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.
Are all our physical diseases and mental illnesses caused by a sick society? And if so, how can we heal ourselves? 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. Nearly 70% of Americans take at least one prescription drug. In his new masterpiece, Gabor Mate investigates the underlying causes of this epidemic - physical and emotional - and connects the dots between our personal maladies and the pressures of society. He explores how virtually all disease is actually 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 healing. The Myth of Normal has clear exercises and practices to help us loosen the burden of cultural expectation. Filled with the stories of people in the grip of illness or in the triumphant wake of recovery, The Myth of Normal shows how true health is possible - if we are willing to embrace authenticity above social expectation.
