When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress

Consider the case study of the relationship between Betty and her daughter, Barbara Ellen, in Chapter 6. According to Maté’s arguments, what could Betty have done differently as a parent to avoid contributing to Barbara Ellen’s internalized patterns of repression?

The complexity of the human body necessitates medical specializations. What is a risk, according to Maté, of physicians’ narrow focus on the physical elements of a patient, in terms of understanding disease onset and treatment?

What does the disrupted HPA axis functioning in Holocaust survivors’ adult children suggest about the generational role of inherited tendencies toward anxiety? Does Maté suggest that this is a function of “nature,” “nurture,” or some combination of both?