I wanted to post some of my notes to this class I took. I absolutely loved this class taught by Ken Frey through the Barral Institute. This is only 1 day of 4 days of notes. If you would like the remainder of the notes please email me.

Sequence of diagnostics
• General Listening
• Local Listening
• Inhibition
o Thermal diagnosising works with inhibition
o 1/10 of a degree celsius can be measured through the hand
o Energetically off the body there are layers of “energy”
• These layers can be manipulated

Mobilitiy: Movement is Life
• Position doesn’t matter, mobility does
o Leg length discrepancy doesn’t matter, it’s the abnormality of restrictions that’s the key
o An organ in good health moves in all planes of physiologic motion
• 3-D movement in the coronal, sagittal and transverse
• Body rotates around specific axis
• When under stress there will be a lack of motion in at least one plane

Why VM?
• 90% of musculoskeletal dysfunctions involve viscera
o Not necessarily “caused” by viscera
o Restriction could come from ANS telling organ to restrict
• 70-80% cranial system, cns restrictions are caused by something extra durally in the body
• All organs surrounded by connective tissue
o Body constructed by concentric circles of connective tissue
o Structures must slide and glide – if not restricted
o We learn about muscles but they are given the orders from the adhesion point of view – not giving the orders
• All manual therapies are based on the fact that there is an inherent normal movement in the body and when something restricts this normal function there is a pathobiomechanical and or pathophysiological affect to the person.
o All manual therapies are based on releasing the hypomobile areas or adverse biomechanical restrictions in the body
• Pathophysiological dysfunction – when visceral movement is impaired the function of the organ is impaired
o i.e. chemistry, blood, etc
• Pathobiomechanical problems can cause pain, dysfunction: in joint muscle, nerve, blood vessel, lymph structure, potentially any anatomical structure
• “Mobility is the key to understanding pathology.” – Barral

Liver
• Connected to the diaphragm, which is connected and associated to lungs (and up into mediastinum, pleura, neck, phrenic nerve) moving 24,000 times a day. If there is a 1-ounce restriction this chain of events is being pulled over and over again 24,000 times a day and drives strain up into the cranium. Shoulder problems, headaches, etc could result. All signs point to liver.

The art in VM is bringing the person to the point of the restriction and letting them self correct. We can easily press through restrictions but there is no art in that.
• VM have the potential to affect normal physiological function of the individual organs, the systems they function within, and the structural integrity of the entire body.
o Gail Wetzler, “Organ specific fascial manipulation”
• The purpose of VM is to recreate, harmonize, and increase proprioceptive communication in the body to enhance its internal mechanism for better health.
o “I am just waking up a little something in the body”, Barral
Continue reading Barral Institute Visceral Manipulation 1