigger Warning: Inherently this book is about trauma。 Various topics are discussed with real life examples included。 Ensure you use caution when reading。“In the most health-obsessed society ever， all is not well”Maté gets right into it – drawing you in with some surprising statistics from around the globe and right here at home in Canada。 It is fascinating。 Through each chapter， we are giving not only the facts， but also real-life stories that help us to connect to these facts。 Maté writes in an eye-opening， relatable， and accessible way。 One of the topics covered is pregnancy， labour and delivery and c-sections。 I have never had children， but this opened my eyes to all the questions and concerns that surround this event。 I found it incredibly informative。 “Trauma， until we work it through， keeps us stuck in the past， robbing us of the present moment’s riches， limiting who we can be。” Maté discusses how women traditionally are taught to stifle their feelings， to hide how they are really feeling， to be quiet and well behaved。 While I know I have personally felt like this at times in my life， it felt like being validated in my feelings。 This is a societal norm that needs to be changed。 I found myself nodding and reading out facts to those around me， compelled to share what I was learning。“What joys have you denied yourself out of a belief that you don’t deserve them， or out of a conditioned fear that they’ll be snatched away。”There are so many quotes that I want to pull from this book。 This one made me stop， set the book down and really think about what this means。 How true this is in my daily life and how my own thinking needs to be changed。 Maté includes a self-inquiry exercise which gives you questions to ask yourself weekly。 These chapters resonated with me and almost felt like the questions were directed to me personally。 I loved that he spoke about what is happening， moved through the stages， and provided solutions。 This book is informative， highly research and thought provoking。 Maté leads us through nature， human development， culture and how we can become whole。 It is an intensive read and I would recommend a pen and paper handy to make notes。 While not everything was for me， I believe there can be something valuable for everyone in this book and it is one that I will return to。 There are great exercises and I loved that it helped me change and reframe my thinking。 The standout for me - the vulnerability of the author。 Through out the book， he discusses his own trauma and reactions。 It is helpful to know that this expert is still working to become whole and can fall into the same traps as anyone else。 It helps to normalize trauma and its effects。 I would highly recommend that you read this book – taking care for yourself in doing so。 Huge thank you to Penguin Random House for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Viola ，

