{"id":68683,"date":"2022-06-13T13:43:05","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T17:43:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=68683"},"modified":"2026-01-20T15:31:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T19:31:26","slug":"when-the-body-says-no-by-gabor-mate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/when-the-body-says-no-by-gabor-mate\/","title":{"rendered":"When the Body Says No by Gabor Mat\u00e9: Book Overview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Dr. Gabor Mat\u00e9’s When the Body Says No<\/em> about? What is the key message to take away from the book?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book When the Body Says No,<\/em> Dr. Gabor Mat\u00e9 explores the connection between stress and disease. Mat\u00e9 argues that modern medicine fails to recognize the devastating effects of chronic stress<\/a> on our health, in part because of misunderstandings about what stress is and what causes it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a brief overview of When the Body Says No<\/em> by Dr. Gabor Mat\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When the Body Says No<\/em><\/a> by Gabor Mat\u00e9 says that disease is the body\u2019s way of saying \u201cno\u201d to the stress placed on it by our lifestyles. Published in 2019, this book takes a biopsychosocial<\/em> approach, arguing that biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors are inseparable for a holistic understanding of illness.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: The biopsychosocial model<\/a> is the primary approach to illness taken by health psychologists<\/a>, whereas medical doctors tend to take a biomedical <\/em>approach. Health psychologists argue that as the leading causes of illness shift from infectious diseases to chronic diseases, the biopsychosocial model is more important than ever.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than periodic external stress events, Mat\u00e9 says humans in modern society tend to experience chronic<\/em> stress. He says much of the stress we experience is subconscious, so we may not even recognize it as stress; in fact, it\u2019s often those who believe themselves to be the least<\/em> emotionally troubled who are at highest risk, because it\u2019s suppression<\/em> of negative emotions that is our worst enemy. Recognizing our unconscious stress is key to resolving it and avoiding the inevitable disease that comes with it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Some of the physical signs that you might have unconscious stress<\/a> include: muscle tension, a clenched jaw, fidgety behaviors, shallow breathing, and overeating.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabor Mat\u00e9 is a psychologist and physician who practiced medicine in clinical and hospital settings for over 30 years. He went on to become an addiction specialist and researcher, and he has written numerous books on the connections between mental and physical health and trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Part 1 of this guide, we\u2019ll explain how Mat\u00e9 defines chronic stress as distinct from acute stress, explore what chronic stress does to our bodies, and discuss why modern medical practice fails to acknowledge it. In Part 2, we\u2019ll examine the diseases that Mat\u00e9 says are linked with stress and how. In Part 3, we\u2019ll discuss what causes chronic stress<\/a> and how to recognize it in our bodies. We\u2019ll also look at the psychological coping mechanisms we\u2019ve developed in response to our life experiences. Finally, in Part 4, we\u2019ll outline Mat\u00e9\u2019s prescription for developing \u201cemotional competence\u201d\u2014the ability to deal with emotions in healthy ways to reduce the risk of stress-related disease<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the guide, we\u2019ll expand on Mat\u00e9\u2019s ideas by looking at the research in related fields and at what other experts have to say on the stress-disease connection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part 1: The Mind-Body Relationship<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chronic stress is a psychological condition. But, according to Dr. Mat\u00e9, modern medical practice is rooted in mind-body dualism<\/a><\/em>, meaning that the body and mind are treated as separate entities with medical doctors treating only the body. He argues that thinking of the mind and body as two separate entities disguises the connection between chronic stress and disease. <\/strong>Researchers tend to miss those connections because of the way they\u2019re defining and understanding stress, as well as their lack of attention to human psychology.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this section we\u2019ll discuss the problems with mind-body dualism and the predominant definition of stress. We\u2019ll then look at how Mat\u00e9 understands stress and his explanation of what it actually does to our bodies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mind-Body Dualism in Modern Medicine<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Mind-body dualism underlies the modern Western approach to medicine. This is evident in the fact that we distinguish medical doctors from psychiatrists and therapists, and they work independently of one another with little to no communication. This is a flawed practice, Mat\u00e9 argues, because <\/strong>there\u2019s no separation between the mind and body\u2014they\u2019re each part of one interconnected whole. <\/strong>He says that medical researchers and practitioners need to put more emphasis on discovering the entire life history of patients.