Birth of Visceral Manipulation

Jean-Pierre Barral first became interested in biomechanics while working as a registered physical therapist of the Lung Disease Hospital in Grenoble, France. Working primarily with articular and structural manipulation, he had an unusual session with a patient he'd been treating. The patient expressed that he felt relief from his back pain after going to an "old man who pushed something in his abdomen." This piqued Barral's interest in the relationship between the viscera and the spine. He began exploring stomach manipulations with patients, with some successful results While at the hospital, Barral met Dr. Arnaud, a recognized specialist in lung diseases and a master of cadaver dissection. Working with Dr. Arnaud, Barral followed patterns of stress in the tissues of cadavers and 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. All this was fundamental to his development of Visceral Manipulation. Pierre Mercier worked in Barral's office and together they organized the movement of the organs based on the movement of the diaphragm and the entire body.

Using his work with Dr. Arnaud as a foundation, Barral continued to investigate how the thickening of tissues in the body creates areas of greater mechanical tension that, in turn, pull on surrounding tissues. That discovery led him to the theoretical and practical development of Visceral Listening Techniques, a key foundational principle for Visceral Manipulation. With the help of Dr. Serge Cohen, a Grenoble radiologist, Barral also documented changes in the viscera before and after manipulation. They employed x-ray fluoroscopy and ultrasound to record changes in position and motion, as well as fluid exchange and evacuation.

"At the time nobody was talking about manipulating organs, they were saying it was a very curious thing that I was doing," Barral recalls, "but I kept seeing patients with aches and pains that I could relieve simply by kneading their organs." Initially, Barral's gentler, hands-on approach met with skepticism, now many in the medical community are recognizing its benefits. Visceral Manipulation has become part of the standard curriculum at most European osteopathic schools, and training seminars are being taught around the world.

Birth of Neural Manipulation and Other Barral Disciplines

Expanding on Jean-Pierre Barral's continued studies and clinical work, Barral and Alain Croibier, also an Osteopath from France, developed therapy techniques specific to the nervous system, which led to Neural Manipulation seminars begin taught in the early 1990's. Next came New Manual Articular Approach with a focus on joints, and Visceral Vascular Manipulation to address the vascular system.

Jean-Pierre Barral's clinical work, combined with Alain Croibier's scientific information, led to the development, practice, and teaching of these disciplines, as well as authoring supporting textbooks.

Barral Disciplines Across the World

Since 1987 Barral has trained a team of International Teachers who teach the Barral manual therapy seminars around the world. What started as one seminar has grown to over 36 programs encompassing more Barral disciplines, such as courses on the Neuroendocrine Effects of Soft Tissue Treatment, Advanced Visceral Manipulation and Trauma, Visceral Osteoarticular Relationships, Strategic Crossroads of the Body, Manual Therapy for the Brain, and more.

Barral continues to research and develop manual therapy techniques while maintaining a full clinical practice and raising horses on his olive ranch in France. Thanks to his pioneering work, candidates in several European countries must now pass a rigorous test in Visceral Manipulation to earn a diploma in osteopathy, as they have adopted his Visceral Manipulation techniques, just as many other manual therapy professions around the world.

Barral's International Teaching Team continue to develop manual therapy disciplines that expand the integrative, whole person philosophy of The Barral Institute. These include trainings in Women and Men's Health, the Autonomic Nervous System, Concussion and Brain Injuries, and Clinical Applications.