Dr. Gabor Maté on the the Stress-Disease Connection

Dr. Mate also was interviewed by someone in NY state a few months back--part of the transcript was linked on one of Dr. Georgie Oldfield's newsletters. Very good interview I thought.

-L

 

If, as Dr Sarno maintains, one of the effects of stress on the autonomic nervous system is TMS, it doesn't require too great a leap of faith to accept Dr Mate's thesis that the effects of stress on the autoimmune system can include such autoimmune disorders as ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and rheumatoid arthritis (among many others, possibly even - as you suggest, SandyRae - cancer). In fact, after listening to the Mate interview, I thought both hypotheses seemed to be complimentary. Makes you wonder, doesn't it, whether people with TMS also have something going on with their autoimmune system at the same time? So much we don't know yet, but it certainly sounds like Dr Sarno and Dr Mate's views might, at some point, converge. It might be a good idea to ask Dr Mate himself how much he is aware of Dr Sarno's approach to TMS and other forms of chronic pain? The current research going on in the neurosciences may discover the fundamental biochemistry involved in how repressed emotions can lead to chronic pain as well as autoimmune disorders. The huge elephants in the room, of course, are cancer and heart disease.

 

Don't want to throw cold water on the parade, but there are those in the orthodox psychological establishment who criticize Dr Mate's theories of addiction as Stanton Peele does in this article from Psychology Today:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...1112/the-seductive-dangerous-allure-gabor-mat

But I don't think Gabor Mate denies the brain's capacity for self-healing at all. In fact, he often refers to "endoplasticity", which is the brain's ability to reprogram itself in positive ways. So what's so crack pot about yoga and meditation anyway? They do change the brain's biochemistry without resorting to drugs.

Where Mate must rub a lot of people the wrong way is his advocacy of reapportioning society's resources to cure the underlying problems leading to addiction and, by implication, mental illness.

Just thought you might want to hear that there are those who cast stones at Mate. Much like Dr Sarno, TMS and back pain. Lots of people with a vested interest in the status quo. They always hate pioneers!

 

Dr. Mate's video on The Hidden Cost of Stress is excellent, focusing on pain coming from our lack of being
able to say NO!

He says that in his 25 years of practice, most people get severe or chronic pain because they
have difficulty saying NO to other people's needs or to their own drives or to the rigid identification with a
certain role, like being a spouse, parent, employee, or friend. They are too nice, too dutiful, not being able
to consider themselves in giving to others, such as in caring for elderly parents or injured or ill spouses.

Since they cannot say No, the body says No for them, causing illness or pain, whether it be back pain,
arthritis, asthma, chronic fatigue, or even cancer.

Say NO at times to stay healthy, but go ahead and say YES to watching this video from Dr. Mate,
and others by him in the TMSWiki Mindbody video library. More are to be posted soon.