About Integrated Visceral Techniques
Quite simply, Visceral Techniques are gentle, intelligent hands-on work with the abdomen and the visceral structures – this includes both the major organs of digestion but, more importantly, the rich connective tissue, lymphatic, vascular and nerve relationships within the abdomen.
Visceral Techniques utilize the principles of myofascial release and apply them to the visceral-fascial environment. This requires attuning our listening hands to the rhythms and amplitudes of the visceral environment.
There is evidence that as tensions are released in the visceral-fascial environment there is an increase in: overall organ mobility (which correlates to improved function), blood and lymphatic flow and nerve conduction.
Working with the viscera has profound effects on the vagal system. This is supportive of patients dealing with many different persistent health conditions.
Why Visceral Work?
The abdomen is undertreated by healthcare providers and yet it is the location for so many issues our patients and clients are experiencing.
Digestive issues: Hands-on work can be so helpful for folks dealing with digestive problems. Visceral work easily complements other care these folks are receiving.
Pain Patterns: It is common for myofascial pain patterns to have a visceral component. Being able to include visceral techniques into your work expands your ability to better address more complex pain presentations.
The abdomen is a storehouse for our emotional experience: The polyvagal theory gives us great insight as visceral therapists. It is a way to help our people understand some of the strange symptoms they may be experiencing. Building a vagal system map through the viscera is empowering for both your patient or client and you when working with complex and stubborn symptoms.
How it Works
The visceral-fascial environment is rich in tissue types; arteries and veins, lymphatic vessels, nerves, visceral fascia, myofascia and the organs themselves; all of which are composed of fascia from the peritoneum.
This amalgam of tissues is responsive to gentle and informed touch.
Building a visceral fascial map that emphasizes relationships between structures is essential.
There is evidence that as tensions are released in the visceral-fascial environment there is an increase in overall organ function including, blood and lymphatic flow and nerve conduction.
Insights from the Polyvagal Theory greatly enhance the efficacy of our work with the viscera. Visceral function and nervous system tone are inseparable.
What You’ll Learn
Our curriculum is divided into three weekends, IVT I, II and III. Each course will consist of new content and time to review and synthesize content from previous courses. In all of our courses we emphasize our students making the work their own.
Hand skills are the core of good visceral fascial work. Throughout the curriculum we will work with you to cultivate the hands-on skills required for working within the visceral-fascial milieu.
Anatomy helps build hand skills. When we can visualize the visceral fascial environment our hands can better connect. Michael is well known for his ability to make learning anatomy fun, accessible and even inspiring.
Course Sequence: Skills based learning is iterative. Students will be able to start using visceral techniques after the first weekend. Subsequent skills build on each other and interrelate with what was learned earlier. In this way while you learn new skills you improve your overall understanding of the work.
Diaphragm: We begin and repeatedly return to the diaphragm. It is said our diaphragm contracts 20,000 times a day. The diaphragmatic movement is essential to visceral tone.
The physiology of feeling: Visceral work most directly works with the embodied polyvagal map. We get into this immediately in our series. It is foundational to how we approach this work.
There are no prerequisites for this series. However, students should be prepared to watch the online content prior to each weekend. The anatomy really matters here and if you don’t watch you will likely be a little lost and not get as much out of the course as you would want.
INTEGRATED VISCERAL TECHNIQUES I
June 1 & 2, 2024 -OR- September 28-29, 2024
We begin building our visceral-fascial map with the diaphragm. Diaphragmatic tone sets the tone for the viscera. As the diaphragm is the path through which the vagus nerve enters the abdomen our work here can be helpful in helping a person shift their vagal system tone. The diaphragm is also a core organizing principle within the polyvagal system. We will discuss the diaphragm in context of the supra and subdiaphragmatic vagus. This concept helps healthcare providers orient themselves within the complexities of symptom presentation (and it’s super fun to learn!)
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Students will learn how to locate and treat the major sphincters that mediate the digestive process. The sphincters are specific sites of highly concentrated vagal tissue. This tissue is neuro reflexogenic, meaning it will communicate back to the brain about how it's feeling (usually better after we work with it).
