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.

Why Gambling Is Addictive (and Why Technology Is Just Like It)

A woman in a casino with slot machines, showing why gambling is addictive

Why is gambling addictive? What features does technology share with gambling? Adam Alter explains that some technology is designed to exploit the same psychological vulnerabilities as gambling, another behavioral addiction, to keep users engaged and coming back for more. He names four such design features: exciting audiovisual design, early hooks, variable rewards, and deceptive superiority to real life. Check out the similarities between gambling and technology that make these addictions hard to quit.

Everyone Has Value: Here’s How to Remind Them

Three people showing that everyone has value, wearing gold medals

Does everyone have value? How can you recognize someone’s worth to make them feel loved? To get to know someone deeply, you must recognize each person’s great worth as a human being. David Brooks emphasizes that this is crucial even when you’ve just met a person or expect to never see them again. Take a look at how you should remind someone that they’re worthy.

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.

Shape Your Reality by Directing Your Focus & Rethinking Time

A woman painting the word "REALITY" on a canvas illustrates how you can shape your reality

What if you could attract more opportunities simply by changing your focus? How can shifting your perception of time help you achieve more in life? In The Power of One More, Ed Mylett’s strategies for consciously shaping reality offer practical ways to create an extraordinary life. His approach combines the power of focused attention with innovative time management techniques to help you manifest your goals. Keep reading to discover how to shape your reality by leveraging your brain’s natural filtering system and transforming your relationship with time.

How to Take Care of Your Mind: 2 Mental Health Tools

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Why is mental health important to your energy? What does it mean to nourish your mind? It’s extremely important to take care of your physical needs with diet, exercise, and sleep. However, you can’t focus and direct your energy without also taking care of your mental and emotional well-being. Keep reading to learn how to take care of your mind to maintain energy.

Why Are ADHD People Impulsive? Doctor Explains

A woman pressing a reddit button that says "DO NOT PRESS," answering if adhd people are impulsive

Are ADHD people impulsive? What other issues can a lack of impulse control cause? The most clear-cut symptom of adult ADHD is the inability to consciously avoid impulsive actions or to know how to appropriately respond to situations. For example, knowing when not to speak during a conversation when your impulse may be to interrupt someone else. Let’s look at the science behind impulsive behavior in people with ADHD.

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.

How to Help Patients Out of Illness Denial and Rejection

A patient running away from a doctor in illness denial

Why do some patients go into illness denial? How can doctors convince psychosomatic patients that they have a real medical condition? One major challenge in treating mindbody disorders is getting the patient to accept their diagnosis. This is because, like many doctors, patients usually believe that pain must be the result of a problem with the body.  Here’s how to help patients accept a psychosomatic disorder diagnosis.

How Time Blindness in ADHD Becomes a Big Problem

A teenager on their phone at night, ignoring their alarm clock, showing time blindness in adhd

Why do people with ADHD have trouble judging time? How does time blindness affect even the little things in life? People with ADHD may have an impaired relationship with time. Dr. Russell A. Barkley discusses how ADHD affects your sense of the present, the past, and the future, as well as how that can impact your everyday life. Find out how time blindness in ADHD happens.