News

Please do give us feedback on our website and how we can help you. As we are a new organisation we would love any help you can offer us!

We are very pleased to be approved for the UK Professional and Career Development loans. See our workshop information page for details.

We now have an extended range of products in stock, some of which are not available elsewhere in the UK. Do check the products page.

It has been a great year for BIUK. Having had 3 VM1 classes, 2 VM2 classes and a very large VM4 – Thorax class (pictured below) we are going from strength to strength. Scott Russell has come on board and is learning the ropes as a facilitator of classes for us. He uses his humour and gentle persuasiveness to direct hotels in the direction we feel most useful!

For 2011 we will be welcoming Gail Wetzler to teach VM3-Pelvis and Listening techniques. Later in the year Barbara LeVan will be returning to start off the Neural Manipulation (NM programme) for us. It is the programme for treating nerves, which complements the VM curriculum.

As you will see, we are also introducing classes to Northern Ireland with our Belfast class in November and hope to start building a strong VM community across the water.

We look forward to meeting you or reconnecting with you in 2011 and wish you all the best for a very prosperous and happy year.

Jean- Pierre Barral comes to the UK

In 2012 we are delighted to be welcoming Jean-Pierre Barral to the UK to teach his new Manual Articular Approach to Joints classes. He will be with us February and September 2012 for the upper and lower limb respectively and again in 2013 for the spine and pelvis class. It is a rare opportunity to see the developer of this work first hand. While the classes have no prerequisite study material, having studied with Barral myself I would recommend at least attending a VM1 and NM1 class before the Articular classes as you will derive a much greater benefit from the classes if you do have some background knowledge. We are expecting a very international audience for the classes. Register now!

Teaching Assistants (TAs) form a vital part of our classes. A TA is someone who has previously completed a number of our classes and repeated the levels they are assisting on. They assist during practical sessions to allow everyone to get a hands on feel for the techniques, something that is essential in VM classes. We are delighted that as skills are growing in the UK we now have a group of 7 enthusiastic TAs. Two of our TAs have taken the idea of expanding the number of TAs to new levels – both having babies this year. Both babies started VM young – as both attended classes while pregnant!

I am delighted to update you following a very successful 2009. All our classes were well attended, with many fun moments in each one, along with great learning for all. During 2009 BIUK has fully established itself as a successful venture, meaning I am now able to plan for a very exciting future (if not a busy one)!!

2009 brought together practitioners from 14 different countries. We also hosted regular study groups which have proved very popular, to the point people have been flying internationally and travelling for 6 hours each way by train to attend! Please do join us if you have previously attended the classes.

In 2010 there will be new classes in the curriculum, in addition to the VM1 class in case any of you or your colleagues missed this in 2009 (or would like a review).

In March and September we will have VM2 classes. This is the next level after VM1 and focuses on the rest of the abdominal organs along with expanding on evaluation techniques and Visceral Manipulation principles. Then in December I am delighted to be able to bring a VM4 Thorax class to the UK for the first time ever. Please find more information on this class below.

In 2011 we are planning on VM3 Pelvis and LT= Listening Techniques classes, taught by Gail Wetzler who is both Director of the Visceral Manipulation Curriculum for the Barral Institute and developer of the Listening Techniques class. If you have colleagues that have attended CST courses, they are eligible to attend the Listening Techniques class, as well.

In 2012 it is planned that Jean-Pierre Barral will be here to teach his newest classes on joints. More details on those classes to follow later in the year.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy New Year and a prosperous 2010.

The Thorax – VM4

First time in the UK! Don’t miss this chance!!!

Prerequisite: VM2. VM3 and VM4 can be attended in any order after VM2.

In the Thorax workshop, you'll take an expanded look at the functional biomechanics of the thoracic cavity. You'll also explore the relationship between the hard frame and soft frame with its countless articulations for respiration, circulatory requirements and upper body movement patterns.

Course Highlights:

· Review the anatomy, biomechanics and function of the thoracic organs.

· Study the biomechanics of the cervical, thoracic, rib cage and shoulder.

