When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection [Paperback]

Gabor Mate (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2011

Now in paperback, the bestselling exploration of the effects of the mind-body connection on stress and disease

Can a person literally die of loneliness? Is there such a thing as a "cancer personality"? Drawing on scientific research and the author's decades of experience as a practicing physician, this book provides answers to these and other important questions about the effect of the mind-body link on illness and health and the role that stress and one's individual emotional makeup play in an array of common diseases.

• Explores the role of the mind-body link in conditions and diseases such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, IBS, and multiple sclerosis
• Draws on medical research and the author's clinical experience as a family physician
• Includes The Seven A's of Healing-principles of healing and the prevention of illness from hidden stress

Shares dozens of enlightening case studies and stories, including those of people such as Lou Gehrig (ALS), Betty Ford (breast cancer), Ronald Reagan (Alzheimer's), Gilda Radner (ovarian cancer), and Lance Armstrong (testicular cancer)

An international bestseller translated into fifteen languages, When the Body Says No promotes learning and healing, providing transformative insights into how disease can be the body's way of saying no to what the mind cannot or will not acknowledge.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Gabor Maté, M.D., skillfully blends recent advances in biomedicine with the personal stories of his patients to provide empowering insights into how deeply developmental experiences shape our health, behavior, attitudes, and relationships. A must read."
—Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., author of The Biology of Belief

"The interviewees' stories are often touching and haunting. . . . Maté carefully explains the biological mechanisms that are activated when stress and trauma exert a powerful influence on the body. . . . Readers will be grateful for the final chapter . . . in which Maté presents an open formula for healing and the prevention of illness from hidden stress."
—Quill & Quire

"In this important book, Dr. Gabor Maté combines a passionate examination of his patients' life histories with lucid explanations of the science behind mind-body unity."
—Richard Earle, Ph.D.

Modern research is confirming the age-old wisdom that emotions are inseparable from our health and physiology. Repressed emotions bring on stress that can lead to disease. In this internationally bestselling book, Gabor Maté draws on cutting-edge science, his decades of experience as a physician, and the stories of famous people including those of Lou Gehrig, Lance Armstrong, Gilda Radner, and Ronald Reagan to examine the role hidden stress plays in an array of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and cancer.

When the Body Says No provides transformative insights into how disease can be the body's way of saying no to what the mind cannot or will not acknowledge—and how we can heal.

About the Author

Gabor Maté, M.D., is a physician, public speaker, and award-winning author. His most recent book, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, expresses his groundbreaking perspective on addictions, while his unique take on ADD is found in his first book, Scattered. When the Body Says No has been published in over twelve languages on five continents.
www.drgabormate.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470923350
• ISBN-13: 978-0470923351
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,693 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Education & Reference > Consumer Guides
  • #51 in Books > Self-Help > Stress Management

More About the Author

Gabor Maté, MD, is a physician, author, seminar leader, and acclaimed public speaker. His bestselling books include Scattered, When the Body Says No, and Hold onto Your Kids. A former medical columnist for The Vancouver Sun and The Globe and Mail, he lives in Vancouver, BC.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Our Body Holds the Answers December 3, 2011

By Carolyn Vines

Format:Paperback

For me this brilliant book has been one small, though crucial, part of a 14-year process of trying to understand ulcerative colitis and the impact it's had on my life. Repeatedly, I've read that stress does not cause this condition, and I would agree with that assessment when I think only of the stresses we encounter in everyday life. But "When the Body Says No" is based on the premise that CHRONIC stress causes auto-immune diseases and that in order to promote physical healing, one must go back to the causes of that long-term stress. My life's experiences, my own intuition and my body have been teaching me that those causes are rooted in childhood, and mine was terribly traumatic, so much so that, after reading Mate's theory, I understand the meaning and process of repressed emotions.

"When the Body Says No" does not delve into solutions. It does not suggest any concrete tools to promote healing save this: the understanding that chronic stress arising from childhood can and does cause auto-immune illness. This book beautifully explains how this happens. If you're looking for solutions, you won't find them externally. Just as our emotions and bodies alert us to danger and imbalance, they also lead us to healing. We have the answers inside and with a little, or a lot, of help (like reading this book) we can access them!

I've tried all sorts of alternative health care and have found the most effective results toward healing myself - my WHOLE self - with the Ayurvedic system of healing. In my very first Ayurvedic consultation, I was told that the colitis in and of itself wasn't as important as the imbalances in my Self that led to its manifestation in my body. I was then asked about my past. To this day, not one GP nor GE has asked me anything about my past nor my emotional and spiritual health. Ayurveda is not a quick fix. In fact, looking inwards, holding up a mirror to how we're living our lives is perhaps the scariest thing we face. It's also the most rewarding.

Carolyn Vines, author Black and Abroad: Traveling Beyond the Limitations of Identity

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow... July 1, 2011

By Seven

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I work at a pain clinic and this book was eye opening. I have always recognized the stress connection in pain and dysfunction but Gabor Mate explained everything so simply and in such detail. I purchased a few of these books to give to my family and have recommended it to several patients at the clinic. We are a product and a chemical mixture of our life experiences. When we don't recognize that component, we certainly miss an important factor in attaining wellness and health.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of infomation March 9, 2013

By CHRISTOPHER BURNETT

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Dr. Matte makes his point with careful, touching examples
Carefully argued, very well written.
This book takes illness out of the hands of the drug companies and forces us to look at how we live our lives in relation to our health. It is revolutionary stuff.