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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
challenging
slow-paced
challenging
reflective
A slightly mixed bag for me. On the one hand I think lots of coherent arguments were made about the negative impacts a capitalist and hyper materialistic society has on human health - something I've already pondered before so didn't require any convincing on that part, as well as the influence of childhood experiences on later health.
The proposed link between patriarchal expectations on emotional repression and links to the rises in autoimmune diseases / women being disproportionately affected I think carries *some* weight to it, however I wasn't convinced to the extent that the author was implying (particularly due to the rise in numbers being fairly recent, when patriarchal expectations are nothing new at all so it would make sense that there are other factors going on). Yes there's the capitalist influences as loosely outlined at several points, but would also have appreciated a deeper look into medical bias - including the historical lack of research into the female body (something that's only begun to improve relatively recently).
In reference to toxicity at the start the author explains their focus will be on the wider context of social structure (rather than focusing, in the literal sense, on environmental pollutants). However at least some reference around that could still have been included, such as considering:
- the boom of the cosmetics industry + the prevalence of endocrine disruptors and the lack of understanding around female hormones
- the prevalence of micro plastics and the effects on the body
(which all fits within the context of a patriarchal/consumerist society). Tbh those topics could be whole books by themselves so I guess my overall issue was the emotional repression being the running theme; without at least giving clearer nods to potential environmental factors.
TL;DR Overall brings a fresh perspective that's long overdue in western medicine, but I think lacks consideration for other factors influencing health in modern society.
The proposed link between patriarchal expectations on emotional repression and links to the rises in autoimmune diseases / women being disproportionately affected I think carries *some* weight to it, however I wasn't convinced to the extent that the author was implying (particularly due to the rise in numbers being fairly recent, when patriarchal expectations are nothing new at all so it would make sense that there are other factors going on). Yes there's the capitalist influences as loosely outlined at several points, but would also have appreciated a deeper look into medical bias - including the historical lack of research into the female body (something that's only begun to improve relatively recently).
In reference to toxicity at the start the author explains their focus will be on the wider context of social structure (rather than focusing, in the literal sense, on environmental pollutants). However at least some reference around that could still have been included, such as considering:
- the boom of the cosmetics industry + the prevalence of endocrine disruptors and the lack of understanding around female hormones
- the prevalence of micro plastics and the effects on the body
(which all fits within the context of a patriarchal/consumerist society). Tbh those topics could be whole books by themselves so I guess my overall issue was the emotional repression being the running theme; without at least giving clearer nods to potential environmental factors.
TL;DR Overall brings a fresh perspective that's long overdue in western medicine, but I think lacks consideration for other factors influencing health in modern society.
was tired of pushing thru! felt like most of what i found useful i already knew and everything else felt kinda sus, esp once i learned maté has some odd views on adhd and autism. haven't touched it in a year so i'm dnfing it
hopeful
informative
reflective
Even though I found this book just too long ( maybe I would've enjoyed it more as an essay), I really appreciate how the author incorporates his years of experiencie to the narrative he is building, nor only do we get bibliography pertinent to the facts, but also very humans insight of how he sees or has lived this issues. He mainly talks about the body-mind unity and how a traumatized society produces traumatized people. I found some stuff redundant, but at the same time I came across some pearls of wisdom I wouldn't know if it weren't for this book. I would still recomend this book, buy maybe prioritize podcast from the same author for a quick grasp of how trauma afects our lives.
informative
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Long but gold. A book to read/listen again and again.
Finally finished this, although to be honest, by the time I’d reached the last two hundred pages I was mostly skimming through it. This is a tough one to rate, I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it. It definitely does a good job explaining how our society is inherently toxic and basically sets our health up for failure, there is no doubt that Gabor has a good head on his shoulders and a gift for critical thinking. However I feel there was a decent level of exaggeration , there was just not enough to convince me of the strength of the link between body and mind. There is a link of course, no doubt about it, but just spitting out a list celebrities you’ve interviewed or of extreme cases, cancer being cured by sheer force of will or rape directly leading to incurable diseases, just no. There just seemed to be a disregard for the more subtle nuances of it, there’s a lot more at play here. I just feel like it was very dumbed down, I just wanted something a bit more scientific and subtle.
And then of course there was the writing. I genuinely don’t know how I got through 500 pages of this, it’s just a badly written book. The whole thing was basically just a rant, I was constantly losing sight of what was connecting the different chapters and topics. The whole book was just too much, all of it was too much. He should have picked 1 area to focus on and stuck with it, providing proper evidence for his claims with a proper analysis and proper regard for the complexity and nuance of topics like these.
It’s honestly quite sad because It’s such an important topic and Gabor has definitely managed to latch onto something good here. But somewhere along the way it just feels like the book lost sight of what it set out to do.
And then of course there was the writing. I genuinely don’t know how I got through 500 pages of this, it’s just a badly written book. The whole thing was basically just a rant, I was constantly losing sight of what was connecting the different chapters and topics. The whole book was just too much, all of it was too much. He should have picked 1 area to focus on and stuck with it, providing proper evidence for his claims with a proper analysis and proper regard for the complexity and nuance of topics like these.
It’s honestly quite sad because It’s such an important topic and Gabor has definitely managed to latch onto something good here. But somewhere along the way it just feels like the book lost sight of what it set out to do.
Abandoned 2/3 of the way through or so, but I got the drift. The central thesis seems solid, if perhaps overstated - trauma probably doesn't cause *every* one of the maladies of the modern world, but it sure does explain many manifestations of pain. Not sure what solution that offers, beyond "doctors should get more involved with solving the social conditions that enact brutal harm on humanity," which sounds great for starters!
hopeful
informative
inspiring
informative
medium-paced