Die Revolte des Körpers

The fourth commandment, rooted in traditional morality, demands that we honor and love our parents so that we may live long, fulfilling the hidden threat. This commandment of reverence claims universal validity. Those who wish to follow it, despite having been neglected, abused, or mistreated by their parents, can only do so by repressing their true emotions. However, the body often revolts against this denial and the ignoring of unresolved childhood traumas with serious illnesses. Alice Miller, the author of the worldwide success "The Drama of the Gifted Child," illustrates how these arise in her new work.

In all her books, Alice Miller has dealt with the denial of suffering in childhood. In "The Body's Revolt," she now describes the consequences that the splitting off of strong and true emotions has for the body. The book addresses the conflict between what we feel and what our body has registered, and what we would like to feel in order to conform to the moral norms we have internalized since time immemorial. Alice Miller reveals this psychobiological principle in the first part of the book through the life stories of numerous writers such as Schiller, Joyce, Proust, and Mishima. The following two parts outline paths that can lead out of the vicious cycle of self-deception and also allow for liberation from illness symptoms, the body's appeals.