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.
Overview of The Myth of Normal
In Gabor Maté’s book The Myth of Normal, he writes that much of what modern society labels as abnormal behavior, mental illness, or dysfunction represents normal responses to adverse life experiences. He writes that traumatic events and unhealthy childhood environments fundamentally shape human development—and that what we call “sickness” is a result of the suffering and trauma we experience.
Maté challenges society’s idea of what qualifies as “normal,” contending that the conventional medical model pathologizes normal coping mechanisms like emotional numbing as “diseases” requiring pharmaceutical treatment. Maté instead advocates a trauma-informed perspective that views these experiences as logical adaptations to abnormal environments and stressors. Thus, achieving authentic wellness requires holistic approaches that address root psychological and social causes—not mere symptom management.
Maté is known for his expertise in addiction, stress, and childhood development, with a medical career spanning several decades. His work emphasizes the impact of childhood experiences and societal structures on physical and mental health, as explored in books like When the Body Says No and Scattered Minds.
In this guide, we’ll explore Maté’s argument, focusing on:
- The idea that what we define as “normal” health and behaviors are determined by our social, economic, and cultural systems
- The role of trauma in shaping the negative thoughts and self-perceptions that determine much of our health
- How deeply ingrained structures like racism, misogyny, and capitalism instill and reinforce that trauma
- How the medical community can embrace a more comprehensive biopsychosocial model of health by accepting the role of trauma in shaping health outcomes and by encouraging nontraditional healing practices like yoga, meditation, and psychedelics
We’ll also supplement his analysis with insights from other experts on trauma, early childhood development, addiction, and more.
Part 1: Rethinking Health and Normalcy
Maté notes that what we define as “normal” health and behaviors are determined by our social, economic, and cultural systems. In this section, we’ll explore how societal norms perpetuate unhealthy standards, the shortcomings of the conventional biomedical model of health, and how the mind and body can’t be separated when thinking about human health.
Societal Norms Perpetuate Unhealthy Standards
Maté argues that many behaviors labeled as abnormal or pathological are reasonable responses to the conditions and stresses imposed by our society. Society, he writes, values productivity over well-being, material wealth over connections with others, and conformity over individuality. When people can’t or don’t conform to these standards, they experience discomfort, disconnection, and distress. Their behavior is then labeled as “abnormal”—even though what they’re actually exhibiting are natural reactions to unhealthy societal pressures.
For example, a child diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is conventionally viewed as having a brain disorder that needs to be managed with medication and behavioral therapy. However, the child’s inability to follow classroom rules may be a reasonable response to an education system that requires young people to remain sedentary and suppress their natural energy levels. The “abnormal” behaviors represent a child’s healthy resistance to an overly restrictive model of schooling that’s out of tune with her developmental needs.
The Conventional Biomedical Model
Given that many so-called “abnormal” behaviors are actually just responses to societal pressures, Maté goes on to criticize the dominant biomedical model of health for its limited perspective.
Maté argues that the biomedical model fails to understand health holistically, instead viewing health and illness almost exclusively as the result of the physical processes of biochemistry, pathology, and physiology. As such, it doesn’t consider the broader social, psychological, and environmental influencers of health. He writes that this reduces complex human conditions to mere symptoms that need to be treated or managed, often through intrusive and unnecessary pharmaceuticals or surgical procedures.
Conventional Medicine’s Paternalistic Model
Maté further critiques conventional medicine for its tendency to place doctors in an elevated position that significantly reduces the agency of patients in their own health and healing process. He warns that this can lead patients to feel disempowered or even invisible—hesitant to voice concerns, question treatment options, or share insights about their bodies and conditions.
Mind and Body Are Interconnected
Maté emphasizes that mind, spirit, and body are interconnected and inseparable at the root of your well-being. This interconnectedness means that your psychological and emotional experiences have direct, tangible effects on your physical health. Thus, chronic stress or unresolved emotional issues can lead to physical ailments, from increased susceptibility to infections and even chronic conditions like heart disease.
Part 2: The Root and Impacts of Trauma
In the first section, we explored Maté’s idea that our social, economic, and cultural systems impact our physical health. In this section, we’ll examine his idea that emotional trauma—often a direct result of those systems—exerts a similarly lasting impact on our physical health.
