“The word health originates in a word for wholeness,” says renowned physician, author, and speaker Dr. Gabor Maté. “Whether one looks at it from a medical or spiritual point of view: To be healthy is to be whole.

As I pondered what I saw with my patients and in my own journey, I realized that the fundamental issue is not: How do we become whole? But, how do we lose the wholeness that is our birthright and our nature? Then, how do we come back to it?”

Our conversation about his urgent new book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture, explores how our experiences shape that path; Beginning from early childhood through inevitable trauma and healing.

The indispensable role connection plays is among my greatest lessons from his esteemed work: It is life-giving to see and affirm each other’s wholeness.

Whereas society often focuses on the negative aspects of our nature, Dr. Maté invites us to be the best in it.