Treating the diaphragm and the sphincters opens the rest of the system to receive work. We then move to working with the liver and the stomach. These two organs are in a dynamic relationship with the diaphragm. Students will learn multiple techniques to treat restrictions found within each organ and between the two organs.
East Asian medicine often describes the pathological dynamic of wood overacting on earth; the liver impeding the function of the stomach. We will see this anatomically and put it in our hands.
Conditions potentially addressed by skills learned in this course:
Reflux, heartburn, low appetite, counterflow stomach qi in East Asian medical terms
Shortness of breath
Hiatal hernia
Swallowing issues/apnea
Anxiety
Back pain
Jaw pain (strong link with diaphragm)
Headaches/brain fog
Liver related issues
Harmonizing the digestive system as a whole via the sphincters and diaphragm
Scar tissue in areas covered
And because we think holistically, another way to see this is you will learn how to identify and treat tension in the following areas and how the body responds to that work will be varied and result in all sorts of symptom change that may or may not make sense.
INTEGRATED VISCERAL TECHNIQUES II
October 26-27, 2024
This course focuses on digestive dynamics related to “SIBO” type conditions and other inflammation of the middle portion of our digestive system. Treatment for these conditions often focuses on getting rid of the bugs but leaves out “why” the bugs ended up there in the first place. The course will present both an anatomical/conceptual model of the small intestine, spleen, pancreas and gallbladder that is based both on East Asian medical understanding and western embryology.
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We will then put these ideas in our hands and learn specific techniques for each part of these interrelated fascial structures. The techniques presented here can be part of an integrated treatment plan for folks dealing with these stubborn conditions.
Practitioners will learn meaningful and direct treatment options for the visceral-fascial structures most commonly involved in small intestine related digestive difficulties.
This course will also include time for students to refine their approaches to the diaphragm and the sphincters. Visceral fascial work is easily learnable and skill development takes time and repetition.
Conditions potentially treated by skills learned in this course:
The myriad middle digestion (small intestine) related digestive problems. These have increased in complexity and difficulty to diagnose over the years.
Including the function of the gallbladder in your treatment of these small intestine related digestive problems is important.
Gallbladder function; often we can help folks avoid gallbladder surgery if treated early.
Pain and cramping in the small intestine
Supports folks who have digestive symptoms related to lyme and other infectious processes
Headaches/brain fog
Insomnia
Constipation/diarrhea
Scar tissue in areas covered
INTEGRATED VISCERAL TECHNIQUES III
January 25-26, 2025
Visceral III gives students a great opportunity to integrate work from previous courses and build on their conceptual map. In this class most of what we will be treating is “retro-peritoneal.” This gives us an opportunity to revisit the importance of the peritoneum and also deepen our understanding of the interrelationships between the visceral fascia and the myofascia.
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Because the diaphragm and sphincters are central to effective visceral work students will continue to evolve their approach here. Then we will get into new content. Starting with the cecum and ascending colon. We will learn sidelying work for the ascending and descending colons. This work will also address the flexures and sigmoid colon.
Next we will work with the visceral fascial milieu of the kidneys. The kidneys have strong myofascial relationships and students will add to their skills for treating lower back pain. Treating the kidneys will also emphasize a technique for working with the kidney vasculature. This supports the kidneys and can help with the blood flow into the lumbar spine. These techniques compliment our myofascial series.
The second part of the course will address treatment for the visceral fascial milieu of the uterus, ovaries, bladder and prostate. Our course gives students an approachable anatomical map for what can be a difficult area to understand and work with. Our approach is accessible and helpful. It is a great compliment for folks who are also doing internal pelvic floor work and gives those of us who do not do that work skills to use to support these areas.
Conditions potentially treated by skills learned in this course:
Constipation/Diarrhea
Water metabolism issues
Back pain: the colon and kidney are often involved in back pain issues.
Hip and leg pain: visceral adhesions of kd and LI can irritate nerve roots in lower back causing radiating sx.
Menstrual cramps and dysmenorrhea.
Care during pregnancy and after delivery.
Post surgical care for any of the covered areas.
Endometriosis symptoms
Bladder issues
Enlarged prostate
Courses & Series
Save 15% on the Series
Start on June 1&2 with an additional discount and continue in the fall, or start on September 28-29
REGISTER FOR IVT I
REGISTER FOR IVT SERIES
