#256: Healing in a Toxic Culture with Dr. Gabor Maté

Themes: Attachment Theory, Child Development, Trauma, the Mind-Body Connection, Authenticity, Boundaries, Illness, Health

Summary: 

It is such an honour to welcome renowned speaker and bestselling author Dr. Gabor Maté to the podcast this week. Dr. Maté is highly sought after for his expertise on various topics, including addiction, stress, and childhood development. He has written several bestselling books, including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection, and Scattered: How Attention Deficit Disorder Originates and What You Can Do About It, and has coauthored Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers. His works have been published internationally in nearly thirty languages.

In this illuminating episode, we discuss his incredible new book, The Myth of Normal, and how much of what we deem the norm in today’s culture is neither healthy nor natural. Join us as we explore a range of topics, including trauma and its effects, attachment theory, the mind-body connection, the cost of repressing emotions, and more.

Discover:

How much of what we deem ‘normal’ in today’s culture is neither healthy nor natural and is actually responsible for a lot of illness in both mind and body. 

How to differentiate trauma from a stressful experience

The impacts of trauma on mental and physical health and how normalized trauma is in our culture

Why the medical system ignores the mind-body connection

The cost of repressing your emotions and people-pleasing

How to heal in the toxicity of modern culture

00:00 Intro 

00:47 The Myth of Normal

03:26 The idea of normal

05:28 The toxicity of modern culture

09:38 How our childhood wounds show up in the present day

12:43 Trauma

17:16 Why medicine ignores the mind-body connection

23:46 When does an experience become trauma?

26:16 Importance of attuned caregivers

34:15 The cost of suppressing your emotions

39:00 The cost of people pleasing & no boundaries

43:42 Choosing your pain - authenticity vs. belonging

50:00 Exercises for self-understanding

55:00 Healing a toxic culture

Links:

Website | drgabormate.com & wholehearted.org

Book | The Myth of Normal - Trauma, Illness, & Healing in a Toxic Culture

Instagram | @gabormatemd

Facebook | @drgabormate

Twitter | @drgabormate

Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality by Dr. Darcia Narvaez

The Evolved Nest: Natures Way of Raising Children and Creating Connected Communities by Dr. Darcia Narvaez

Sponsors:

Cured Nutrition | Use code CREATETHELOVE for 20% off all products at curednutrition.com/createthelove

Create the Love Cards | Use code CTLCARDS15 for 15% off at createthelove.com/cards

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