In the most health-obsessed society ever, all is not well*: On Trauma

1

Philosopher Byung-Chul Han's essay Neuronal Power begins with the following lines: "Every age has its signature afflictions. Thus, a bacterial age existed; at the latest, it ended with the discovery of antibiotics. Despite widespread fear of an influenza epidemic, we are not living in a viral age. Thanks to immunological technology, we have already left it behind. From a pathological standpoint, the incipient twenty-first century is determined neither by bacteria nor by viruses, but by neurons".

Modern integrative body mind science defies Byung-Chul Han’s statement, that it is reductive to define human suffering solely in terms of ailments. However, we are living in an era, where production relations dictate nearly everything about human existence, in this specific context Byung-Chul Han’s statement—that the majority of human society is afflicted by mental or neuronal issues—serves as a foundational lens to understand contemporary humans and their struggles.

In today’s society, believing that anyone exists free from mental health issues is absurd. Rather than limiting neuronal distress to the conventional psychiatric definition of mental illness, we must transcend that framework and approach trauma as an intrinsic, inseparable aspect of human existence. Only then can we truly comprehend neuronal suffering.

To understand why trauma is a physiological, psychological and neuronal affliction, we must first examine the etymology of the word. The word Trauma originates from Greek, where it means to wound or injury.

From birth, when a child’s natural human needs and instincts are denied, and societal expectations, compulsions, and violence are forcibly imposed upon them, the resulting scars—trauma—embed themselves deep within the child’s psyche (the Id and Superego) and becomes their everyday behaviour and life. Modern research shows that the pressure and violence generated by this process manifests as lifelong physical and mental ailments, referred to as trauma.

However, it would also be inappropriate to casually appropriate the term ‘trauma’ into everyday language as a trendy buzzword. Many experiences we colloquially label as trauma are often stress-related. For example, people might say, "I watched a movie that traumatized me". But a film, in itself, lacks the power to inflict trauma. What it can do is stir up pre-existing, unhealed wounds, triggering mental distress. The emotional resonance of a film may cause stress, but not necessarily trauma.

Though trauma and stress may seem similar—both being psychological terms to express the human psyche—the distinction between them must be acknowledged. Stressful events need not qualify as trauma, but trauma invariably perpetuates stress.

2

The discourse about the human psyche is not new to human societies. Indigenous communities naturally had a deep understanding of the human body-mind interconnectedness. This is confirmed by various anthropological and historical studies, especially from Native American and Aboriginal Australian societies. In India, Buddhist philosophy was entirely centered on the human mind, as seen in the Buddha’s teachings and the works of philosophers like Nagarjuna, Dignāga, and Chandrakīrti. Thus, Sanga compiled the Buddha’s words, "Mind precedes everything” as the opening verse of the Dhammapada.

The powerful myth that the European Renaissance was the start of the age of reasoning still influences psychology today - not only psychology but almost everything. 21st century modern humans across the world lead a copy-pasted European life. Eurocentrism made Sigmund Freud the "father of psychology," while Carl Jung and Jacques Lacan were treated as successors to his psychology. Even though Jung and Lacan rejected many of Freud’s ideas, no major challenge to Freudian psychology emerged until the late 20th century. Questioning Freud was seen as unscientific—an irony that continues even now.

It wasn’t until after World War II that Freud’s theories were seriously challenged—and even then, it had to be done by another European thinker. After all, renaissance means, both sides of the argument can/should come only from Europe: the brilliance of white skin is unmatchable with black or brown or yellow or red skinned, half humans. Alice Miller, a Polish-born Sociologist and Psychologist, a Holocaust survivor who later moved to Switzerland, was the first person to openly reject Freud’s theories.

Some of Freud's contemporaries, notably Judith Herman and Frieda Fromm-Reichmann - sought to uncover the origins of neurological disorders, particularly the causes of schizophrenia. They were among the first in modern science to establish connections between mental health and childhood psychic wounds.

Alice Miller further transformed the trauma model by connecting it with childhood suffering, turning it into a complete scientific doctrine. Until then, discussions about mental health patients, who had been pushed to the margins of medical science due to unexplained causes were brought to the center of human life for the first time. Crucially, Alice didn't confine these discussions to scientific tables alone; she took them directly to the public through her writings and lectures. Among Alice's most important works – proclaimed defiantly against Freud's authoritarian throne until her dying breath included these landmark books: The Drama of the Gifted Child, The Body Never Lies, Thou Shalt Not Be Aware.

