When the Body Says No, Ch. 5-8

Who was Michelle and what condition(s) did she have?

39-year old women who had a lump on her breast for 7 years, which grew rapidly and later revealed to be a malignant tumour. Received chemo & radiation after diagnosis

What hidden stressors did Michelle have? (3)

• Suddenly quit job with no further income

• Poor emotional state

• Childhood trauma from alcoholic parents

What was Dr. Mate’s assessment of Michelle + what does her case show us? (4)

• Extreme suppression of anger

• Doctors do not express an interest in the individual’s lived experiences (just like Michelle’s doctor)

• Women are more prone to breast cancer if they had emotional disconnection with parents in childhood, as evidenced by Michelle

• Evidence for genetics is not high enough, must also consider environmental factors

Who was Barbara Ellen?

Daughter of Betty Krawczyk, had 7 siblings, toddler and was a dancer who opened a dance school later in life

What condition(s) did Barbara Ellen have? (2)

• Diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, but refused all treatment

• Spent her final days in the palliative unit and died at 27

What hidden stressors did Barbara Ellen have? (4)

• Childhood illness & childhood trauma (cousin tried to assault her)

• Addiction to drugs

• Unstable intimate relationships with men & divorced

• Unhealthy relationship with her mother

What was Dr. Mate’s assessment of Barbara Ellen? (7)

• Had a poor sense of self as an independent person

  • Common with people who have cancer, ALS, MS, & rheumatoid arthrtis

  • She lived in reaction to others

• Difficult saying no & expressing anger

• Mother was emotionally needy & exhausted when Barbara was born, forcing her to emotionally overcompensate from a young age

  • Barbara protected her mother from emotional pain

  • Began to set boundaries in the last 6 months of her life

Who was Gilda Radner?

A comedienne of SNL

What hidden stressors did Gilda Radner have? (6/7)

• Genetic risk of ovarian cancer (aunt & cousins died of it)

• Described as an “unhappy, fat & mediocre child” and a “nightmare”

  • Overate as a child

• Intensely negative relationship with mother

• Father died when she was 12

• Developed bulimia

• Workaholic

What was Dr. Mate’s assessment of Gilda Radner? (6)

• She carried the psychological burdens of a highly stressful & self-negating life

• Eating disorder likley affected hormonal balance

• Infertility probably due to a type of hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction

• Desperately & promiscuously sought male love & acceptance

• Couldn’t be authentic or say no to her mother

• Gilda learned she could not be the mother of the world

Who was Lance Armstrong?

Multiple Tour de France champion who was diagnosed with testicular cancer, with his first symptoms appearing at 25

What hidden stressors did Lance Armstrong have? (3)

• Never knew biological father

• Stepfather was physically abusive & unfaithful

• Competing professionally led him to always be in the public eye

What was Dr. Mate’s assessment of Lance Armstrong?

• Denial of symptoms led to delayed diagnosis

• Emotional repression

• Anger (repressed) at stepfather & mother

• Wanted to protect mother (coping styles?)

• Emotional love had a buffering effect