
How Did Visceral Manipulation Begin?
Jean Pierre Barral is an Osteopath and Registered Physical Therapist from France. He first became interested in the movement of the body (biomechanics) while working at the Lung and Disease Hospital in Grenoble, France along 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 the cadavers as he studied biomechanics in living subjects. This introduced him to the visceral system, its potential to promote lines of tension 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.
In 1985 Barral began teaching Visceral Manipulation in the United States. Since then he has trained a team of international instructors that teach around the world via The Barral Institute. Barral has authored numerous professional textbooks and a book for the general public, entitled Understanding the Messages of Your Body and was named "one of the top healing innovators to watch in the new millennium" by TIME Magazine.
