READING REFUGE || "COMING HOME TO THE BODY"
Breast cancer can reshape how we experience our bodies — physically, emotionally, and psychologically. This month explores how stress, trauma, culture, and emotional suppression influence health, without placing blame on the individual. The focus is on restoring agency, understanding the body with compassion, and recognizing that healing is shaped by both personal and systemic forces.
Reading: The Myth of Normal, Gabor Mate, MD with Daniel Maté
SELECTED EXCERPTS: Intro (p.1-11), Ch. 2 (p. 37-51), Ch. 6-7 (p. 85-112), Ch. 25-30 (p. 361-446)
This book challenges the idea that illness exists in isolation from emotional life, chronic stress, trauma, and cultural pressure. For breast cancer survivors, it offers a broader lens for understanding how caregiving patterns, perfectionism, emotional suppression, and long-term stress can shape health — without placing blame on the individual. Maté’s work helps survivors move away from shame or self-criticism and toward a more compassionate, systemic understanding of illness, healing, and the mind-body connection.
Content Notes: Trauma, illness, medical experiences
Emotional Intensity: High
Participant Note:
This reading may feel emotionally dense or reflective. We’ve selected excerpts that we identified as most relevant.
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The Reading Refuge is a monthly, drop-in friendly reading and reflection series created for people navigating breast cancer recovery, reconstruction, and life after treatment. Each month centers on a different theme relevant to survivorship, including body image, fear and uncertainty, grief and loss, resilience, self-trust, connection, and rebuilding life after medical change. We explore the emotional, psychological, and identity-level aspects of healing through carefully chosen books—without pressure to “stay positive,” move on quickly, or arrive at any particular outcome.
Also check out other Health & Wellness events in Virginia Beach.
