When the Body Says No

Outline

When the Body Says No (2003) explores the connection between long-term stress, emotions, and physical illness. Drawing on his medical practice and research, Gabor Maté shows how hidden stress and a lifelong habit of suppressing emotions may affect the immune system and contribute to chronic disease. The book encourages readers to listen to their bodies and pay attention to their emotional well-being.

• Long-term stress and emotions are linked to physical illness, so the body and the emotional life cannot be treated as separate.
• Stress that goes unnoticed can build quietly over the years instead of announcing itself.
• A lifelong habit of suppressing emotions may affect the immune system and contribute to chronic disease.
• Gabor Maté draws on his own medical practice and research to make this case.
• Healing begins with listening to your body and paying attention to your emotional well-being.

Gabor Maté is a Hungarian-born Canadian physician and author known for his work on addiction, stress, trauma, and childhood development. He spent many years working with patients in Vancouver and has become an influential speaker on health and healing. His books include When the Body Says No, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, and The Myth of Normal.