[Laryngeal focal dystonia: body investigations that address the mind]

There seems to be a consensus in the literature on the symptomatic description of laryngeal focal dystonia (LFD). Its etiology, however, presents controversies since the literature points to psychological and neurological aspects. As a result of this controversy, presented not only in the literature but also in the clinical practice, the present research privileged this pathology among others that also have vocal symptoms because it seems to be, per excellence, a pathology where both voice/psychic can be treated.

To report a case study of a patient diagnosed with LFD, emphasizing the mutual effects between voice and psychic.

This is a clinical qualitative research, based on a case study (follow-up) of a male patient, 54 years old, who was diagnosed with LFD. All therapeutic sessions were systematically registered and were later analyzed based on the existing speech-language, medical and psychoanalytical literature.

The analysis of the results indicate that the combination of different therapeutic procedures--attentive to the fact that interventions on the body tend to produce physical and psychological effects--along with dealing with the psychological contents, resulted in therapeutic progresses and improvement of vocal quality.

The vocal symptom not only reflects a sick body, but also an individual who suffers and evokes a symptom that needs to be heard. In this way, the clinical method investigates not only the organic symptom, but also the reason why it manifests itself in the voice.