Background When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress, written by Dr Gabor Maté, is an influential book illuminating the mind-body relationship. The book reflects upon the precarious role of prolonged stress, adverse childhood experiences and emotional repression in producing neurodegenerative and chronic diseases. Summary Based on the author’s clinical case studies, autobiographies and empirical evidence, this book review critically opines on the prominent themes—childhood trauma, parentification, emotional repression, people-pleasing, lack of assertiveness and repression of anger—signifying the biopsychosocial milieu from an Indian experience through existing knowledge. Further, the importance of the biopsychosocial model of health in illness prevention has been emphasised. Strengths and practical implications have also been presented. Key Message This book review implicates the effects of the holistic healing and wellness framework through the process of upholding one’s own needs and wants before others. Nevertheless, the applicability of the insights is immensely relevant in the field of psychology, medicine, psychotherapy and healthcare.
Chaudhuri et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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