Body and language: repercussions on a dysphasia case

The human body is made of tissues and organs, and the body is mentioned by biology and medicine based on its anatomical and biomechanical architecture. However, there are different ways of understanding the human body. Based on the assumption that the body is the consistency of the speaker´s body-being, the psychoanalytic theory us that the body is crossed by language and affected by the word. In the field of swallowing disorders, even if it points to the repercussions of the rupture in eating pleasure and the deprivation of gustatory emotions, theoretical-clinical discussions that imply the relationship between body and language are still incipient. This work aimed to discuss the clinical consequences for the care of the dysphagic patient of taking into account the relationship between body and language. The presentation of the clinical case revealed that marks of neurological involvement highlighted the vulnerability imposed by the radical confrontation with the effects of the loss of the previous body condition, placing the subject in front of a malaise that advanced as the loss of the body implied in the loss of their position in language and in the social connection that involves the act of eating. Owing to this scenario, it was essential for evaluating the effectiveness of care to open up a dialogue and pay attention to clinical actions which guide the application of technologies aimed at organic functioning. This step was only possible because there was a recognition that the human body goes beyond the concept of a machine since it is identified with a speaking body.