Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/465652
MYOFASCIAL TECHNIQUES Notes 1. James Day Hodgson, Yoshihiro Sano, and John L. Graham, Doing Business with the New Japan: Succeeding in America's Richest International Market (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008), 238. 2. Michael D. Gershon, The Second Brain: The Scientific Basis of Gut Instinct and a Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestines (Harper, 1998). 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Adam Hadhazy, "Think Twice: How the Gut's 'Second Brain' Influences Mood and Well- Being," Scientific American, 2010, accessed January 2015, www.scientificamerican. com/article/gut-second-brain/. 6. Ibid. 7. G. M. Bove and S. L. Chapelle, "Visceral Mobilization Can Lyse and Prevent Peritoneal Adhesions in a Rat Model," Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 16, no. 1 (2012): 76–82. 8. Jeffrey P. Burch, "Interdisciplinary Structural Integration: Finding the Balance," Massage & Bodywork, April/May 2001, 22–31. 9. Jean-Pierre Barral and Pierre Mercier, Visceral Manipulation (Revised Edition) (Seattle, WA: Eastland Press, 2006). 10. Bove and Chapelle, "Visceral Mobilization Can Lyse and Prevent Peritoneal Adhesions in a Rat Model." Til Luchau is a member of the Advanced- Trainings.com faculty, which offers distance learning and in-person seminars throughout the United States and abroad. He is a Certified Advanced Rolfer and originator of the Advanced Myofascial Techniques approach. Contact him via info@advanced- trainings.com and Advanced-Trainings. com's Facebook page. His book Advanced Myofascial Techniques, Volume 1 has just been released, with Volume 2 slated for publication by the end of 2015. 7 The Mesentery Technique, part one: supporting the visceral sac of the peritoneum. Sensitive, patient motion testing of the entire peritoneal sac increases ease and gentle mobility. Image courtesy Advanced-Trainings.com. 8 The perceptive, gentle touch needed for the Mesentery Technique is analogous to lightly holding a soap bubble. in regulating serotonin levels, as well as the role of the parasympathetic nervous system and the vagus nerve in the body's responses to trauma. WHAT ARE WE ACCOMPLISHING? Although the peritoneum and mesentery are visceral connective tissue structures, the technique applied here is not Visceral Manipulation Therapy, the method developed by French osteopath Jean-Pierre Barral. Practitioners and teachers of his sophisticated system of subtle organ manipulation emphasize caution and sensitivity, and warn against untrained attempts at organ manipulation. 9 If we aren't trying to stretch fascia, or massage organs, what are we accomplishing with such a gentle, indirect technique? Keep in mind the "second brain" nature of the gut. Your simple touch can have profound effects, based on quieting and calming, awakening sensation, and inviting ease. A gentle touch can have surprisingly tangible effects on tissue as well. A 2012 Medline-listed study of surgery-induced abdominal adhesions in rats showed that gentle abdominal massage, performed only to a depth that "did not elicit flinching or biting" by the rat subjects, reduced and prevented adhesions, as well as decreased intraperitoneal inflammation. Interestingly, the investigators noted that during manipulation "the rats became calm and allowed deep palpation." 10 As you experiment with this gentle technique, keep in mind you're affecting both the tissues of the body and the processes of the nervous system across the entire body-mind spectrum. 9 The Mesentery Technique, part two: gently support the weight of the intestines, and lift the intestines slightly toward the mesenteric root. The posterior hand feels for a subtle softening or easing in the lumbar spine at the level of the mesenteric root. Image courtesy Advanced-Trainings.com Watch Til Luchau's technique videos and read his past Myofascial Techniques articles in Massage & Bodywork's digital edition. The link is available at www.massageandbodywork.com, www.abmp.com, and on Advanced-Trainings.com's Facebook page. "Working with the Mesentery"