“The body will share a lot when you listen.”
As a specialist in visceral manipulation, Dr. Missy Albrecht goes where few wellness practitioners ever go–directly into the abdominal organs.
That’s right, a central part of her work is massaging clients’ internal organs to help them regain natural rotational axis, and free up inhibitions in surrounding soft-tissues. She often works with C-section scarring, GI issues, and disordered eating.
Dr. Albrecht’s insights on the very intimate relationship between organ health, musculoskeletal pain, and mental health might surprise you. However, this is only a part of Albrecht’s Denver-based physical therapy practice.
Albrecht is a doctor of physical therapy specializing in self-care education: giving clients tools to manage care on their own, instead of being dependant upon their PT for regular care. Her aim is to empower clients to maintain their own wellness, and just come back for a tune-up with her as needed, from time to time.
Click the play button below to listen to the full interview with Dr. Albrecht by Tune Up Fitness® blog manager Ariel Kiley. Here you will learn more about healing abdominal issues, understanding body pain, and the importance of enjoying your chocolate cake.
“The body will share a lot when you listen.” I love that so much! The work I’m able to do on myself with the coregeous ball has been life changing! I’m very interested in learning more about visceral manipulation. Thank you for sharing!
I really enjoy these interviews with physical therapists. I try to do coregeous ball work on the abdominals in some of my classes and sometimes it’s met with very polarizing reactions. I do find it fascinating how the viscera is connected with so many emotions in the mind as well it really is a part of that brain gut connection. And I have never heard that subtler listening of the body as these little pulls described like that. I’ve often felt those sensations in my own body but have failed to reticulate the muscles and visceral like unwinding connections that I have felt in a way for other people to go on that journey in their own body.
I work with a male client who has low back pain, which he believes is associated with a double hernia repair, with mesh implant. I wonder if rolling the anterior torso with self massage could help him … fascia scar tissue? Organs restricted or stuck from scar tissue? Weakness in core? Visceral masseuse… this entire interview is very interesting… and I am thinking most people are so not in touch with the organs, and so focused on the “outer” body…
you are so welcome! I’m glad you’re going to dig into the info deeper:)
Thank you so much Dr. Albrecht! That makes so much sense, how the conditions of your environment while your eating can totally wreck the way your body processes that food. If you are in a fight or flight state and rushing to eat your meal, no wonder the body can be very unhappy after eating that meal! Just sitting down, calmly eating a meal without multi-tasking always feels better in my body than checking my email and doing homework at the same time while quickly scarfing down a burrito. Presence can be the best present you can give yourself. Let’s honor the time and space our organs need to process what we feed them and distribute and assimilate nutrients appropriately.
Interesting. I would love to take a course on how to massage the abdominal organs using my hands. I have a habit of massaging my abdominal organs with my hands while I am in supported bridge pose at the end of a yoga class. The stretch of the anterior of the trunk makes the organs more accessible to the massage, plus after a yoga class the body is more relaxed to better receive the massage. I definitely recommend giving it a try yogis and yoginis!
Wonderful interview on a critical topic! Thank you so much! As a healing practitioner who focused on the organs I am excited to learn about the work of Dr. Albrecht and the Barral Institute. The interview was also helpful to me in thinking about how to bring nutrition support into my work. Thank you again!