AccScience Publishing / JCBP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/JCBP025170033
CASE REPORT

Body psychotherapy for psychosomatic reflux: Insights from a performing arts medicine case report

Stephen R. King1*
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1 The Voice Care Centre, London, United Kingdom
Received: 26 April 2025 | Revised: 19 July 2025 | Accepted: 5 August 2025 | Published online: 18 August 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

This case report explores the midway point between a psychosomatic illness and performance-related trauma through the case of a professional actor experiencing reflux episodes and functional voice loss. The client’s symptoms, unresponsive to conventional treatment, were traced to unresolved trauma exacerbated by a nightly reenactment of violent stage material. Using relational vocal massage, a body psychotherapy technique, therapy facilitated the emotional processing of historic trauma stored somatically. This intervention led to the resolution of both reflux symptoms and vocal impairment. The report aims to show the role of the autonomic nervous system in mediating performance anxiety and somatic symptoms, particularly through vagal control of the lower oesophageal sphincter. It supports the use of body-oriented psychotherapeutic approaches in cases where trauma is expressed somatically, particularly in high-performance professions. The case contributes to emerging psychosomatic models and invites further exploration of trauma in performing artists and other populations whose symptoms lie beyond the reach of traditional therapies.

Keywords
Reflux
Voice disorder
Psychogenic voice
Relational vocal massage
Vocal manual therapy
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The author declares no conflicts of interest.
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Journal of Clinical and Basic Psychosomatics, Electronic ISSN: 2972-4414 Print ISSN: 3060-8562, Published by AccScience Publishing