The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture (Unabridged)
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4.4 • 171 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
“I’m constantly picking up new books to read, and I thought it’d be fun to have others read alongside—hence, Strombo’s Lit was born,” says George Stroumboulopoulos about his latest pick. “What I love about book clubs is seeing and hearing other people’s stories as they absorb someone else’s on the page, all while fostering a community of people with a collective passion for poetic perspectives. In The Myth of Normal, we’ll look through Gabor’s eyes as he explains how our society has fallen apart and why he remains optimistic that healing is possible for all of humanity.” Trauma and addiction expert Dr. Gabor Maté and his son Daniel expose the devastating link between psychological suffering and physical illness in this eye-opening listen. So much of what constitutes “normal” in our society includes fundamentally painful problems like racism, repression, and economic inequality. And as Maté explains, there’s a correlation between the experience of these norms and the onset of significant health problems that’s too compelling to ignore. He illustrates this through fascinating real cases, such as a woman who recovered from a debilitating autoimmune disorder only after confronting her childhood sexual abuse and a study showing that women with children are given less time to heal after major surgery than men with children, because they’re assumed to be responsible for childcare. A strong believer in feeling all your feelings, Maté offers great insight into shifting the way you think about your own painful experiences, and his son is an engaging narrator. Get ready to start healing with The Myth of Normal.
Customer Reviews
Informative, profound, poorly performed
This book is excellent. It is an impressive distillation of Maté’s previous works, and a profound resource for those who wish to more thoroughly understand the pathology of modern western culture, and take measures in their own lives to heal their trauma. It has changed the way I look at the world.
The only qualm I have is Daniel Maté’s performance. It is, I’m sorry to say, embarrassingly and amateurishly theatrical in places, complete with poorly executed French and British accents and impressions of some public figures that border on mocking.
I was looking forward to listening, as I truly enjoyed his performance of Hold On to Your Kids (Neufeld and Maté). It seems he took some liberties with his performance of the Myth of Normal that just didn’t pan out.
If you can grin and bear it through the awkward theater moments, then onward! and enjoy. If you have doubts, just get the paper version and read it yourself. Maybe your accents will be better.
Totally depressing
and discouraging.
Must read
I really enjoyed the content of this book. The accents every time the reader quoted an individual of a different nationality was distracting.
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