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

Maté asks how, given that the socioeconomic and cultural system is so antithetical to human health, do we start as a society and individuals to heal? He begins to answer this question by first defining health as “nothing more or less than a natural movement towards wholeness” (361), i.e., health is a process rather than a final destination. The first way that we can begin healing is by seeking the truth about our own suffering and that of the world and coming to terms with it. Such a task, argues Maté, requires the heart and emotions as well as the mind and the intellect.

Maté explains that there is no blueprint or “road map” (374) for healing, as each individual’s healing comprises a distinct journey. Nevertheless, there are four general healing principles, “each corresponding to a human need” (375), that can assist with the process but that have generally been repressed in modern culture. The qualities are authenticity, agency, anger, and acceptance. Authenticity means being open to and acknowledging our own feelings, rather than repressing them because they are inconvenient. Agency means taking responsibility for how we respond to events.