We tend to believe that normality equals health. Yet what is the norm in the
Western world?Mental illness is on an unstoppable rise. Some 45% of Europeans
suffer high blood pressure, and nearly 70% of Americans take at least one
prescription drug. Illness and trauma are defining how we live.In his new
masterpiece, renowned physician, addiction expert and author Gabor Mate
dissects the underlying causes of this malaise - physical and emotional, and
connects the dots between our personal suffering and the pressures of modern-
day living. Over four decades of clinical experience, Dr Mate has found that
the common definition of 'normal' is false: virtually all disease is actually
a natural reflection of life in an abnormal culture, as we grow further and
further apart from our true selves. But he also shows us the pathway to
reconnection and healing.Filled with stories of people in the grip of illness
or in the triumphant wake of recovery, this life-affirming book shows how true
health is possible - if we are willing to embrace authenticity above social
expectations. The Myth of Normal is Gabor Mate's most ambitious, compassionate
and urgent book yet.
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture
Description
We tend to believe that normality equals health. Yet what is the norm in the
Western world?Mental illness is on an unstoppable rise. Some 45% of Europeans
suffer high blood pressure, and nearly 70% of Americans take at least one
prescription drug. Illness and trauma are defining how we live.In his new
masterpiece, renowned physician, addiction expert and author Gabor Mate
dissects the underlying causes of this malaise - physical and emotional, and
connects the dots between our personal suffering and the pressures of modern-
day living. Over four decades of clinical experience, Dr Mate has found that
the common definition of 'normal' is false: virtually all disease is actually
a natural reflection of life in an abnormal culture, as we grow further and
further apart from our true selves. But he also shows us the pathway to
reconnection and healing.Filled with stories of people in the grip of illness
or in the triumphant wake of recovery, this life-affirming book shows how true
health is possible - if we are willing to embrace authenticity above social
expectations. The Myth of Normal is Gabor Mate's most ambitious, compassionate
and urgent book yet.