We Are Shaped by Our Trauma
According to Maté, many of us carry emotional scars that stem from a variety of sources—whether it’s childhood neglect, emotional abuse, or other forms of trauma. These experiences leave imprints on our psyche, influencing our behaviors, reactions, beliefs, and how we relate to others and ourselves. These imprints are not just memories; they are active influences, constantly shaping our identity and how we navigate the world. He asserts that these unresolved traumas limit our potential, narrow our perceptions of the world and its possibilities, and create a disconnect between us and the world around us.
Trauma Comes From Unmet Needs
Maté observes that trauma largely stems from the accumulation of unmet needs. He posits that these unmet needs, especially during your formative years, can deeply affect your psychological and emotional development, leading to trauma. Below, we’ll explore two commonly unmet needs in more detail: the need for secure attachment—a strong and trusting bond between a child and their caregiver—and the need for connection.
The Need for Secure Attachment
Maté writes that certain parenting practices can hinder the development of secure attachment, potentially leading to trauma that manifests as illness later in life.
He explains that the fundamental human need for attachment originates in childhood, with babies biologically hardwired for behaviors and characteristics designed to elicit caregiving and attachment responses from their parents. These innate mechanisms have evolved to maximize the chances of children receiving the necessary emotional and physical care for their development.
Maté notes that when a secure attachment is lacking or disrupted, it can lead to a host of challenges that extend well into adulthood—such as an impaired ability to regulate emotions, difficulty in forming healthy relationships, a deep-seated sense of insecurity, and an increased vulnerability to stress. This is because, without the foundation of trust and safety, individuals may struggle with feelings of worthlessness, chronic anxiety, and an overarching sense of being unsafe in the world. These early traumatic experiences of attachment disruption can then manifest as chronic health conditions later in life.
The Need for Connection
Maté highlights that humans are inherently social, wired for connection with other humans from the moment of birth. He posits that this need for connection is not merely a preference or a social construct, but a fundamental aspect of our biological and psychological makeup. He writes that our brains and bodies operate within the context of relationships—our drive to seek out and maintain social bonds is as essential to our survival as food and shelter. This need for connection comes from our evolutionary history; our ancestors relied on social bonds for survival, making connection an ingrained part of our genetic heritage.
Maté argues that these connections do more than just fulfill emotional needs—they impact our health, development, and well-being. Positive, supportive relationships can bolster our mental health, enhance our resilience to stress, and even positively influence our physical health. Conversely, isolation and poor-quality social connections can lead to a host of mental and physical health issues.
Part 3: How Social Conditions Hardwire Us for Disease
Having established the role of trauma in physical, emotional, and psychological health, Maté describes how certain deeply ingrained structures in Western society like racism, misogyny, and capitalism instill and reinforce that trauma. According to Maté, these factors don’t just shape our societies—they have tangible, harmful effects on our physical and mental health.
The Embodied Trauma of Internalized Racism
Maté discusses the destructive impact of institutionalized racism, which teaches minorities to internalize hate and reject their identities—both overtly through direct discrimination and subtly through systemic bias and cultural messaging. According to Maté, this enforced self-rejection triggers profound psychological wounds that translate into physiological stress responses. This can lead to biological responses like elevated levels of cortisol and inflammation. Sustained over time, this can contribute to health problems such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes among affected populations.
For example, in a society that devalues Black womanhood, a Black teenage girl will encounter pervasive messages denigrating her racial identity, such as criticism that her natural hair texture is “unprofessional.” This exposure to racist messaging can lead to chronic psychological stress, which in turn triggers significant physiological reactions. The stress activates her body’s fight-or-flight response, triggering the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline and disrupts her normal bodily functions, leading to the dysregulation of her hormonal processes.
How Ingrained Misogyny Fractures Mind-Body Wellness
Similarly, Maté explores how structural misogyny teaches women and girls to view themselves—and especially their sexuality—through a lens of self-hatred and shame. He asserts that Western culture commodifies female sexuality, which reinforces the subservience of women. He writes that this isn’t just a cultural or moral issue; it’s a health issue, with wide-ranging effects on the physical and mental well-being of women and girls.
The Unhealthy Impact of Capitalism
Maté further writes that capitalism, with its relentless pursuit of profit and efficiency, makes us less healthy by making us feel more vulnerable, more lonely, less secure, and less empathetic. The instability of jobs and the pressure to succeed financially can isolate individuals, weakening social bonds. When we’re encouraged to prioritize our success over the welfare of others, we hurt our collective social fabric, which impacts our physical and mental health because we’re wired for the kind of deep connection and mutual care that capitalism erodes.