Dr。 Gabor Maté， the acclaimed Canadian physician and author。 He’s just out with a new book， The Myth of Normal: Trauma， Illness， and Healing in a Toxic Culture。 Dr。 Maté has worked for decades in Vancouver as a family physician， palliative care director， addiction clinician and observer of human health。 Dr。 Maté’s work has long focused on the centrality of early childhood experiences to the development of the brain， and how those experiences can impact everything from behavioral patterns to phys Dr。 Gabor Maté， the acclaimed Canadian physician and author。 He’s just out with a new book， The Myth of Normal: Trauma， Illness， and Healing in a Toxic Culture。 Dr。 Maté has worked for decades in Vancouver as a family physician， palliative care director， addiction clinician and observer of human health。 Dr。 Maté’s work has long focused on the centrality of early childhood experiences to the development of the brain， and how those experiences can impact everything from behavioral patterns to physical and mental illness。 Over the years， he’s written a number of best-selling books， including In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction， When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection and Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder。In a moment， we’ll speak to Dr。 Gabor Maté， but first I want to turn to a trailer of a documentary about his work titled The Wisdom of Trauma。DR。 GABOR MATÉ: In the U。S。， the richest society in history， fully half of the citizens have a chronic disorder， such as high blood pressure or diabetes。 Anxiety amongst young people is growing rapidly。 Asthma and autoimmune diseases are on the rise， as are addictions。 Depression is rising。 Youth suicide is rising。 All is not well。JAMES: I started heroin at 26。 That’s what really destroyed me。 Just takes the pain away。UNIDENTIFIED: It’s easy to want to want to escape reality completely instead of coping with it。DR。 GABOR MATÉ: And so， the question is: Can we be human beings in the midst of civilization？ Because what we call civilization demands the denial of human needs。ANNOUNCER: Please welcome Dr。 Gabor Maté。DR。 GABOR MATÉ: Every human being has a true， genuine， authentic self。 And the trauma is the disconnection from it， and the healing is the reconnection with it。Why do we get disconnected？ Because it’s too painful to be ourselves。RUSSELL BRAND:* So， you’re sort of a bit like in The Matrix when Neo sees everything’s made out of numbers。 You look at people， and you see all their trauma and damage。DR。 GABOR MATÉ: That’s what I see。So， trauma is not the bad things that happen to you， but what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you。What do you want tell me？ What comes up right now？UNIDENTIFIED: Shame。DR。 GABOR MATÉ: Thank you。ALICIA: My father， he would spank us and take a belt to us。DR。 GABOR MATÉ: Who would you speak to about your pain？ALICIA: Nobody。DR。 GABOR MATÉ: Yeah， that’s the trauma。 In other words， by the time you were 5 years old， you were completely alone。People are much more lonely and isolated than they used to be。 Literally， it causes inflammation in the body and suppresses the immune system。You’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer。TIM McCARTHY: Correct。DR。 GABOR MATÉ: In my view， people that develop cancer have a hard time expressing healthy anger。RUSSELL BRAND: Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump。 They were two traumatized people fighting to govern a traumatized world。DR。 GABOR MATÉ: That’s exactly what I’m saying。 And these are the people that our society rewards with power。Our schools are full of kids with learning difficulties， mental health issues， that are trauma-based。 But the average teacher never gives a single lecture on trauma。We need trauma-informed medical care， trauma-informed education。 If we had a trauma-informed society， we would have a society that looks much more compassionate。JOEY CARTER: You did。 You made a big difference in my life。DR。 GABOR MATÉ: Thank you for being touched。TESSA ROSE: I don’t feel like I’m a bad person anymore。Hey！ How are you？DUANE: How are you？DR。 GABOR MATÉ: Yeah， I just want people to see the truth。 Solutions arise out of people when they confront themselves with the truth， when they’re not afraid of the truth。TIM McCARTHY: I think the biggest thing that this whole healing journey has taught me is how to be human。AMY GOODMAN: The trailer for the film The Wisdom of Trauma， featuring Dr。 Gabor Maté， who is our guest for the hour。 He’s just written a new book with his son Daniel titled The Myth of Normal: Trauma， Illness， and Healing in a Toxic Culture。 Dr。 Maté will be appearing tonight in New York City at the 92nd Street Y。 On Thursday， Democracy Now！’s Nermeen Shaikh and I spoke to Gabor Maté。 I began by asking him about the pandemic and the book title， The Myth of Normal。DR。 GABOR MATÉ: So， the pandemic actually revealed to us how toxic our idea of normal has been， because it showed us the desperate need for human connection that we all have。 But this is in a culture that has been isolating and atomizing individuals for a long time， where loneliness has been an epidemic for decades。 It showed the noxious effect of racism and inequality， because the people who had the greatest risk for being affected by COVID were those of a lower social class and of people of color。The normal that we came from， in my perspective， was already a toxic normal。 We don’t want to go back to it， because my contention in this book is what we consider to be normal in this society is actually neither natural or healthy， and， in fact， it’s a cause of much human pathology， mental and physical。 And actually， people’s pathologies， what we call abnormalities， whether it’s mental or physical illness， are actually normal responses to what is an abnormal culture。NERMEEN SHAIKH: And， Dr。 Gabor Maté， you say in the book， in fact， that there are no clear lines between normal and abnormal。 Could you explain what you mean by that and how you understand the spectrum along which these things lie？DR。 GABOR MATÉ: Well， the key here is trauma。 Trauma is a psychological wound that people sustain。 And I’m saying that in this society， most of us， because of the nature of the culture， the way we raise children， the way we have to relate to each other， the very values of a society are traumatizing for a lot of people， so that it’s false to say that some people are normal and others are abnormal。 In fact， we’re all on a spectrum of woundedness， which has great impact on how we relate to each other and on our health。NERMEEN SHAIKH: And， Dr。 Maté， explain how you understand， as you say in the book， that the term “trauma” has Greek origins， but that it’s —DR。 GABOR MATÉ: Yeah。AMY GOODMAN: — come to mean something quite different。 I mean， in the Greek origin， it referred to a physical injury or a physical wound。 But in psychiatry， in the work of Freud， in psychoanalysis， in medical literature generally， now trauma is understood as a wound to the mind。DR。 GABOR MATÉ: It’s a wound to the psyche， to our emotional being and to the soul。 And trauma is not what happens to us。 People， when they think of trauma， they think usually of catastrophic events， like a tsunami or a war or parents dying or sexual or physical， emotional abuse of a child。 These events are traumatic， but they’re not the trauma。 The trauma is the psychic wound that we sustain。 And our psychological traumas have lifelong impacts。 And in my medical work， I found that psychological trauma， woundedness， underlies much of what we call disease， whether autoimmune illness or cancer， or the various mental health conditions。And in our society， psychological woundedness is very prevalent， and it’s rather an illusion to believe some people are traumatized and others are not。 I think there’s a spectrum of trauma that crosses all layers and all segments of society。 Naturally， it falls heavier on certain sections — on people of color， people with genders that are not fully accepted by society， people of economic inequality who suffer more from inequality — but the traumatization is pretty general in our culture。AMY GOODMAN: Gabor， I was wondering if you could take some time and talk about your own journey from trauma and how it shaped you， as an infant in Nazi-occupied Hungary to where you are today， and how that has influenced who you are。DR。 GABOR MATÉ: Well， you know， the first chapter of the book opens with my arrival home to Vancouver， where I live， from a speaking trip。 And I’m feeling really good about myself because it was a good trip， my talk was well received， and I had a good flight home。 And when I arrived back at the airport in Vancouver， I got a text from my wife saying， “I haven’t left home yet。 Do you still want me to come？” And all of a sudden my mood switches。 I become dark。 I become angry。 I become withdrawn。 I become sullen。 And when I get home， I’m barely even looking at her。Now， what actually happened here？ All that happened was that my artist wife， typical of an artist， was the middle of creative flow in her studio， and she forgot that her husband was arriving home at the airport。 What was triggered in me， however， was the wound of a 1-year-old infant who was abandoned by his mother in an effort to save my life， actually， but the meaning I made of it is that I wasn’t lovable， that I wasn’t wanted。 And even 71 years later， when this woman on whom I’m relying to be there for me doesn’t show up， the woundedness of a 1-year-old infant shows up。 And that’s what my friend Peter Levine calls “the tyranny of the past。” And so， these early wounds — in my case， the sense of abandonment — could still show up seven decades later over a relatively trivial incident。And these early wounds of ours， well， so， that’s one way that it showed up。 It shows up in my relationship to my work。 So， I was a workaholic physician for many decades。 Why was I a workaholic？ Because the message I got as an infant under the Nazis was that the world didn’t want me。 And if the world doesn’t want you， one way to cope with it is to make yourself very important， become a helper， become a physician， because now they’re going to want you all the time。 But that’s very addictive， because you keep trying to prove to yourself something you don’t believe in the first place， which is that you’re wanted。 And so that the more people rewarded me with — either financially or with their attention or their gratitude for my medical work， the more I needed it， the more I became dependent on it。 So， it shows up in so many ways。 These early wounds show up in so many ways。 It shows up in our relationships， in our marriages， in our relationship to our children， in our relationship to our work。 It shows up in politics， as we’ve seen during COVID。 So， these early wounds in my life had had wide-ranging implications， as they do in the lives of many people。 。。。more

