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. NERMEEN SHAIKH: Dr. Maté, could you elaborate on what you’ve been talking about now, namely the relationship between individual — the effects of an individual and social trauma? You said in a recent interview, quote, “Being left with an emptiness and insatiable craving creates addiction in the personal sense, and capitalism in the social sense.” And both these are taken to be coping mechanisms for the experience of trauma. If you could explain? I have no idea ‘what’ I’m suppose to do with sooooo much ongoing negativity… sooooo much homelessness and despair ….. soooo much detail ….. for which I’ve little power to honestly do anything about the general shitty conditions of modern life. It points to sooooo many things wrong — that even when it attempted to fluff and smooth out the wrinkles—provide insight and support for how we all might DO BETTER… a) Peterson’s self-help to find personal meaning in Christian values while normalizing trauma to best fit into the meritocratic hierarchy.

While “The Myth of Normal” certainly speaks to individuals who have experienced the pressures of conforming to societal norms, its relevance extends beyond this specific audience. The book invites all readers to examine their own beliefs and biases about normality and encourages a more inclusive and accepting perspective. By shedding light on the harmful consequences of striving for a narrow definition of normalcy, the authors prompt reflection and inspire readers to foster a more compassionate and inclusive society. Does “The Myth of Normal” explore the intersection of normality and mental health? Every once in a rare while a book comes along creating a new vision of the world, illuminating for us that which until now has been invisible, yet as vital to our health and well-being as water is to fish, oxygen is for our bodies, and love is for our souls. This work is such a tour de force, a humbling and brilliantly written exposition of what deeper healing requires.” –Jeffrey D. Rediger, MD, MDiv, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Author, CURED: Strengthen Your ImmuneSystem and Heal Your Life. Basically I felt it was sooo gloomy— so completely haywire itself — I don’t believe that the spilling the beans on the truth - sooooo much of it in one book — TOO MANY ISSUES— vomiting everything wrong — will make much of a difference to anyone. AMY GOODMAN: — of, what, 5 to 11. And the issue of mental health, overall, so critical at this point. You talk a lot also about loneliness. But can you start by talking about this mental health crisis among youth and the escalating suicide?Human nature,” Maté points out, is a term normally used in a negative context. He disputes the idea that people are naturally aggressive and selfish, saying that these attributes are the product of a toxic society, whereas it is natural for humans to need connections with those around them. Children are profoundly influenced by their connection to parents and other caregivers, and studies have shown that those who receive more affection in their early years experience less anxiety and distress later in life. A child’s health is also profoundly affected on a physical level by the stress the mother experiences before and during childbirth. split sense of self, perfectionism, hiding feelings, seeking love,

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.This riveting and beautifully written tale has profound implications for all of our lives, including the practice of medicine and mental health.” — Bessel van der Kolk, MD, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Body Keeps the Score“ Wise, sophisticated, rigorous and creative: an intellectual and compassionate investigation of who we are and who we may become. Essential reading for anyone with a past and a future.” — Tara Westover, New York Times bestselling author of Educated“ The Myth of Normal is a book literally everyone will be enriched by— a wise, profound and healing work that is the culmination of Dr. Maté 's many years of deep and painfully accumulated wisdom.” — Johann Hari, New York Times bestselling author of Stolen Focus“ Gabor and Daniel Maté have delivered a book in which readers can seek refuge and solace during moments of profound pe Maté confronts this directly with “new science”. Note: relatively “new” in Western science, i.e. complex systems where the overall system is greater than the sum of its reductionist parts ( Thinking in Systems: A Primer); also, as long as capitalism remains the economic driver, “new science” cannot transform the real world (ex. climate science vs. current practice). AMY GOODMAN: So, can you talk about how you view this, and how this — not just this country, the world can heal, especially focusing on youth?

The Myth of Normal is an astonishing achievement, epic in scope and yet profoundly down to earth and practical.I believe it will open the gates to a new time where we come to understand that our emotions, culture, bodies and spirits are not separate and wellness can only come about if we treat the whole being. I will read this book again and again.” –V (formerly Eve Ensler), author of The Vagina Monologues and The Apology 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.While Mee Ok’s disease is rare, her story is sadly not. Like the ALS patients at the Cleveland Clinic, these traits of self-sacrifice, suppressing negative emotions (especially anger), and high concern for social acceptance are common in patients with autoimmune diseases. AMY GOODMAN: There’s this amazing figure out from the National Center for Health Statistics revealing that U.S. life expectancy fell from 79 years old in 2019 to 76 in 2021, the largest two-year decline in almost a century. With advances in modern medicine, it’s astounding, but maybe not astounding when you look at the kind of health system we have in this country, that increases the disparities between those who have wealth and those who don’t, when you look at, you know, health in a capitalist system. I was wondering if you could comment on that, Dr. Maté? 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? Having devoted the majority of the book to the manifold problems of trauma, the author turns to the question of healing. It is possible to begin this process at any point by changing one’s perspective, and people have done so even after undergoing the most appalling experiences. The author emphasizes that there is no single route to healing but offers some guidelines involving authenticity, agency, anger, acceptance, and compassion. Some people see their disease as a teacher or companion, embracing the life lessons it has to teach. This means they are able to undergo a process of healing, even if they cannot be cured. 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?

Somewhere in the book one of Gabor's patients said that addiction saved his life and it shook me to tears. I spent my whole life blaming all my flaws and downfalls on my addictions. They were the reason I wasn't well-educated and didn't go to University, the reason I lost friends and disgraced family, but in all honestly, my vices are the only reason I stayed alive. That unendurable pain and confusions as a 16-year-old is the reason I found refuge in alcohol and drugs and they became the soft pillow I'd cry into every night. In particular, Dr. Maté calls on us to stop seeing disease as an expression of individual pathology. Instead, people with illness are a “living alarm,” calling attention to the fact that what passes as normal in this culture is neither healthy nor natural. And things that are abnormal – addiction, mental health, and illness – are actually a reasonable response to the conditions of trauma and stress that many of us live in. The Myth of Normal is a book literally everyone will be enriched by – a wise, profound and healing work that is the culmination of Dr, Maté’s many years of deep and painfully accumulated wisdom.” –Johann Hari, New York Times bestselling author of Stolen FocusNERMEEN SHAIKH: — 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. 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. Then there’s our birth practices. In North America now, the cesarean section rate is approaching 40%. Now, modern obstetrics is miraculous in its capacity to save lives, and it should be applied about 10 to 15% of cases for the benefit of the infant or the mother. But the 40% C-section rate and the mechanization of birth — natural birth, as evolved by nature, was designed to produce a bonding experience for mother and infant, including the release of bonding chemicals that will bring them together for a lifelong relationship. When we medicalize birth, we interfere with it. We mechanize it. We create fear around it. We’re actually interfering with the mother-child bond, on which the child’s healthy development develops.