Part 4: Toward a Holistic Healing Model
Having explored the mind-body connection and the impact of social conditions on our health, Maté proposes a new approach to health and healing—one in which we integrate the parts of ourselves we’ve ignored, reconnect with our true selves, and regain a sense of wholeness. To move toward this new approach to wellness, Maté encourages the medical community to embrace a more comprehensive biopsychosocial model of health, to accept the role of trauma in shaping health outcomes, and to encourage patients to adopt nontraditional healing practices like yoga, mindfulness, and plant-based psychedelics.
Embrace the Biopsychosocial Model
A critic of the conventional biomedical model, Maté instead advocates the biopsychosocial model, which recognizes that our thoughts, feelings, social interactions, and environment profoundly impact our health. In this model, total health encompasses emotional balance, social connection, and a harmonious relationship with your surrounding environment. By moving toward this more holistic model, Maté argues, we can better address the root causes of illness rather than merely treating symptoms.
For example, a physician who decides to integrate the biopsychosocial model into her practice might treat a patient complaining of chronic headaches by exploring the patient’s work environment, stress levels, and emotional state before prescribing medication. This physician might discover that the patient is experiencing significant job-related stress and social isolation. She might then refer the patient to a stress-management workshop and a community group to improve his social connections.
Accept the Reality of Past Trauma
Maté writes that acknowledging and accepting the reality of past trauma is a key step toward healing. He posits that denial or suppression of trauma can not only prevent you from understanding the root causes of your suffering but can also block the path to resolving your emotional wounds and moving forward. Therefore, by embracing our traumas and working through them, we can reclaim our power over our lives and begin the path toward holistic healing and well-being.
For example, a psychiatrist working with a support group for people experiencing PTSD might introduce exercises to help participants identify how their traumas have shaped their behaviors, relationships, and health. Techniques could include creating a personal narrative timeline, where members can visually plot significant traumatic events alongside their physical and emotional responses, fostering a deeper understanding of their life’s trajectory and the intersections of trauma and health.
Implement Holistic Healing Practices
Maté writes that there are various practices, including yoga and meditation and the use of psychedelics, that have healing potential. He writes that these practices can jump-start the process of healing from trauma and overcoming deep-seated emotional and psychological issues.
Yoga and Meditation
Maté explains that yoga and meditation offer more than just physical benefits; they facilitate a deeper connection with the self. Through these practices, you can achieve a state of mindfulness that allows you to be present and fully engaged with your current experiences, free from judgment. This state of mindfulness allows you to observe your own thoughts without becoming entangled in them—offering a sense of peace and control.
The Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelics
Maté also explores the therapeutic potential of psychedelics—emphasizing the importance of using them within proper guidance and protocols. He notes that they dissolve the barriers between the subconscious and conscious mind, providing individuals with access to hidden fears, desires, and anxieties. This can be a powerful experience that allows for significant insight and personal growth. He writes that psychedelics can facilitate transformative experiences that reshape how individuals perceive themselves and the world around them, enabling a deeper understanding of—and healing from—trauma.
Exercise: Understand the Impact of Trauma on Your Health
Maté writes that the experience of personal trauma, as well as social conditions like institutional racism and ingrained misogyny, can hardwire you for disease. Reflect on what you’ve learned about the connection between trauma and physical health and how it compares with your personal experience.
- Maté argues that many behaviors labeled as “abnormal” are reasonable responses to societal pressures. What is an example from your own life or someone else’s where a behavior considered “abnormal” might actually be a logical reaction to external stressors? Explain your answer.
- Maté writes that chronic stress or unresolved emotional issues can lead to physical ailments. Have you ever experienced a situation where your emotional state noticeably affected your physical health? How did it manifest? How did you address it?
- Maté discusses how societal structures like racism, misogyny, and capitalism can instill and reinforce trauma. In what ways have you observed or experienced these structures impacting mental or physical health in your community? What steps could you take to push back against the harmful impacts of these structures?
- The biopsychosocial model of health considers biological, psychological, and social factors in understanding wellness. How might adopting this model change the way you approach your own health or the health of those around you?