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Strictly Biological Approach<\/strong> <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Mat\u00e9 points out that doctors tend to primarily look for biological \u201ccauses\u201d of disease. When they can\u2019t find one, as with most cancers and other serious illnesses, they conclude the disease is \u201cof unknown etiology.\u201d Rarely do they consider a causal origin in the psychology of the human being as the host<\/em> of the disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mat\u00e9 says there\u2019s also too much importance placed on genetic research. Genes are turned on and off by environment, he says, so environment <\/em>actually plays a bigger role than our genes do in shaping us.<\/strong> So much is invested in genetic research while the environmental and societal causes of disease are ignored. He points out that even where external or biological\/genetic risk factors are<\/em> identified, those aren\u2019t sufficient explanations. If they were, all smokers would get lung cancer and no non-smokers ever would. He says doctors fail to ask bigger-picture questions, like \u201cwhy does this<\/em> patient have this<\/em> disease at this<\/em> time?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Biopsychosocial Approach<\/strong> <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In opposition to the strictly biological approach to disease, Mat\u00e9 advocates for a biopsychosocial<\/em> approach, as mentioned earlier, which entails looking at disease from a biological, psychological, and social perspective. He also advocates for complex interdisciplinary perspectives such as Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology<\/em> (PNI): the study of the interconnections between our nervous system, immune system, hormones, and our psychological processes. <\/strong>The interaction between these systems serves to recognize threats, internal and external, and to respond to them in physiological and behavioral ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To support his claim that most physicians don\u2019t consider the personal history of their patients, Mat\u00e9 points to a study that found that two-thirds of gastroenterology patients had a history of physical or sexual abuse, and yet their doctor was aware of that history in only 17% of the cases. Additionally, a common theme in the many interviews Mat\u00e9 conducted with his own patients, with a variety of different illnesses, was <\/strong>problematic childhood relationships with parents<\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>This included emotionally distant or unsatisfying relationships, abandonment, sense of loss, and lack of autonomy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is that these histories take time and diligent attention to extract because the patients are often in denial and have repressed negative memories. In fact, Mat\u00e9 points out, many of them appear to be happy people with wonderful childhoods, so without intentional effort,  most doctors will never know about their patients\u2019 painful experiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress as a Response to Threat<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Stress is the body\u2019s response to any kind of threat\u2014real or perceived. <\/em>In this way, stress response can be seen as a direct link between mind and body. As Dr. Mat\u00e9 describes, a threat must be perceived and interpreted first by the mind, which then sends signals to the body\u2019s systems for a response. <\/em>Threats can be a multitude of specific things, but the common element is <\/em>your mind\u2019s perception of the lack (or potential loss of) something necessary for survival.<\/strong> <\/em>This could be anything from food or shelter to love and connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Mat\u00e9, the situational factors that trigger stress are: \u201c<\/strong>uncertainty, conflict, lack of information, and loss of control<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the brain perceives \u201cuncertainty, conflict, lack of information, or loss of control,\u201d it activates the threat response, which means the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands (\u201cHPA Axis\u201d) secrete hormones, including cortisol. <\/em>Cortisol is the body\u2019s anti-inflammatory, Mat\u00e9 explains. Inflammation happens throughout the body in response to a threat, and then cortisol resolves it by calming the inflammation. However, problems occur when this \u201cHPA axis\u201d is not functioning correctly and too much or too little cortisol flows through your body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Mat\u00e9, resolving the threatening situation <\/strong>(i.e. regaining control, or resolving the conflict) is the only way to deactivate the HPA stress response\u2014but we often can\u2019t. <\/strong>Usually,  we\u2019re not consciously aware of what the problem is, or we\u2019re not in a position to fix it. This is why many of us live with chronic stress without even knowing.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Threats in the Modern World<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

When we think of stressful events, we often think of things like a car accident, a divorce, or loss of a loved one<\/a>. When we experience these sorts of events, we feel the stress consciously and intensely. Mat\u00e9 defines this as acute<\/em> stress. He acknowledges that too much of this kind of stress can be harmful, but says the<\/strong> more<\/em><\/strong> harmful form of stress is <\/strong>chronic<\/em><\/strong>\u2014a low-grade constant stress reaction happening in our bodies throughout our lives.<\/strong> Much of this chronic stress is a product of our lifestyles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n