A must read "The Myth of Normal by Dr. Gabor Maté"

I discovered the work and books of Dr. Gabor Maté a good 4 years ago and am extremely grateful. He is a renowned expert on topics such as addiction, trauma, illness, stress and child development. There are hardly any podcasts or Youtube videos with him that I have not listened to or watched. His books "When the body says no" and "In the realm of hungry ghosts" were eye opening on many levels. Thanks to him, I have once again developed a deeper understanding of my own life story and recognized connections to enrich it with more meaning and self-compassion. In addition, I gained insights into physiological and "medical" knowledge that I would not want to miss anymore.

On September 13, Gabor Maté's latest book was published, which he wrote together with one of his sons: "The Myth of Normal - trauma, illness & healing in a toxic culture". He himself says he felt the call to write this book, the contents of which are based not only on his personal extensive experience as a doctor and healer, but also on 10 years of research and countless interviews with medical professionals from various disciplines, researchers, psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists and people who tell their own personal stories of illness and healing.

The book is so "dense"; I will have to read it several more times to fully absorb all the information presented. Each chapter is an invitation in itself to look at much of what we call "normal", especially in the Western, scientifically and rationally dominated world, from a startling perspective, to drastically question and realize how much scientifically based evidence confirms that "normal" is anything but holistically healthy; both on an individual and societal level.

As much as the book gets under your skin (I cried several times), it gives us hope and inspires us to walk the path of self-recognition and (self-)healing full of courage, faith, self-confidence and self-compassion. And we have all been hurt and scarred by life in one way or another.

"Healing flows when we are able to view this hurting world as a mirror for our own pain, and to allow others to see themselves reflected in us as well - recognition paving the way for reconnection" (quote from Myth of Normal).

My personal life story and my quest have taught me exactly that, as well as to understand true healing as a process that takes time and goes much deeper than "being physically healthy (again)". A path that is anything but easy, and yet the most rewarding of all. And this is also what I experience in my work with people.

I have read hundreds of books, this one is definitely one of the most important. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Dr. Gabor and Daniel Maté for this infinitely valuable publication.