How to Prevent Learned Helplessness in Children

A painting of a sad young girl sitting in a room, representing learned helplessness in children

Does your child see themself as a victim? How can you avoid instilling learned helplessness in children? As a parent, if you indulge in your child’s self-pity then you’re instilling a victim mentality in them. Instead, help your child acknowledge their failures and work through them. Here’s a look at how to raise self-confident children, from 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do by Amy Morin.

Gabor Maté’s The Myth of Normal: Book Overview

A woman sitting on a floral couch and reading a book

What does it mean to be “normal”? What role does trauma play in your health? What is the biopsychosocial model of health? In The Myth of Normal, physician and trauma expert Gabor Maté writes that much of what society labels as abnormal behavior, mental illness, or dysfunction actually represents normal responses to adverse life experiences. He advocates a trauma-informed perspective that addresses the root psychological and social causes of what we label as illness. Continue reading for an overview of Gabor Maté’s The Myth of Normal.

How to Raise Strong Children: Let Them Experience Hardship

Two young sisters standing in a living room flexing their arms to show that they are strong children

Do you want to raise mentally strong children? Why must you let your children struggle sometimes? According to psychotherapist Amy Morin, parents must push past their instincts to coddle their children and fix their problems for them. Children must learn to experience pain, make mistakes, cope with discomfort, and work through their emotions. Here are four things you can do to raise strong children.

Why There Is No Such Thing as Normal or Abnormal (Maté)

A group of people sit on the floor, one person is separated from the rest, accentuating that there is no such thing as normal.

How do societal norms perpetuate unhealthy standards? Where do “abnormal” behaviors stem from? Are the mind and body one? In The Myth of Normal, physician and trauma expert Gabor Maté says that there is no such thing as normal when it comes to health and behaviors. Maté argues that the biomedical model fails to understand health holistically. Here’s why “abnormal” behaviors are actually normal responses to one’s environment.

The Causes and Impacts of Trauma (The Myth of Normal)

A young boy standing in the doorway of his father's home office while he works, one cause of trauma

How does emotional trauma impact our physical health? Where does trama stem from? Gabor Maté, a physician and trauma expert, explains that there is no such thing as a “normal” person. Instead, most of us are shaped by the emotional trauma we carry. Not every trauma is straightforward either, trauma can also stem from unmet needs. Keep reading to learn about the roots and impacts of trauma, according to Maté.

How Overindulging Parents Create Self-Centered Children

A toddler girl sitting in a room surrounded by toys because she has an overindulgent parent

Do you feel guilty when you don’t give your child something they want? How can you raise selfless children? According to psychotherapist Amy Morin, overindulging parents do more harm to their children than good. Even if the intentions are good, giving your child everything they want will turn them into a self-centered adult one day. Here’s why you shouldn’t feel guilty for telling your child “no.”

How Social Conditions Hardwire Us for Disease and Trauma

A woman standing in a busy city with her hands on her face looking stressed, showing how social conditions can affect you

What role does society play in trauma? What social conditions can harm your physical and mental health? In his book The Myth of Normal, Gabor Maté describes how certain deeply ingrained structures in Western society like racism, misogyny, and capitalism instill and reinforce trauma. These factors don’t just shape our societies—they have tangible, harmful effects on our physical and mental health.  Here’s a look at the role that society can play in trauma.

The Biopsychosocial Model of Health (Explanation & Benefits)

There are three circles, one contains a man flexing, one contains a brain, and one contains two people, representing the biopsychosocial model of health

How is the biopsychosocial model of health different from the biomedical model? What holistic healing practices can you try? Physician and trauma expert Gabor Maté says that the biopsychosocial model is much more effective than the traditional biomedical model when it comes to healthcare. The biopsychosocial model takes thoughts, feelings, social interactions, and environment into account when it comes to health. Here’s Maté’s argument for the biopsychosocial model for health and healing.