The focus of these trainings is to offer you an introduction to Visceral Manipulation, an Osteopathic approach to the entire body. The assessment techniques and treatment methods taught are extremely effective when used together. This helps take the guesswork out of knowing where to work, streamlining sessions and allowing you to accomplish more with greater ease and success. In all classes you will have ample time to learn the presented techniques while receiving direct one on one guidance. These trainings build on each other offering you an opportunity to develop effective, powerful, and unique skills in the bodywork field. The skills learned in these classes are easily integrated into your existing practice and will help you treat stubborn issues such as: TMJ disorders, back pain, headaches, stress, repetitive strain injury and chronic pain.

About Visceral Manipulation

When using manual therapy, knowing where, when and how to work makes for efficient and productive sessions. Visceral Manipulation offers quick assessment strategies and powerful hands-on techniques for the ENTIRE body, not just the viscera. Sessions become more streamlined while treatments are gentle and the results excellent.

Jean Pierre Barral, developer of Visceral Manipulation is a brilliant and creative pioneer in the field of Osteopathy who continues to quickly advance this work. Originally trained as a physical therapist and searching for more resources he entered the European School of Osteopathy, graduating in 1975. His curiosity became piqued after reports from his clients that a folk healer in the foothills of the local mountains had helped their chronic back pain by working the tissues in their abdomen. Looking deeper into the anatomy of the organs, especially the abdomen, he began to realize the important role the membranes and ligaments played in the health and comfort of the body. This exploration led to years of practice and the development of Visceral Manipulation. John Pierre Barral has combined amazing assessment techniques with the best of Osteopathic manipulation.

An exciting part of this work is its application for treatment of deep restrictions within the entire body, ie: bones, ligaments, joints, membranes, dural restrictions with in the neural canal and cranium, tensions within the connective tissue matrix of arteries and nerves, strains inside brain tissue, and of course organs and their supporting membranes.

Assessment Strategies

Visceral Manipulation offers multiple assessment strategies that quickly guide the practitioner to the appropriate place to work. Since there are a handful of assessment techniques many or all of them can be quickly used to confirm where and when to treat. These classes teach the foundations of assessment, allowing you to immediately begin working with these skills in your private practice.

Manual Therapy techniques

Visceral Manipulation uses different hands-on techniques depending on the tissues being treated and the outcome of the assessments. Following is a description of methods taught in classes.

Functional Methods

This method can be applied to most tissues in the body and is a variation on mobility testing. Taking a joint, bone, organ or tissue through its potential range of motion gives you information about its ability to function properly in the body. Functional Methods are a variation on range of motion evaluations. Instead of taking the tissue to its comfortable end range for assessment purposes, you start to engage the tissue slowly and you stop at the slightest hint of tension, the "first barrier". Now instead of ROM testing this has become the treatment method. Soon the tissue will begin to release and you follow the tissues to the next first barrier and start the process again. A few of these releases are usually sufficient. This concept can be applied to the tissue in the direction it moves the easiest (called in direction of ease) or in the direction it is more difficult to move in (called direction of effort). There are more subtleties regarding this method that are covered within the class.

Motility Induction

This is a treatment to work directly with the inherent movement cycle of the organs. All of the organs have a movement cycle that can be assessed and treated with motility induction. Motility is the subtle yet distinct movement cycle of an organ that takes about eight seconds to complete. Motility in Visceral Manipulation is different than the peristaltic motion of organs often referred to as motility. This movement happens thousands of times per day and since the organs all directly or indirectly connect to the spine and musculoskeletal system it is easy to imagine how strains in the organs ultimately manifest as pain far from the original restriction. Another reason pain often manifests far from the organs is because the organs do not have the same pain receptors that are found in the musculoskeletal system. This means pain results in the musculoskeletal system when it compensates for strains within the organs. This treatment method is a powerful tool for restoring balance to the body, reducing tension and eliminating pain.

Recoil

This method involves applying pressure to the tissue being treated and is similar to the first barrier technique but slightly different. The tissues are engage in multiple directions into the direction of effort. Then the practitioner quickly removes their hands during a portion of the breath cycle. This technique is often used on bones and in stubborn situations.

The focus of each class:

Level 1

This class creates a foundation for learning Visceral Manipulation assessment techniques and hands-on Functional Methods, both at the core of this work. You will learn General & Local Listening assessments that will allow you to quickly determine the most fruitful place to work during your sessions helping to take the guesswork out where to go next. You will learn first barrier, motility induction and recoil techniques giving you tools to make low force, accurate intervention that will bring about positive global change, reducing pain and increasing range of motion. There will be ample time for supervised practice and time to watch demonstrated sessions. Techniques will be applied to the liver and stomach with an introduction to the digestive organs. Strategies for integrating the work into your existing practice will be covered.

Level 2

Deepening of current skill set and review of Level 1 class. Introduction to the thorax including, ligaments, bones, joints, lungs and the heart. Techniques for releasing dural tube restrictions. Exploration of mobility testing to help you and your clients experience the vast changes that take place when applying this work. Continued supervised hands-on practical work and demonstrated sessions.

Level 3

Advancing and fine tuning techniques. Explorations in bringing out your own unique gifts in applying this work. Techniques for working with duodenum, small intestine, large intestine and digestive sphincters. Extensive practical work and continued demonstrations.

Level 4

Techniques for working with the kidneys, ureters, pancreas, spleen and pelvic organs including: the bladder, uterus, ovaries and ligaments of the pelvis. Continued review, extensive practical work and continued demonstrations.

Level 5

Introduction to working with the nerves and vascular system. Advanced techniques for working with the spine. Extensive practical work to deepen assessment and manual skills. Deepening of all techniques, sensitivity and quality of touch.

Class Cost

All four day classes costs 600.00 and payment is due two weeks prior to class start date. To register download registration form at the top of this page and make payments to Michael Hahn. Call for Visa and Mastercard payments

Class Schedule

Testimonials about Michael's Teaching

"A great continuing education class offering a clear refresher of anatomy while learning powerful new skills. I feel I am ready to integrate this into my practice tomorrow and my body has made great changes after two days of receiving this work."

"I thought I knew deep tissue work but this class gave me another level of clarity and intention. The work is easy to deliver and has profound results."

"The information is clear and concise. I appreciate Michael's gentle nature and the way he encourages us to take our time with our clients."

"The classes are very informative and easily digestible. I could use the information in my practice the next day."

"This class offers massage therapists another way to think "outside the box"."

"Michael's enthusiasm was awesome, the information was presented clearly and his knowledge of anatomy was great."

"The less I worked (forced) and the slower I went, the more dramatic the response. Now I can work until I'm 70!"