Modern scholars who followed her – including Bessel van der Kolk, Gabor Maté, and Resmaa Menakem – have played a major role in bringing trauma theory to wider audiences. Particularly noteworthy are Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score, Gabor and Daniel Maté's The Myth of Normal, and Resmaa Menakem's My Grandmother's Hands – books that have been instrumental in popularizing these ideas.

Their scientific understanding of trauma extends far beyond viewing Trauma just as a mental health issue like ADHD, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder etc. Through extensive research, they also demonstrate how trauma actually manifests as physical ailments in the body as well. What's more, they provide deep insights into both the healing process for wounds and practical methods for recovery. This approach moves well beyond simply prescribing medication - it represents a truly holistic system of medical science that integrates multiple healing modalities.

This integrated medical science combines multiple perspectives: indigenous wisdom about the human self, chemical drugs, traditional healing practices, the crucial role of community bonds, Human-nature connection, and the understanding that child-rearing is a collective responsibility rather than an individual burden - all working in harmony with modern medical science.

In our current era of the internet flooded with misinformation, some might argue these trauma-healing approaches risk opening doors to pseudoscience. However, the therapeutic methods they propose emerge from a foundation of rigorous scientific data. Yet we cannot deny that these theories too must navigate the ever-present thin line separating real science from pseudoscience.

What makes their explanations remarkable is their accessibility - even those with no formal psychology background can understand them. As Gabor Maté puts it: "When it comes to my body, I'm the ultimate expert. I don't need scientific credentials to listen to what my body tells me. The wisdom is in the listening itself."

3
Every newborn comes into the world with two fundamental expectations: nourishment and social acceptance. A human’s entire framework of social pressures, abuses, and expectations gets constructed around this primal need for belonging. From birth itself, the infant begins performing for society's approval - all to avoid the terrifying prospect of social rejection and death.

The primary social figures in a child's world - the parents - become the first audience for this performance. The child's deepest imperative becomes parental approval, for an instinctual fear whispers: "If I fail to satisfy my mother, even my basic survival - food and protection - may disappear." This existential threat socializes the child to contort themselves into whatever shape earns the existential validation - maternal validation as a starting point.

For instance, a child's natural language of communication is crying. Yet modern parenting culture often advises ignoring crying children until they exhaust themselves into silence. Many children eventually wear themselves out and stop crying—a process mistakenly celebrated as "effective discipline." There's a prevailing belief that responding to a child's tears will spoil them, creating stubborn adults. Irony is, most of us abandoned by our parents while we cry are now adamant adults.

When a child's attempts to express needs through their innate language go unanswered, the scars of rejection become permanently etched into their psyche.

Over time, the child learns to reshape even their most basic needs to align with parental expectations. This doesn't mean the child stops crying altogether, but rather that they modify how they cry to suit what their parents will tolerate. The tragic humor? These emotional distortions are often praised as "good parenting"—successful socialization of the child.

Society further complicates this by gendering tears. Boys learn early that crying is a "weakness"—their natural emotional expression systematically dulled under the label of masculinity. Meanwhile, girls are confined to tears as their designated emotional outlet, reinforcing the stereotype that "femininity" equals constant emotional availability.

Beyond these two rigid gender boxes, modern human society shows no curiosity about experiences of all other genders—nor the unique forms of trauma such neglect creates. The discussion around these layered wounds has not even begun.

Whenever we hear the word trauma, our mind typically jump to extreme violent events—caste, racial, gender, and sexual oppression; wars; sexual violence; murders—the list goes on. Undoubtedly, these experiences leave deep scars and they continue to exist as unresolved trauma.

But Alice Miller argues that beyond these overt horrors, it is the seemingly "ordinary", everyday occurrences—the ones we dismiss as trivial—that often inflict the most lasting damage on a person's life. These subtler wounds rarely enter public discourse. Take, for example, the corporal practices normalized in our education system and parenting culture: beating children into obedience or using punishment as a tool to force students to score good marks. Society labels these methods as ways to discipline and socialize children. But they are, in fact, silent inducers of trauma—equally more pervasive and insidious as the spectacular violence we readily condemn.

In his seminal work The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk begins with a radical premise: “you don’t need to be a soldier, a Syrian refugee, or a survivor of Congolese violence to carry trauma. Its seismic impact exists in all of us—our friends, our families, the people around us”. Trauma takes root most tenaciously during childhood, particularly through physical and psychological violence experienced until adolescence, etching itself into the body and psyche.

