Visceral Manipulation
January 2026
I’ve been busy learning a new facet of myofascial release! A style and approach to myofascial release that has opened my eyes and changed the way I think about the body. Back in October I took a Visceral Manipulation course with the Barral Institute. Visceral Manipulation(sometimes mentioned as VM) is a manual myofascial release technique that focuses on the fascial connections and behavior within the abdomen and its contents-your organs! Turns out, all our organs are AS INTELLIGENT and AS HIGHLY COMMUNICATIVE as our brain! Each one is wrapped, attached and ‘hung’ for lack of a better term from our abdominal wall, rib cage and pelvis. Fascia can get sticky and adhere our organs to one another, the abdominal wall, rib cage, or pelvis- or literally anything it’s next to, which will limit movement and interestingly, impact it’s function. A good metaphor for this would be what happens to spaghetti after you cook and drain it. If you let it sit, all the noodles will start to stick to one another, forming one noodle block in the shape of your pan. If you kept them moving and added a little butter or olive oil, they would slide easily and take on any shape of its external container. Our abdomen is very similar in that, if we don’t alter our posture, our stance and vary our movement widely and frequently, things will settle and stick. Our brains are heavily invested in protecting the space and function of our organs, so in the event that they are stuck to something else, the brain will limit movement if that organ reports a big pressure or stretch response. This is important to understand, because I have used 110% of my brain and knowledge as a bodyworker to interrupt these patterns that cause people pain for the last 16 years, without fully understanding why the body keeps returning to that spot. Now I know that it’s because the nervous system is protecting our most vulnerable tissue, and if I can figure out which one, and reduce or eliminate the strain on that tissue, the holding pattern will vanish. The technique is very light pressure applied to specific structures throughout the abdomen, positioning and gentle stretching and mobilization to relieve the stricture. I have taken only 1 of 6 courses, and have already seen incredible progress in clients I’ve been trying to figure out for over a decade. This is a game changer folks, and I’m so excited to take more classes! We have a few Visceral Manipulation therapists in the valley, so if I can’t fit you into my schedule or figure it out myself, I'm confident I can get you to someone who will. Be warned though, there are waitlists, because when word gets out about something this effective at eliminating chronic pain, people line up!