Sonia^^ ，

I am here before this book becomes an international bestseller。 When a Gabor Mate’s book comes out you know it’s gonna be good。 Very good。 In fact， so good that you go on an obsessive reading spree。 And you can’t stop until you hear his voice into your head。 Thank you， dr。 I feel better&normal， whatever normal means， anyways。Full transparency， dr。 Gabor Mate I wish you were my father， no further analysis of this wish is needed。 Ahhhh。

Becky H ，

3。5 rounded up

Kolleen Fraser ，

This was an informative and in depth conversation about trauma and healing。 There are so many people who would benefit from its wisdom。 I liked the book and learned a lot from it and I think readers of self help and those interested in trauma and our toxic culture will love it。 Though interesting， it was a lot to take in and isn’t my usual pick。 I felt it was a bit over my head。

=^。^= Janet =^。^= ，

Publication date: September 13， 2022Thank you to NetGalley， the author， and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 （FTC compliance met with this statement。） This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own， are not a result of compensation and may be affected by the fact that I currently have nothing better to do than read multiple books a day sitting at the nursing home with mom and dad or in front of the a。c。！！SYNOPSIS************* Publication date: September 13， 2022Thank you to NetGalley， the author， and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 （FTC compliance met with this statement。） This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own， are not a result of compensation and may be affected by the fact that I currently have nothing better to do than read multiple books a day sitting at the nursing home with mom and dad or in front of the a。c。！！SYNOPSIS*****************By the acclaimed author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts， a groundbreaking investigation into the causes of illness， a bracing critique of how our society breeds disease， and a pathway to health and healing。In this revolutionary book， renowned physician Gabor Maté eloquently dissects how in Western countries that pride themselves on their healthcare systems， chronic illness and general ill health are on the rise。 Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug; more than half take two。 In Canada， every fifth person has high blood pressure。 In Europe， hypertension is diagnosed in more than 30 percent of the population。 And everywhere， adolescent mental illness is on the rise。 So what is really "normal" when it comes to health？Over four decades of clinical experience， Maté has come to recognize the prevailing understanding of "normal" as false， neglecting the roles that trauma and stress， and the pressures of modern-day living， exert on our bodies and our minds at the expense of good health。 For all our expertise and technological sophistication， Western medicine often fails to treat the whole person， ignoring how today's culture stresses the body， burdens the immune system， and undermines emotional balance。 Now Maté brings his perspective to the great untangling of common myths about what makes us sick， connects the dots between the maladies of individuals and the declining soundness of society--and offers a compassionate guide for health and healing。 Cowritten with his son Daniel， The Myth Of Normal is Maté's most ambitious and urgent book yetThis is a very lengthy treatise （or even a thesis） on trauma， stress and life in the time of social media which has led to a culture so toxic that it is mind-boggling。 It is really deep and I found myself skimming and skipping through as it is a book club book more than anything else。 I don't have kids affected by social media so I found it did not apply to me much other than make me laugh at anyone who calls themself an INFLUENCER 。。。 get a real job， people。 I have enough anxiety without worrying about this happening to my family 。。。 including me and the book was very triggering for me as I am beyond fried from stress and anxiety these days。I will recommend it to book clubs， parents and those in the medical field but it is not a casual read that I will suggest to anyone 。。。 sorry， I said that I would be honest。 。。。more

Maria ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Very uplifiting for survivors of any trauma

Elise Loehnen ，

An essential text of hard-won wisdom from one of our culture’s wisest leaders。 Gabor touches on all facets of culture and society， from psychoneurobiology， to addiction， to what it means to be alive， offering insight， some hope， and the world’s most stunning bibliography of resources。 Buttressed with research and personal story， it’s also a beautiful read。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0