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

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

1. AJ

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   October 29, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone

   Gabor Mate is an incredible human being. His book should be read by all to support us in understanding ourselves and the negative impact of society.

   Helpful? 0 0
   rhonda

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   October 23, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars Life changing book

   Book covers many topic, sites many creditable studies, and gives personal accounts of childhood traumas and how they surface in our adult lives. Some ...More

   Book covers many topic, sites many creditable studies, and gives personal accounts of childhood traumas and how they surface in our adult lives. Some our obvious, like physical and sexual abuse but others not obvious like connections in the 1st yr of life. This is a must read for anyone on a journey towards wholeness. Definitely recommend to physicians or anyone in the medical field!! I give the book a 10 out of 10 rating.

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   edna r.

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   October 16, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars espectacular

   No lo puedo soltar desde q llego.

   Helpful? 0 0
   Roscoe Ferris

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   October 9, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive

   This is another great book from this brilliant man. This book covers lots of territory. Highly recommended. Thank you Dr. Mate.

   Helpful? 2 0
   Heidi L VanDeMark

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   October 5, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars Resonates

   This is quickly becoming the most important book I've ever read.

   Helpful? 4 0
   jeanne Stillson

   Rated 4 out of 5

   (23)

   September 19, 2023

   4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative but too long

   I decided to read this book because I listened to one of the author’s podcasts and liked what he had to say. This book was very informative but the le...More

   I decided to read this book because I listened to one of the author’s podcasts and liked what he had to say. This book was very informative but the length of it took away from its value and effectiveness I think. It was a lot repetitive and seems that he didn’t need to spend so many pages making his points. That said, it was thought provoking and I appreciated the comprehensive footnotes citing many different sources if one wants to read more in-depth about certain topics.

   Helpful? 12 0
   elisa

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   September 13, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars Important Book

   If you are suffering from any type of disease, read this book.

   Helpful? 4 0
   Jaz Massa

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   September 3, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars Validating

   This book can be difficult to accept at times, and requires pause to really understand the weight of the consequences of what our society deems “norma...More

   This book can be difficult to accept at times, and requires pause to really understand the weight of the consequences of what our society deems “normal.” However as someone who does a lot of questioning and who values meaningful connection in relationships, this book is validating. This book reinforces that those human-to-human relationships are indeed incredibly important and meaningful and they play a huge role in our well-being… whether we want to admit it or not.

   Helpful? 13 0
   Donna Rae KH

   Rated 4 out of 5

   (23)

   August 31, 2023

   4.0 out of 5 stars Friend told me about this book, looking forward to reading it.

   Had no idea this was going to be such a big book. Looking forward to getting into it

   Helpful? 2 0
   Andres

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   August 23, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars best book I have ever read

   Truly eye opening. I will be a better person because of this book. I would recommend this book to all.

   Helpful? 10 0
   Richard P.

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   August 16, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars Masterfully crafted

   The work of our lifetime. 💚

   Helpful? 7 0
   Saundra

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   August 8, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars There is still hope for normalcy

   In this highly informative volume, Gabor Mate’ spells out the volcanic nature of life today in no uncertain terms. We’re not living the American dream...More

   In this highly informative volume, Gabor Mate’ spells out the volcanic nature of life today in no uncertain terms. We’re not living the American dream and we never have, but it is possible to overcome the trauma and illness in today’s life through healing. Those words read at face value were, at first hard to swallow because haven’t we created everything in life today? We have, and that’s the problem. Mate’ has immersed himself in the toxicity of the 2020’s and still believes we can pull ourselves out of it. In so doing he has sought out clear solutions that if followed, just might help us save ourselves

   Helpful? 24 0
   Rebecca Dipti

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   July 13, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars So Helpful

   Chronic disease, mental illness and being a human in the 21st century, so helpful for understanding our current societal challenges.Bought and gifted ...More

   Chronic disease, mental illness and being a human in the 21st century, so helpful for understanding our current societal challenges.
   Bought and gifted 3 copies to family members this past Christmas.
   So Helpful!

