Building on Lifeline Tasmania’s trauma training, this webinar offers a reflective review and practical exploration of key ideas from Gabor Maté’s: The Myth of Normal.

Maté challenges us to rethink what we understand as “normal” by exploring how trauma, shapes our brain, body, and sense of self. He highlights how disconnection from ourselves, our relationships, and our culture can deepen the impact of trauma and contribute to both physical and mental health challenges.

In this session, we will revisit key themes from the book, including the links between chronic stress and wellbeing, the development of shame based self-perceptions, and the survival strategies we adopt to cope in the short term that may no longer serve us in the long term.

We will also explore how trauma is influenced and compounded by broader social and cultural factors.

Importantly, the webinar will consider pathways toward healing, resilience, and reconnection, both personally and within our communities.

This session is designed for those who have previously completed Lifeline Tasmania’s trauma training and are seeking to deepen their understanding, as well as for those who are beginning to explore trauma and want an accessible entry point into this topic.

Whether you are revisiting these ideas or encountering them for the first time, this webinar offers space to reflect, reconnect, and rethink what supports the healing of trauma.

Learning outcomes 

• Deepen understanding of trauma and the myths of normal - Participants will be able to explain how Gabor Maté reframes “normal,” and describe how trauma and chronic stress shape the brain, body, and sense of connection to self.

• Recognise trauma responses and their impacts.

• Participants will be able to identify common trauma-related patterns, including shame-based beliefs and short-term survival strategies, and reflect on how these may influence behaviour, wellbeing, and relationships over time.

• Apply principles of healing and reconnection - Participants will be able to describe practical pathways toward healing, including building self-awareness, fostering connection (with self and others), and considering the role of social and cultural influences.