The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture

In this chapter, Maté discusses the research on “telomeres” by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, for which she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2009. Telomeres are “miniscule DNA structures at the end of chromosomes” (59) that protect our chromosomes from deterioration. Her research has profound implications for our understanding of the relationship between our genes and our environment. Since telomeres are sensitive to factors such as our upbringing and social context, her research suggests that genetic and environmental factors are not independent. Rather, the nature of our telomeres and the other “epigenetic” factors to which they are connected directly impact upon the way our genes are activated and emphasized. As Maté says, our genetic inheritance is merely the rudimentary language that is given proper meaning by the epigenetic factors impacting it. Dis, according to Maté, cannot be viewed as a manifestation of genetic destiny. Instead, disease, like our bodies and minds overall, should be seen in terms of the ongoing interaction between genes and the environmental factors to which we are subject.