   Helpful? 15 0
   Nora Cannon

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   July 11, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone has to read this book!

   Insightful for our times - Dr Mate brings his message and proven theory to the public in clear understandable ways- READ IT !

   Helpful? 5 0
   Bob

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   July 8, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing and Insightful Journey

   This book provides a critical message that must be heard by mainstream medicine . So much is broken in our culture, in ourselves, but we don’t know i...More

   This book provides a critical message that must be heard by mainstream medicine . So much is broken in our culture, in ourselves, but we don’t know it. So much lifelong suffering can be healed, so my bias could be mitigated by understanding the principles in this book. People are not broken, the system is broken. Highly recommend this work by Dr Mate.

   Helpful? 20 0
   JAA Tats

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   July 2, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars Important to read in todays intolerant culture!

   Dense with ideas that take time to digest, it is slow going. Many folks with quirks are functioning at high levels .. except when they aren't . Ther...More

   Dense with ideas that take time to digest, it is slow going. Many folks with quirks are functioning at high levels .. except when they aren't . There aren't enough professionals around so this book explains "abnormal" in lay language how unique DNA and experiences means there is no "normal."

   Helpful? 13 0
   T Tully

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   June 30, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars Theory of Everything

   At least for my life and I believe the lives of most people. I read A LOT and have for almost 6 decades and this is the best nonfiction book I have ev...More

   At least for my life and I believe the lives of most people. I read A LOT and have for almost 6 decades and this is the best nonfiction book I have ever read. Extremely well written and organized, it was one revelation after another, tying together and making a coherent whole of why so much seems so wrong in our society and our individual lives.

   Helpful? 21 0
   Teresa

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   June 3, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-Opening & Affirming

   A lot of the information was not new to me, however, I still learned a lot. The personal stories were inspiring and the last chapters quite hopeful. M...More

   A lot of the information was not new to me, however, I still learned a lot. The personal stories were inspiring and the last chapters quite hopeful. My copy is full of dog-ears and highlights because I will be referencing this book for years to come.

   Helpful? 11 0
   gosha

   Rated 4 out of 5

   (23)

   May 20, 2023

   4.0 out of 5 stars Importat and informing

   Trauma knowledge inspires to have more compassion and to re-think what we prioritize in life. An insight into the machine of modern economy and cultur...More

   Trauma knowledge inspires to have more compassion and to re-think what we prioritize in life. An insight into the machine of modern economy and culture, it's values and pitfalls. An important call to honor childhood and parenthood. I was a little underwhelmed with the amount of material about healing in proportion to the amount of material describing the problems.

   Helpful? 11 0
   Laura Prisc

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   April 7, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars READ THIS BOOK! It's truly Eye-Opening, Thought-Provoking, and Paradigm-Shifting

   Seriously -- if you read (or listen to) only one book all year, this should be the one!I've been thinking for several years about how, as a society, w...More

   Seriously -- if you read (or listen to) only one book all year, this should be the one!
   
   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!

   Helpful? 39 0
   Christy Dunham

   Rated 4 out of 5

   (23)

   March 31, 2023

   4.0 out of 5 stars Some good info

   Some good info

   Helpful? 0 0
   Jody

   Rated 5 out of 5

   (23)

   March 26, 2023

   5.0 out of 5 stars Game changer.

   I bought this for my brother for Christmas at his request. He called me after reading a couple of chapters at a time to discuss it, and it’s led to so...More

   I bought this for my brother for Christmas at his request. He called me after reading a couple of chapters at a time to discuss it, and it’s led to some of the greatest insights for us both. I ended up buying a copy for myself. The knowledge gained and the perspective change about how everything is connected in our mental and physical health, and the validation that many of our suspicions about our shared traumas creating some of our issues has been astounding. Highly recommend reading and taking your time to adequately process it.

   Helpful? 15 0
   Sara Perez Ramos

   Rated 4 out of 5

   (23)

   February 11, 2023

   4.0 out of 5 stars I am loving it

   In depth analysis, great use of concepts.... inspirational for anyone working on their own trauma!

   Helpful? 0 0