To ask whether any child today remains untouched by such violence—especially parental violence—is to pose a paradox. The uncomfortable truth is this: we are all children wounded by our parents, just as they were wounded by theirs—unhealed children passing down the legacy of trauma. Childhood trauma doesn’t simply linger; it evolves into the very architecture of our social and personal existence. It becomes the invisible engine driving our behaviors, resurfacing in nearly every significant life event—both overtly and in ways we never see coming.

The heart of the problem in understanding trauma lies in questioning parents. We're all raised to view parents with unquestioning reverence - challenging their sacred status feels forbidden. As Alice Miller pointed out, none of us dare break Moses' fourth commandment. The first step in an honest trauma dialogue must be shattering two social sacred beliefs: parental infallibility and traditional child-rearing methods.

Let's state the uncomfortable truths: A mother or father silencing their children isn't sacred. Beating children for exam failures isn't parenting. Real parenting means listening, validating pain, and accepting children as they are.

Our social systems actively prevent this reckoning. "Who has time for a deep connection?" we claim, while living isolated, frantic lives. But children don't understand adult excuses - they only learn: "I'm unsafe. Unwanted."

Whether society calls parental violence a normalized disciplining technique or jokes about the potential abuses and call it the ways of life then the fear and scars persist for lifetimes, often passing to new generations. Unhealed wounded children become adults who repeat abuse. Their violence becomes a twisted cry for the parental love they were denied.

Most people unknowingly seek partners resembling their parents - begging lovers for the acceptance their parents withheld. But this unmet childhood longing often turns into relationship violence - including possessive behaviors. Rage toward neglectful parents gets taken out on whoever loves them now.

Then comes the natural question - How should we raise children? How do we guide them right? We live in a punishment-obsessed corporal society. Our social conditioning has deeply ingrained in us the belief that no moral order can exist without punishments. Understanding a life without the need for corporal systems, requires deep anthropological and sociological study.

To put it simply: while human civilization has used harsh punishments for a few thousand years, we've actually existed for at least 300,000 years. For most of human history, we weren't governed by punitive laws but by our natural sense of coexistence and obligations - these behaviors we do exhibit even now but in rare circumstances.

Alice Miller identified nuclearized child rearing under the modern capitalist system as primary sources of trauma in contemporary humans. Gabor Maté expands this view, examining how broader social factors - especially systemic discrimination and capitalist isolation - shape parenting and childhood wounds. He draws from his own war memories and refugee experiences to show how these social structures directly impact individuals. Resmaa Menakem's My Grandmother's Hands deeply explores the wounds caused by social oppression and paths to healing. Among all books mentioned in this essay, this is perhaps the most crucial.

Today's society drives humans relentlessly without rest. We run endlessly toward no clear destination until we collapse. This life leaves no room for reflection, connection with others, or meaningful community ties. We've become machines competing with machines. The resulting stress traps us in inescapable cycles of anxiety, making genuine healing impossible.

4

Trauma studies not only enhance our understanding of psychological distress but also pose important questions about the mechanisms through which it can result in physical health issues, making it a key area of contemporary research. Although research and medical practices that investigate the psychological consequences of trauma have gained some acceptance, traditional medical science continues to overlook the strong connection between trauma and physical health conditions.

This contradiction operates within the fundamental framework of science. Science, which accepts only what is empirically proven at the gross level, finds itself entangled in the dilemma of being unable to empirically demonstrate its relativistic operations at quantum level. The same approach can be observed in medical science as well. Medical science too seeks only tangible causes.

For example, if a person's liver fails to function, the cause can be attributed to alcohol addiction. However, conventional medical science refuses to ask the question—why did the person become addicted to alcohol? This is the argument put forth by modern trauma scientists and addiction experts.

A human being is not merely a mass of cells but a living entity—an integration of the body (formed by cells) and the mind, functioning in a relational manner with the surrounding world. This entire interconnected process is what makes a person truly human. Conventional health science must greatly evolve to adapt itself by accounting for the relativistic nature of human existence.

To understand the close relationship between addiction and physical ailments, it is helpful to examine conditions such as autoimmune diseases, fibromyalgia and migraines. The root causes of these illnesses remain unknown to this day. Particularly, autoimmune disorders and fibromyalgia stand as mysteries in human physiology. Beyond these, many other diseases - including psychological illness also lack clear causative explanations—this is the scientific reality.

