Gabor Maté

Scientifically, they're the same system.

The immune system is talking to the brain.

The brain is talking to the immune system.

The white cells in your circulation, the immune cells can manufacture every hormone that the brain can manufacture.

They're talking to each other.

It's the same system.

When you suppress your emotions, guess what?

You're also suppressing your immune system.

And that's the tension, what I call the tension between authenticity and attachment.

Our need to belong is attachment, which is absolutely indispensable, because as infants, young children, we don't survive without attachment relationships.

We also have a need to be ourselves.

So here's a little trick that I do again with my audience.

Let me ask you this question, Sarah.

Have you ever had the experience of having a strong gut feeling about something, ignoring it, and being sorry afterwards?

All right.

Of course you have, and so have I, and so have just about every listener.

But you just told me about your childhood.

Because as an infant, you never repressed anything.

We were totally connected to your body and your gut feelings.

Authenticity, that connection to ourselves, is actually a huge need.