Calgary Centre for Visceral Manipulation
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"We often get called in when
regular medicine can't do
anything. That's when being
an organ mechanic is
a beautiful thing."

Dr. Jean-Pierre Barral speaking
about Visceral Manipulation
to Time Magazine


 The History of Visceral Manipulation


Methods similar to Visceral Manipulation have been part of medicinal cultures for thousands of years.

During the preliminary examination on a patient, Barral was surprised to find appreciable movement. The patient confirmed that he felt relief from his back pain after going to an "old man who pushed something in his abdomen." This incident piqued Barral’s interest in the relationship between the viscera and the spine. He began exploring stomach manipulations with several patients, with successful results.

Jean-Pierre Barral is an Osteopath and Registered Physical Therapist from France. While working at the Lung Disease Hospital in France, he was able to follow patterns of stress in the tissues of cadavers as he studied biomechanics in living subjects. His clinical work led him to develop this form of manual therapy that focuses on the internal organs and he coined the term “Visceral Manipulation”.

History of Visceral Manipulation

With his scientific mind, Barral documented changes in the viscera before and after manipulations with x-ray fluoroscopy and ultrasound to record changes in position and motion. This was able to verify the changes that visceral manipulation has on the organs.

Barral is a world-renowned doctor, he has authored many books, he teaches this therapy around the world, founded the Barral Institute while maintaining a full clinical practice in France and continuing to research and develop this therapy.



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