Barral Visceral Manipulation description and information

Visceral Manipulation (VM)

Visceral manipulation is the overall term used to describe the techniques pioneered by the osteopath Jean-Pierre Barral of the Barral Institute. It covers all the deeper fascial structures of the body, including nerves, blood vessels and joints.

My treatment is based on this modality also incorporating training and techniques from myofascial release and structural integration, all of which target the connective tissues and fascia of the body.

Fascial tissue surrounds, connects, invests and forms many structures of the body from muscle to organs, even blood vessels and nerves. This is how everything is linked in the body. A thickening of these tissues can form into ligaments and tendons. The organs, like the liver, lungs or heart are all both enveloped in fascial folds but also connected to each other by ligamentous ties and to the skeleton.

As the body moves so do the organs. The organs themselves move with every breath. Restrictions can form in these fascial tissues, from infection, injury, surgery, habitual patterns, emotions, which will restrict any movement. With such a restriction the body will compensate setting in a pattern that may become more significant than the original problem. Any restriction of an organ could affect its functionality or compromise blood supply. Releasing these tensional patterns will help to restore the body to a more balanced state. Often a deeper, organ related fixation can be the root cause of a musculoskeletal imbalance or pain.

The practitioner uses a refined and sensitive touch, taking years of practice, to determine as precisely as possible where a restriction lies and identify the anatomical structure. That touch turns into a release by listening to the response of the body and following any changes. It mostly works though a feedback mechanism of receptors in the fascial tissues relaying information of the state to the brain and that then signalling back to the structure, so the body makes the adjustment. In this way the process is very gentle, never forced, but very effective.