Now, this decline in the U.S. national life expectancy, you can look upon it again as sort of mysterious, individual pathology, or we can actually look at the social conditions that drive it. And much of that is due to the hollowing out of the American industrial heartland due to globalization, and the loss of meaning and purpose and meaningful employment in people’s lives. This is what have been called in the United States deaths of despair. So many of these deaths are due to suicide and to drug overdoses and to alcoholism. And suicide and drug overdoses and alcoholism are direct outcomes of a society that deprives people of meaning and belonging, a sense of connection, a sense of value, a sense of purpose. So, again, we can look upon these manifestations as individual pathology, which yields no explanation whatsoever, or we can see them as the outcomes of a toxic culture. You experienced the same thing in the former Soviet Union with the collapse of the former Soviet Union — loss of jobs, loss of employment, loss of meaning and purpose. The life expectancy of men plummeted drastically within a few years. Now we’re seeing the same phenomenon in the United States.

Gabor Maté’s latest book is a guide to self-awareness, social insight and healing that is deeply personal and utterly transparent. It merits becoming this generation’s The Road Less Traveled. Written with fluid, crystalline prose, profound wisdom, great humor and hard-won humility, in my two-word summation The Myth of Normal is Fiercely Tender.” –William M. Watson, S.J., D.Min., President & Founder, Sacred Story Institute For world-renowned physician Dr. Gabor Maté, the answer lies in trauma and chronic stress. In fact, these factors often underlie much of what we call disease. 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.

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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. People are much more lonely and isolated than they used to be. Literally, it causes inflammation in the body and suppresses the immune system.

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. 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.

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I’ll refer to this as “old science” and use this section to fill in the big picture context which Maté only hints at. Old science’s powers of discovery relied on deconstruction (we can visualize with words like “dissecting”, “atomizing”, etc.); weaponized by cancerous, asocial profit-seeking, this led to a reductionist materialism: humans were reduced to labour (an input for capitalist production) which was reduced to body parts and mechanized with machines to maximize profits in the “dark Satanic mills” (William Blake, 1808) of the Industrial Revolution. We can also witness society’s anxieties of tragedy (esp. loss of human control) in this great transformation of old science’s reductionist mechanization in Frankenstein (1818). In this brilliant, compelling and groundbreaking book, Gabor Maté unveils the societal trance that has blinded us to the death-grip of pervasive trauma in our world. He shows that this is not our ‘personal’ trauma. It is sourced in a culture that undermines meeting our basic needs for connection, authenticity and meaning. Drawing on his decades of pioneering clinical work, fascinating contemporary science and contemplative wisdom, Maté offers us a way to bring clear seeing and a greatness of heart to the crisis of our times.” –Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and Radical Compassion

Now, the emptiness that you refer to, in a society that tells you that you’re not enough, that you’re not good enough, that you don’t look good enough, that you don’t have enough, that you don’t own enough, that you haven’t attained enough, creating this sense of emptiness is the fuel that runs the consumer society, where never is there enough. You always have to have more and more. You have to attain more and more, obtain more and more. So, basically, it’s a highly addictive culture that feeds off people’s addiction to drive its profits. Applied to medicine, this requires a new paradigm: biopsychosocial medicine. In other words, social health far broader than a 15-minute doctor visit when things are already falling apart for symptomatic, drug-induced relief/isolated interventions. This,Gabor Maté’s magnum opus,isessential reading for us all. A genius writer,hegives it to us straight: From the mindbody to the body politic, we learn howloss of authenticitytakes its toll psychologically,physically,spiritually, and socially.” –Julie Holland, MD, author, Good Chemistry: The Science of Connection, From Soul to Psychedelics Yes, “The Myth of Normal” provides practical insights and guidance for navigating societal pressures and embracing individual uniqueness. The authors offer strategies for cultivating self-acceptance and self-compassion in the face of societal expectations. They also encourage readers to challenge their own biases and promote a culture of inclusivity and understanding. While the book does not provide a prescriptive roadmap, it offers thought-provoking perspectives that can empower readers to navigate societal pressures with greater authenticity and compassion. DR. GABOR MATÉ: Well, the impact of inequality has been studied by Sir Michael Marmot, who’s a British epidemiologist, and he’s former head of the World Medical Association. And they talk about a social gradient, that the lower social class you are, the greater the risks to your health. And this has been known for decades.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? Parents naturally know how to raise their children, but a toxic culture makes them forget. This is when they rely on the plethora of advice available, most of which tells them to put their own desires and the dictates of society before the needs of the child. When the bond between adult and child is severed, children seek approval from their peers and immerse themselves in a corporate digital culture which inculcates inhumane, materialistic values. Children are conditioned to fulfill the needs of society, abandoning their individuality for an inauthentic “social character” based on conformity and consumerism.

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. The Myth of Normal” is a transformative and compassionate exploration of the concept of normality and its impact on individuals and society. Daniel Maté and Gabor Maté challenge societal norms, promoting a culture of acceptance and inclusivity. Through their expert insights and personal stories, they shed light on the harmful consequences of striving for an elusive idea of normalcy. This book invites readers to embrace their uniqueness and redefine their understanding of what it means to be “normal” in a diverse and complex world. About the Authors: A comparison is revealing for both sides; I’m particularly fascinated with the ways Peterson attracts audiences with often similar concerns (although perhaps differences in confirmation biases) only to lead them down opposing paths.

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Born in Korea to a single mother, she was given up for adoption at six months. She was then taken in by an evangelical couple in the US, who raised her in a strict environment. For years, she suffered sexual abuse by her adoptive father –memories of which she’d repressed. This gripping book builds upon two key truths for our time, that everything is connected, including psychic wounds and physical illnesses, and that these are not anomalies but ordinary, even epidemic, in the society we’ve built. The Myth of Normal is a powerful call for change in how we live with, love, understand, treat, and think about each other, by someone ideally situated to map the terrain and to give us some valuable tools with which to navigate it.”— Rebecca Solnit, author of Men Explain Things to Me So, we have to look for those conditions, not in the individual mind or brain or personality of the child or youth; we have to look at them in the social conditions that drive children in those directions. And unfortunately, in the public conversation around it, it’s all about the pathology and how to treat it, and it’s not about the social or cultural causes that are driving children in those desperate directions.