: When a person is unable or unwilling to say "no" to external pressures—such as overwork or toxic relationships—the body eventually says it for them through physical symptoms or illness.
: Habitual repression of emotions, especially anger and grief, can disrupt the body's physiological balance and suppress immune defenses. When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress
Maté challenges the traditional Western medical view that treats the mind and body as separate. Instead, he highlights the field of , which examines how the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems are interconnected and influenced by our emotional states. : When a person is unable or unwilling