Hearbreak, Stress, and Disease: How Emotions Influence the Onset of Illness

What do your thoughts and emotions have to do with your physical health? In this episode, Madeleine Lowry explores the powerful connection between mental health, emotional health, and physical illness.

Drawing inspiration from Michael Crichton’s book Travels and her own work with chronic illness clients, Madeleine reveals how stress, heartbreak, and unresolved emotions can shape the timing of disease—and how managing your inner world can support lasting health.

You’ll hear surprising insights from Crichton’s time as a Harvard medical student, where he observed patients on a heart attack ward and began to connect life stressors with medical crises.

We’ll dive into how stress suppresses immunity, why illness can strike after a crisis has passed, and how unresolved emotional pain often precedes chronic symptoms or conditions. This episode sheds light on the mind-body connection in a way that blends medical history, personal observation, and practical wisdom.

Most importantly, Madeleine offers a path forward. She explains why caring for your mental and emotional health is preventative medicine for your body and shares how her group stress-relief sessions provide an easy, affordable way to reduce stress in real time.

Whether you’re managing chronic illness, recovering from burnout, or simply curious about the link between emotions and health, this episode will give you tools and perspective to support your well-being.

Learn more about retraining the brain for chronic illness at TCNeuralRetraining.com, and request a free consultation or register for a group session for stress relief.