What is Visceral Manipulation?
Visceral manipulation is a gentle form of manual therapy that focuses on the internal organs (such as the liver, kidneys and intestines), their environment and the potential influence their restriction may have on the body system.
Developed by French Osteopath and Physical Therapist Jean-Pierre Barral, Visceral Manipulation is used to locate and solve imbalances throughout the body. It encourages the body’s own natural mechanisms to improve the functioning of organs, dissipate the negative effects of stress, enhance mobility of the musculoskeletal system through the connective tissue attachments, and influence general metabolism.
Visceral Manipulation increases nerve ending communication within the body, thereby relieving symptoms of pain and dysfunction.
It does not focus solely on the site of pain or dysfunction, but evaluates the entire body to find the source of the problem. During a therapy the practitioner feels for altered or decreased motion within the organs, as well as restrictive patterns throughout the body.
The goal of visceral manipulation is to help the body’s normal forces to remove abnormal effects, whatever their sources. Harmony and health can only exist when motion is free and the range of motion is full – when motion is not laboured, overexcited, depressed, or conflicting with neighbouring structures and their mobility.