Continuing from this, it is important to recall an intriguing fact about the origins of chemical drugs—the very soul of modern conventional medicine. In his Pulitzer Prize-winning scientific work, The Emperor of All Maladies, physician, biologist and author Siddhartha Mukherjee writes: "The chemical dye laboratories in England, initially set up to produce fabric dyes, eventually led to the discovery of both synthetic dyes and chemical drugs." This truth about chemical medicine helps us understand how pharmacology became intertwined with capitalist ambitions.

The rise of chemical medicine, along with its embedded capitalist drive and colonial influence, brought about global transformations in healthcare. A new health order was established—that chemical drugs became the ultimate solution for all ailments. This also reflects in psychology, where all mental struggles are approached merely as "diseases," and chemical medications are routinely presented as the sole remedy for every psychological issue.

There is no denying that chemical drugs are often helpful and life-saving in emergencies. However, the problem lies in capitalism's complete domination of allopathic medicine—where these drugs are presented as the only solution while dismissing the diverse physical and mental health understandings found in human societies across history.

The modern healthcare system's obsession with a "one size fits all" approach, which has no real basis in true science - science is all about differences and discourse, never one absolute truth. This is not just a peculiarity of medical practice but an extension of the Western mindset that dismisses all other knowledge systems as primitive.

Medical capitalism thrives by capitalizing on humanity's fear of death. While critiquing the limitations of modern medicine does not mean rejecting it entirely, the reality is that modern societies operate entirely within capitalist production relations—where even human relationships are reduced to profit-loss calculations. This has led to widespread isolation and existential emptiness among people. Unfortunately, instead of fostering a meaningful dialogue against this oppressive system, these frustrations are often misdirected into anti-science rhetoric, fueling misinformation and pseudoscience that merely pretends to challenge modern medicine.

The question of why autoimmune diseases affect women 80% more often than men remains unanswered by conventional medical science. The reason is simple: traditional healthcare systems focus only on cures, while most research looks for causes in purely material factors rather than in a person's life history.

As Dr. Gabor Maté points out, this approach fails to uncover the root causes of many illnesses. He argues that the triggers for autoimmune diseases lie in a person's social environment and lived experiences. Notably, those who develop these conditions often share similar social and psychological traits—pointing to deeper, systemic causes beyond mere biology:

1. Prioritizing Others' Needs: People with autoimmune conditions may consistently put others' emotional needs before their own, neglecting their own well-being in the process.
2. Strong Identification with Duty and Responsibility: They may identify strongly with their roles and responsibilities, often feeling obligated to take on excessive burdens.
3. Suppression of Healthy Anger: They may repress their anger, making it difficult to express their needs and boundaries.
4. Belief in Responsibility for Others' Emotions: They may feel responsible for the emotions of those around them, taking on an excessive burden of responsibility.
5. Fear of Disappointing Others: They may have a strong fear of disappointing others, leading them to prioritize others' needs and avoid expressing their own needs.

From these traits, we can understand why 80% of these diseases affect women. Gabor Maté writes that this is because society has constructed all these traits as women's duties and inherent qualities. In modern medical science today, there are no cures for autoimmune diseases. Instead, there are only methods to manage the symptoms of these diseases. The same applies to fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by chronic muscle pain.

Another issue with modern medical science is that it views diseases as attacks. Contemporary integrative mind-body science, however, suggests that illnesses are not merely assaults on a person but rather the body's way of communicating with us. Listening carefully to what your body is saying is the first step toward healing. Instead of doing this, we focus only on suppressing diseases.

For instance, when someone gets a fever, the immediate response for many is to take paracetamol without further thought - at least in India, this is the common trend. Fever is merely a symptom of an illness, not the illness itself. Healing or curing must address the root disease, not just the symptom. This does not mean one should never take paracetamol—at 105°F, it can be an emergency lifesaver.

As Gabor Maté says, diseases are not attacks on a person but rather the body's way of reminding us of the pains we have forgotten or suppressed. Listening to our bodies may be the greatest favor we can do for ourselves.

5
Addiction is one of the major modern societal problems. As a society, we all believe that we have a clear understanding of substance addiction. We tend to conclude that addiction is caused by the substances themselves and the individuals who seek them. Thus we end up insulting, abusing or rejecting the addicts and throw them over the margin. However, we seldom ask why only some people fall into that trap. Despite this, we continue to wage wars against addiction. Yet, no global "wars" against drugs have ever been successful. As Alice Miller and Gabor Maté argue, the roots of addiction are not found in the substances themselves or the choices individuals make regarding them. Instead, they suggest that the history of someone's life often reveals the causes of their addiction.

