The Myth of Normal

by Gabor Maté

First published 2022

Dr. Gabor Maté draws on four decades treating patients to challenge how Western medicine approaches health and illness. He argues that healthcare systems ignore trauma's impact on both mind and body, treating symptoms while missing root causes. Nearly 70% of Americans take prescription drugs, yet mental illness and chronic disease keep rising despite billions spent on medical care. Maté shows how modern culture creates stress that weakens immune systems and disrupts emotional balance. Disease becomes the body's natural response when people drift away from their authentic selves. Working with his son Daniel, Maté weaves together patient stories of both suffering and recovery. He maps connections between individual pain and societal pressures, then offers a compassionate path toward genuine healing through reconnecting with others and reclaiming personal truth.

Genres: psychology, medical, sociology, self-help, non-fiction, health

Vibes: compassionate, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: personal-truth, reconnecting

576 pages · Hardcover · Avery

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