About the Book

When The Body Says No explores the intimate connection between emotion, stress, and disease. The book combines a fascinating yet down-to-earth explanation of the scientific research that has demonstrated the mind/body unity with the stories and experiences of actual people. Some of them are famous, like the athlete Lance Armstrong, the comedian Gilda Radner, or the former U.S. president Ronald Reagan. Most of them are ordinary people from all walks of life who open up about their lives in a way they had never done before. The end result is a dramatic and compelling account of the interplay between the external and internal environments we inhabit and how these environments affect us in health and illness.

When The Body Says No explains that chronic diseases – including many cancers, multiple sclerosis, scleroderma, fibromyaglia, ALS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Alzheimer’s, and many others – can be viewed as expressions of a particular emotional history. In people whose lives are marked by suppressed emotions and excessive, unacknowledged stress, the body can become confused, even to the point of turning on itself. Drawing on a wide range of scientific research, Dr. Maté illuminates the cross-communications between the body’s emotional, nervous, hormonal, and immune systems, and how breakdowns in this interactive system can have major impacts on our health.

Dr. Maté shows that physical disease cannot be properly understood or addressed without taking into account the emotional context in which it arises. The book demonstrates vividly how our interactions with our environment shape our internal world from an early age, and how that world in turn manifests itself physically in our bodies.

When The Body Says No is written for anyone interested in understanding the links between mind and body, emotions and health, stress and disease. People who suffer from chronic illness will gain a clearer understanding of themselves and their conditions, and with that understanding, new hope for recovery and well-being. Their friends and families will also benefit greatly from Dr. Maté’s compassion and insights.

Health professionals will appreciate Dr. Maté’s synthesis of the latest research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology, and his views on the need for a ‘mindbody’ approach to medicine. When The Body Says No will leave them able to listen more powerfully to those they treat, and to better promote health and healing in all their patients.

When The Body Says No will appeal to all readers interested in the most profound issues of health and illness, or in getting a second opinion on the usefulness of the standard Western medical model. Virtually anyone wishing to be present to their own emotional life will gain enriched self-understanding out of reading this book.