Michelle’s Reviews > The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture > Status Update

Maté’s insistence on depending on parental instincts is interesting as a very anxious person who does not trust her own instincts.

I was also surprised to read about how traumatizing childbirth can be for the mother. The common theme seems to be that forcing conformity to a culture that is almost inhuman is traumatizing in itself. It seems easier to follow the path of least resistance, but there is a cost.

i think there’s too much emphasis on stress driving illness. i don’t think it does. i think stress, trauma, etc. can *enable* illness, as stress weakens the body’s immune response (or can cause the immune system to overcompensate as seen with autoimmune conditions). if the body is busy dealing with repressed trauma and emotions, it can’t deal with health crises.

chronological age = age in years
biological age = age based on cells and telomeres
stress increases biological age. it’s no wonder that women mature faster than men; biologically, they age faster (in a patriarchal society)

one thing that is interesting is the emphasis that trauma ≠ the traumatic event. the event results in the trauma as a wound to the nervous system