Visceral Manipulation

Why hands on your organs may just be what you've been missing....

Visceral Manipulation involves a very gentle use of the hands to release restrictions in the fascia, ligaments and other connective tissues surrounding the organs. The question is: why would you ever want someone to work on your organs?

The truth is, your organs are not just piled together in a squishy mess somewhere in your abdomen. Although, the organs are separated from the muscular system and contained within the abdominal cavity, they are still an essential element to normal movement. Each organ has a distinct space that it occupies; held in place by ligaments, fascia and its surrounding neighbours. It is critical for normal body movement and posture that the organs can move freely both with basic bodily functions and as you move. They need to move when you breath, when your heart beats and when your digestive tract moves. If you twist, bend or straighten up your organs need to move with you. If this organ movement doesn’t occur, it can dramatically impact your mobility, your organ function or both.

Generally, the body will prioritize the function of the organs over the function of your muscular /skeletal system. It makes good sense to sacrifice posture and comfort to ensure you can still digest, breathe, and clear toxins from your body… right? For example, if being a little twisted in your ribcage takes tension off of your esophagus and prevents reflux than your body will keep you in twist, and maybe you’ll occasionally have a rib “go out”. A trade off that you perhaps did not agree to, but your body is not interested in your opinions… it’s interested in keeping you functional.

Why would a restriction exist at an organ, and how would it get there in the first place? Restrictions and fixations can occur within the visceral system for numerous reasons. Trauma to the body, surgery, infectious and inflammatory processes as well as emotional overwhelm can all impact the organs.

In the fascial blog, I discussed how trauma can travel and disperse through the body and have an impact far from its original location. The organs are softer & squishier than other tissues, making them ideal for absorbing impact ( falls, car accidents etc). If you fall on your tailbone and the shock failed to disperse… you would likely fracture your tailbone. If the shock disperses upwards to your large intestine or your kidney, then you may end up with a visceral restriction at either one. This could then manifest as either a digestive issue at a later date or you may wind up with chronic back pain….or both. Similarly, a surgical incision ( C-section, appendix or gall bladder removal) can alter tensions in the area leading to core weakness, incontinence or constipation. A serious cold, lung infection/ covid could alter the tension in the fascia around the lungs leaving you with an inability to take a full breath or with relentless neck tension.

It’s important to remember that the body is an integrated, and whole entity. No trauma, no emotion, no experience occurs in only one part of it… the load is always shared. Your body is constantly striving to find balance and function better… but you cannot spend a lifetime absorbing tensions and trauma and expect to thrive. The body must be given an opportunity to release stored trauma. It just so happens that the organs are very adept at long term storage. With all the different ways that a visceral tension can manifest, most people have some degree of visceral restriction. As these restrictions are released with visceral manipulation, both physical & emotional symptoms as well as any local complaints at the organ itself will be alleviated. As an added bonus, because these deep restrictions are often at the root of physical complaints they provide lasting and often complete resolution of the issues they create.

If you would like to learn more about visceral manipulation or the types of issues it can treat please visit:

Barral Institute