· Practice listening techniques within the thoracic activity.

· Discover techniques for differentiating between somatic and visceral causes for thoracic and spinal problems.

· Focus on Pleura, Lungs, Pericardium, Heart, Mediastinum, Thyroid, Trachea, Oesophagus, Sternum, Rib Cage and Thoracic Plexuses.

The last class of 2009 in London, with Peter Copolla instructor and our teaching assistant team (seated)

Although I obviously run Barral Institute UK, I would like your help. I would like this to be an organisation where ideas are valued and feedback incorporated to build a strong network of support for VM in the UK. I would prefer to run this more as a group effort than independently. Please share any inspirations or ideas you have that can contribute to BIUK, even if they seem trivial. Also, if you can offer help in any way, please do contact me and we will discuss how we can work together. The ideas I have that you might be able to assist with at this time are:

Teaching assistants are people who have studied VM previously and are willing to offer their time and expertise to help others who are now training. The benefit for them is that they have an opportunity to review the material and through supporting others learn a huge amount for themselves. We so value their commitment to the programme.

Have you already done training in VM? If so we would love to hear from you. To assist VM1 you need to have done training though to VM4 or old PIVM, and have repeated VM1 or old VM1A. Do get in touch and we can confirm for you any outstanding requirements to join us as a teaching assistant. We look forward to working with you!

Often I hear people state that they don’t understand why you would consider training in Visceral Manipulation (VM) if you do CranioSacral Therapy (CST), as CST can treat soft tissues and organs, as well. Well, I think I am in a good position to answer this as I am both an Upledger Instructor for CST and trained in VM. And while I am not going to argue that there is a common root to both therapies in that they both developed from osteopathic principles, both are whole body techniques and both focus on fascial restrictions, I am going to focus on how training in both and using them together can greatly enhance your practice.

So firstly, why even consider VM if you are trained in CST? VM has a fantastic diagnostic protocol, which allows practitioners to quickly locate the area of greatest issue to the body at that time and find out the factors that contribute to it. For example, is it actually a restriction in an organ, a blood vessel, a nerve or an emotional issue? VM also allows you to work specifically on the structure that is restricted and release it efficiently.

Yes, if you were able to find the spot that was restricted with CST and do a diaphragm release or direction of energy the chances are that eventually the tissues would release at least to some extent. But where VM comes into its own is its specificity in releasing the precise structure that is restricted in the way it needs to be released.

So for example, if you found a compressed sphenobasilar synchodrosis (SBS), you could do a diaphragm release and it may release to some degree. However, I propose that to get a complete release of this strain pattern using a CST SBS compression/decompression technique would be much more efficient and effective. It is the same with VM working on tissues such as organs or nerves versus using CST techniques. Both are great therapies, but both have their strengths. CST focuses on fascial release in relation to the craniosacral system, and in balancing the fluid dynamics of this system. VM focuses specifically on the organs, nerves and blood vessels, releasing them and the fascia surrounding them, and then balancing the intrinsic motion of these structures.

As we have seen from CST, knowing your anatomy of the cranial bones or membrane structures means that we can accurately focus while treating and this allows greater and more rapid release of the tissues. For that reason, in VM, the courses include studying the anatomy of the tissues that you are learning about to allow you to focus on the restrictions and facilitate release.

Like CST, VM also considers rhythms in the body. I am sure we all remember our bewilderment at initially feeling the craniosacral rhythm, and wondering why we had never noticed it before. In VM each organ has a rhythm, known as motility. As in CST assessing the qualities of the rhythm and then balancing the rhythm can greatly enhance the effectiveness of the treatment. Working without this knowledge on the structures is possible, but like doing a dural tube release without any awareness of cerebral spinal fluid flow or rhythm, working on organs without knowledge of motility leaves a gap in the effectiveness of the treatment.

For me, I would feel lost without either CST or VM. I feel they are great companions and complement each other so effectively as they focus on different components of the body. With both therapies in our toolboxes we can approach the body in a more holistic manner.