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Visceral Manipulation: All things you need to know about it.

What is Visceral Manipulation?

image of two hands on a stomach — Source: https://www.massagemag.com/abdominal-massage-techniques-88920/

"Viscera" relates to the internal organs of the body such as the liver, kidneys, intestines, etc. Visceral Manipulation, or VM, is a manual therapy consisting of gentle, specifically placed manual forces that aids your body's ability to release restrictions and unhealthy compensations that cause pain and dysfunction. It does not solely focus on the site of pain and dysfunction but evaluates the entire body to find the source of the problem.

Visceral Manipulation is a soft, hands-on manual therapy. Underneath the pain or diagnoses is a compensatory pattern created in the body with the initial source of the dysfunction often being far from where the pain is felt. Because of this, the practitioner searches for this pattern and the source and treats the related tissues. The treatment is a gentle compression, mobilization, and elongation of the soft tissues. As the source of the problem is released, the symptoms will start to decrease.

How did Visceral Manipulation start?

image of two hands pressing lightly on a stomach — source: https://clearpathwayshealth.com/services/abdominal-massage/

Jean-Pierre Barral is an Osteopath and Registered Physical Therapist from France. He first became interested in the movement of the body while working at the Lung and Disease Hospital in Grenoble, France with Dr. Arnaud, a recognized specialist in lung diseases and a master of cadaver dissection. Barral was able to follow patterns of stress in the tissues of cadaver as he studied biomechanics in living subjects. This introduced him to the visceral systems, its potential to promote lines of tensions within the body and the notion that tissues have memory. Barral's clinical work with the viscera led to his development of this form of manual therapy that focuses on the internal organs, their fascial environment and the potential influence on the structural and physiological dysfunctions. He named this therapy Visceral Manipulation.

Barral began teaching Visceral Manipulation in the United States in 1985. Since then he has trained a team of international instructors that teach around the world. He has authored numerous professionals textbooks and a book for the general public, "Understanding the Messages of Your Body."

What are the benefits of Visceral Manipulation?