Myth of Normal
by Gabor Maté, Daniel Maté · first published 2022
9mentions
6recommended by
8HN commenters
2023–2025first – last mentioned
75% recommend25% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Connects stress, trauma and chronic illness to a toxic culture, tying together ideas that are new or helpful. Suits readers new to trauma and mind-body ideas, and those already in therapy.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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I'd highly recommend "The Myth of Normal" by Gabor Mat\'e as the long version of this position. But beware, once you accept its premise one must concede by the same token, those who prey upon the vulnerable in society, whether they are heroin…
on “The Negative Impact of Mobile-First Web Design on Desktop” ↗Reading the "Myth of Normal" by Gabor Maté opened my eyes for this as a possible explanation. I highly recommend this for a read on how stress alters the body.
on “Chronic stress spreads cancer” ↗…audiobook as well. Other books I recommend: "Self-Parenting: The Complete Guide to Your Inner Conversations" by John K Pollard and Linda Nusbaum. "How to be an Adult in Relationships" by David Richo "The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture" by Gabor Mate "When the Body Says No" by Gabor Mate I practice Mindful Qi Gong (healing movement + meditation) once a week as a part of a 2-hour class,…
on “Early-life stress can disrupt maturation of brain’s reward circuits” ↗…said. “We don’t have the luxury of waiting around five or ten years for literature reviews.” Gabor Mate has more weight in my mind on explaining the rise of mental illness in western society. His book “Myth of Normal” is great and does not contain new information so much as it ties things we know together.
on “Screen time and the young brain – a contemporary moral panic? [pdf]” ↗"The Myth of Normal" by Mate Gabor is a great place for people to start this work. Later it dawns on you that sure, like everybody else you have weaknesses and traumas that you've learned to cope with, but that doesn't…
on “Almost half of British teens feel addicted to social media – study” ↗I'm reading Gabor Mate's "Myth of Normal" and it helped me understand a lot more the nature of some of our misery and how much of it can be traced back to consumerism.
on “Arctic sea ice sets a record low maximum in 2025” ↗…discover all of this, it certainly ran against mine. I expect most of this crowd to lean open-minded. If you're new to ideas like this, or curious to learn more, I would STRONGLY encourage you to read The Myth Of Normal, a very recent book by Gabor Maté. He is my current spirit animal. I'm SO SO grateful to be on the path I'm on now and I have SO many people and experiences to thank. Not to mention the gratitude I have…
on “Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?” ↗…January sale, so: Entertainment: Babel - An Arcane History by RF Kuang, Time Out of Joint by Philip K. Dick, and my usual re-read of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Non-fiction: Code (second edition), The Myth of Normal by Gabor & Daniel Mate
on “Ask HN: What are you looking forward to reading in 2023?” ↗Taking care of yourself means authentic emotional expression and it's crucial to health, as it reduces this internalized stress, helping to maintain both mental and physical well-being. In The Myth of Normal, Gabor Maté argues that suppressing emotions, particularly anger, can weaken the immune system and lead to chronic illness, including conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS). Maté explains that repressing…
on “Caring for yourself while caring for others” ↗