Abdomen I

It is more than 40 years ago that Jean-Pierre Barral started to develop a new concept fort he manual treatment of the human organs. This concept has found worldwide recognition. And by now the first textbook, that Barral had written together with his colleague Paul Mercier has been translated into many languages. Visceral Manipulation has become – not only in France – a part of the curriculum of most osteopathy schools.

The new perspectives of this modality of manual work have opened new possibilities for the osteopathic practice, they became sort of a mile stone for a new generation of practitioners. And the visceral approach found resonance far beyond the osteopathic profession. By this a potential bridge between complementary manual medicine and modern western medicine started to develop.

Since the early years of Visceral Manipulation Jean-Pierre Barral has steadily worked to refine the technique and to broaden the original concept

The munich group media documents the outcome of this work in three DVDs, produced at the set of a professional movie production.

Each one of the three DVDs starts with the same introduction, that gives the practical and theoretical base for the three different videos. After that three different themes are covered in theory and practice:

Abdomen part 1, abdomen part 2 and thorax.

The focus is on a broadened view of visceral function:

• The neural and vascular connections are included aside of the traditional investigation of the motion of organs
• The viscoelasticity of the organs becomes a major theme aside of the traditional concept of mobility and motility.

That means that the motion of the organs in relationship to each other and to the surrounding layers is not the only focus of the work. The dynamics within the  organ and the flow of fluids calls for the attention of the practitioner. By this we find access to an evaluation of the vital resources of an organ, because the viscoelasticity indicates the biomechanical adaptability of an organ in relationship to the cardiovascular system and to the nervous system. It reflects how the organ is able to adapt to the changing forces acting at the level of the outside and inside of the trunk. When we check viscoelasticity we also check the dynamics fluids and the metabolic processes that keep the organs alive.

Meanwhile new devices have been developed and are used in medical Diagnostics. These devices are working on the base of computer programs, that allow to measure the viscoelasticity of some organs, for example the liver.

By that doctors are able to find out about the density of tissues, about their functional capacity, and about the status of the immune system in general. That what Barral teaches about the sensitive, diagnostic use of the practitioner's hand may now be verified by modern technology.

The DVDs help to understand and learn Barrals ADVANCED VISCERAL MANIPULATION step by step:

• For each technique there is a detailed anatomical illustration, based on drawings made by Barral himself.
• For each technique there is a detailed conceptual explanation of evaluation and treatment.
• For each technique Barral demonstrates the single items of treatment.

13 Treatment Demonstrations for:

• Liver
• Gallbladder
• Stomach
• Duodenum
• Pancreas
• Spleen

The organs are described first within their topographical relations. Practical instruction for recognition of their landmarks is included.

The treatment demonstrations show efficient techniques for:

• the ligaments and the related connective tissues
• the cardiovascular supply
• the connections with the nervous system and the brain
• the viscoelasticity of the organs
• the related emotional dimensions