When the Body Says No summary

Think for a second about the things that stress you out the most. Whatever stressors come to mind, they’re likely to be quite different from those of other people.

This is because an essential component of experiencing stress is the particular processing system that interprets any given stressor. We all have the same basic processing system – that is, the brain and nervous system. But the definition of a stressor depends greatly on the person assigning meaning to it. Losing a job, for instance, would probably be much more stressful to a person living paycheck-to-paycheck than a high-level executive with a large cushion of savings.

Rachel is a young woman who grew up in constant conflict with her older brother, whom she perceived to be her father’s favorite. 

As a child, Rachel was the quintessential well-behaved little girl. As an adult, she worked hard to keep up this image. One year, on Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year celebration – she was at her mother’s home, helping to prepare dinner for her family. 

It’s hard to believe that anyone would actively choose helplessness in the face of a crisis. But, in fact, learned helplessness is a common coping style.

Learned helplessness leads people toward inaction. Even when given the opportunity to do so, they don’t extricate themselves from stressful situations. Those could be anything from a dysfunctional relationship to a stifling, monotonous job. Sadly, this unhealthy coping mechanism inevitably leads to increased levels of stress over time.

Has anyone ever told you to “go with your gut?” It’s common advice – and quite sound. That’s because your brain and your intestines, or gut, are in constant communication.

The brain relays data to the gut from sensory organs like the skin, eyes, and ears. But first, the brain’s emotional centers interpret that data. Then, the physiological events in the gut reinforce the brain’s interpretation. This leads to the “gut feelings” we’re consciously aware of.

In 1998, at the ninth International ALS Symposium, two neurologists presented a paper called “Why Are Patients with ALS So Nice?” In it, one of the authors made an interesting claim about the technologists who conduct tests to determine whether patients have ALS, a disease that attacks the nerve cells controlling muscle movement. The technologists often accompanied their results with comments like “This patient cannot have ALS, he’s not nice enough.” Strangely, these predictions almost always turned out to be correct.

Now, niceness doesn’t seem like a particularly scientific measure. Nevertheless, the study noted that niceness is considered to be a major component of the “ALS personality.”

The human brain is uniquely designed. Upon exiting the mother’s womb, a newborn baby possesses a brain that is small and immature. But that brain grows rapidly. In fact, about 90 percent of brain development occurs after birth. In the first few months alone, our brains form millions of new connections.

So it’s not difficult to believe that, as babies, our environment greatly shapes our understanding of the world. We inherit some amount of genetic potential, but in order for that potential to be realized, it must be nourished. Human brain development requires the nurturing emotional interactions that stimulate nerve cells and teach us how to operate in the world.

When discussing the effects of emotions, stress, personality, and relationships on illness, you can easily start to feel like you’re being blamed for your health conditions – or like you’re blaming others.

However, this is far from the case. Instead, examining the root causes of your illness can help you take responsibility for yourself and your actions. The more you can learn about yourself, the less you’ll be a passive victim of your illness. And the more you take control, the greater your chances of finally overcoming that illness.