The instant New York Times bestseller
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 yet.
Bought and gifted 3 copies to family members this past Christmas.
So Helpful!
I've been thinking for several years about how, as a society, we've "normalized" so many things that are truly insane... but because they've become so prevalent, we behave as if they are "normal" and become numb to the insanity, violence, anger, destruction, etc... we are perpetuating on ourselves, each other, and this glorious planet we inhabit.
It was good to know my thinking wasn't off the mark, and to know that there is research to back it all up!
Dr. Gabor Maté and his son, Daniel, created a brilliant read... so eye-opening and thought-provoking about dis-ease, trauma, normalization of things that are not normal, and what it means to truly heal. It will shift your thinking about what modern medicine is capable, what the root causes of so many of our illnesses are, and give you insights, exercises, and practices with which you might initiate your own healing journey.
This is a powerful read!