Book review: When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Maté

When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Maté

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Review also available on my site: https://roxannacross.com/2025/07/16/b...

Gabor Maté’s book, initially published in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle edition in 2002, became available as an audiobook in April 2021. The audiobook is narrated by Daniel Maté, his son, creating a symbiotic relationship between listeners and the Maté father and son, as Daniel obviously knows and understands the material, introducing it with passion and proper emphasis when deserved.

In “When the Body Says No,” Maté aims to warn readers and listeners about the impact of hidden stress on the body, stating that it can lead to a range of diseases, including but not limited to Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Through anecdotal stories from his palliative care patients, Maté will present his theory, although no supporting evidence is provided. The tone and broad statements suggest a blame-the-victim approach, which can be potentially harmful to readers and listeners.

The best example is his theory on lung cancer. According to him, smoking doesn’t cause cancer; instead, DNA does. The analogy used is smoking no more causes cancer of the lung, that being thrown in deep water causes drowning, as fatal as it can be for a non-swimmer. A combination of factors is required to cause drowning, and he provides equations to support his point; however, later on in the book, he mentions how cigarettes can have an impact on cancer, which is a direct contradiction to his earlier chapter.

Amidst the confusion between correlation and causation, Maté did hit a nail on the head when speaking about medicine. We have lost something over time, ignoring hundreds of years of history, experience, and wisdom in exchange for the narrow views of modern science, the final arbitrator of our sufferings. Physicians appear to have lost some of the most essential qualities: listening to patients, developing a relationship with them, and relying on their intuition. Now, they rely solely on objective measures, technology-based diagnostic methods, and scientific cures. They invented a new field of study, ‘psychoneuroimmunology’, which is the study of the interactions between psychological processes and the nervous system, thereby discovering the scientific basis of what had previously been known but lost.

Maté also discusses stress-inducing stimuli, such as a lack of control, love, or information, which trigger the body’s responses to threat: the Fight-or-Flight response, characterized by the release of adrenaline hormones. Uncertainty, conflict, unsatisfied emotional needs, and unfulfilled consummatory behavior are the main culprits. They will play havoc on our bodies, and if left unchecked, will lead to diseases mentioned above, according to Maté. Which is a gross overstatement. Understanding the importance of stress and how it impacts us is one thing, but saying it will lead to cancer and other autoimmune diseases is pushing the envelope.

The anecdotes were repetitive and could have been condensed, making the book more concise and engaging. The lack of supportive evidence and the confusion between correlation and causation were frustrating and, frankly, insulting, coming from such a renowned personage who brought us a disappointing book, one that belongs in a pile with fairy dust, unicorns, and flying carpets. Sorry, folks, but this one gets only one star.Gabor Maté’s book, initially published in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle edition in 2002, became available as an audiobook in April 2021. The audiobook is narrated by Daniel Maté, his son, creating a symbiotic relationship between listeners and the Maté father and son, as Daniel obviously knows and understands the material, introducing it with passion and proper emphasis when deserved.

In “When the Body Says No,” Maté aims to warn readers and listeners about the impact of hidden stress on the body, stating that it can lead to a range of diseases, including but not limited to Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Through anecdotal stories from his palliative care patients, Maté will present his theory, although no supporting evidence is provided. The tone and broad statements suggest a blame-the-victim approach, which can be potentially harmful to readers and listeners.

The best example is his theory on lung cancer. According to him, smoking doesn’t cause cancer; instead, DNA does. The analogy used is smoking no more causes cancer of the lung, that being thrown in deep water causes drowning, as fatal as it can be for a non-swimmer. A combination of factors is required to cause drowning, and he provides equations to support his point; however, later on in the book, he mentions how cigarettes can have an impact on cancer, which is a direct contradiction to his earlier chapter.

Amidst the confusion between correlation and causation, Maté did hit a nail on the head when speaking about medicine. We have lost something over time, ignoring hundreds of years of history, experience, and wisdom in exchange for the narrow views of modern science, the final arbitrator of our sufferings. Physicians appear to have lost some of the most essential qualities: listening to patients, developing a relationship with them, and relying on their intuition. Now, they rely solely on objective measures, technology-based diagnostic methods, and scientific cures. They invented a new field of study, ‘psychoneuroimmunology’, which is the study of the interactions between psychological processes and the nervous system, thereby discovering the scientific basis of what had previously been known but lost.

Maté also discusses stress-inducing stimuli, such as a lack of control, love, or information, which trigger the body’s responses to threat: the Fight-or-Flight response, characterized by the release of adrenaline hormones. Uncertainty, conflict, unsatisfied emotional needs, and unfulfilled consummatory behavior are the main culprits. They will play havoc on our bodies, and if left unchecked, will lead to diseases mentioned above, according to Maté. Which is a gross overstatement. Understanding the importance of stress and how it impacts us is one thing, but saying it will lead to cancer and other autoimmune diseases is pushing the envelope.

The anecdotes were repetitive and could have been condensed, making the book more concise and engaging. The lack of supportive evidence and the confusion between correlation and causation were frustrating and, frankly, insulting, coming from such a renowned personage who brought us a disappointing book, one that belongs in a pile with fairy dust, unicorns, and flying carpets. Sorry, folks, but this one gets only one star.



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