Gabor Maté's book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts is an essential study on addiction. Maté dedicated his entire medical career working in downtown Vancouver, Canada, where many substance addicts reside. He writes, “No addict chooses to live that brutal life; rather, they turn to substances as a remedy to numb the pain inflicted upon them, especially during childhood.”

The notion that substances are the only means to numb the unbearable pain caused by childhood violence lies at the heart of addiction. However, what initially serves as a remedy or a substitute for the unattainable love gradually transforms into inescapable problems that can lead to death.

For a child who comes back from school or a relative’s or friend’s home silently and sorrowfully, simply asking, "What happened to you? Why are you feeling this way?"—without any preconceived notions—would be sufficient to prevent the formation of an addiction. Yet, as Alice Miller points out, children are often the most unfortunate beings in human society. Their feelings and opinions are disregarded, and they are viewed merely as flesh-and-blood entities. In modern human societies, children are seen as a step below adults, and they must climb over the obstacles placed before them to be recognized as fully human, often through acts of violence and abuse.

In human society, the contradiction of addiction lies in the existence of two categories: Drugs that society accepts and those that it rejects. Addictions such as money, material possessions, land, power, authority, fame, and religion are all endorsed by society. Rather than sending those affected by these acceptable addictions to rehabilitation centers or labeling them as addicts to be cast aside, we celebrate them as victors. On the other hand, those who consume alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, or hard drugs like cocaine are sent to rehab centers.

Even in alcohol-hostile places like Tamil Nadu, instead of treating addiction as a societal problem that demands collective responsibility, we dehumanize addicts. This stigma is evident in every aspect of society, which was framed initially by 60 & 70s Tamil cinema. Government-run liquor shops and the bar attached to them are the best example to understand the ignorance of Tamil society on addiction: often a filthy and degrading space. Yet, these are the very places where 80-90% of Tamil Nadu’s drinkers are forced to consume alcohol—surrounded by the stench of urine and vomit.

Gabor Maté argues that controlling the existence and sale of substances is only a fraction of the effort needed to address addiction. Even in Tamil Nadu, reducing the number of liquor shops and alcohol sales is merely a small part of a so-called "war" against alcohol and does not constitute a complete solution. In many places in India where alcohol ban is in place, addiction is widely prevalent. For instance, in Nagaland, where the sale of alcohol is completely banned, but it is still easily accessible, and the rate of alcohol consumption in Nagaland (31%) exceeds the national average (22.4%).

The path to completely eradicating addiction is not limited to merely closing liquor shops or implementing restrictions on substances; rather, the battle against addiction lies in how we choose to raise our children.

6
As a society, we need to re-evaluate our lives, our approach to raising children, and our social structures, learning many new things while also shedding the power of outdated beliefs. It is a long journey, and two fundamental pillars stand at its core: individual healing and societal healing - both are multi-generational.

Today's psychological and trauma research engages in extensive discussions about these two aspects. They present a variety of studies that integrate holistic medical practices with a life devoid of hierarchies. However, there are no answers to questions about how all this can be achieved or what the next step will be in humanity's journey. I find myself as a pessimistic individual, perceiving only the destructive forces of human ego and climate crisis before my eyes.

In contrast, figures like Alice, Bessel, and Gabor remain hopeful. In their writings, they propose pathways to healing from trauma including trauma informed therapies, compassionate inquiry etc. grounded in the truths of modern science. Therefore, engaging with their work and paying attention to their discussions is essential for us.

Declaration of Interest:

This is the translated version of the original text published by the author in Akazh. The author also declares that ChatGPT and Deep Seek were used to improve the readability of the translation.

References:

Alice Miller:

1. The Drama of the Gifted Child, 1979
2. Thou Shalt Not Be Aware: Society's Betrayal of the Child, 1981
3. For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence, 1980
4. The Body Never Lies, 2004
5. The Truth will set you free: Overcoming Emotional Blindness and Finding Your True Adult Self, 2002

Gabor Maté

1. Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder, 1999
2. In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts,2008
3. When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress, 2019
4. The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture, 2022

Bessel van der Kolk:

1. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, 2014

Resmaa Menakem:

1. My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, 2017

Internet:

1. https://www.alice-miller.com/en/
2. https://drgabormate.com/
3. https://resmaa.com/
4. https://compassionateinquiry.com/en/

*Opening lines from The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture

Note: The author is not a psychologist or a trauma expert. This is not a medical article. Instead, it is merely an introductory essay about modern research and theories on trauma. Furthermore, for a deeper understanding, the author recommends that readers explore the books mentioned in this essay.