Empowerment through giving symptoms voice

This paper takes the perspective that physical and behavioral symptoms can be viewed as a form of mind-body communication. If the symptoms are listened to and "given voice," they can point the way to addressing imbalances influencing the development of the symptoms or to examining factors that can empower clients to heal. The author contends that women's traditional gender socialization may play a role in developing symptomatic bodily expression. It is proposed that hypnosis provides a suitable method for hearing and translating the mind-body communication. The application of hypnotic techniques is illustrated through two case examples.