Table Of ContentUNDERSTANDING
THE MESSAGES OF
YOUR BODY
ALSO BY JEAN-PIERRE BARRAL
Visceral Manipulation (with Pierre Merrier)
Visceral Manipulation II
Trauma: An Osteopathic Approach (with Alain Croibier)
Urogenital Manipulation
The Thorax
Manual Thermal Evaluation
Manual Therapy for the Peripheral Nerves (with Alain Croibier)
Manual Therapy for the Cranial Nerves (with Alain Croibier)
UNDERSTANDING
THE MESSAGES OF
YOUR BODY
How to Interpret
Physical and Emotional Signals
to Achieve Optimal Health
©
North Atlantic Books
Berkeley, California
Upledger Enterprises
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Copyright © 2007 by Jean-Pierre Barral. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except
for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the
written permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.
Published by and
North Atlantic Books Upledger Enterprises
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Cover and book design by Susan Quasha
Cover photo © istockphoto.com/angelo gilardelli
Printed in the United States of America
Understanding the Messages of Your Body: How to Interpret Physical and Emotional Signals to Achieve
Better Health is sponsored by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit
educational corporation whose goals are to develop an educational and cross-cultural perspec-
tive linking various scientific, social, and artistic fields; to nurture a holistic view of arts, sci-
ences, humanities, and healing; and to publish and distribute literature on the relationship of
mind, body, and nature.
North Atlantic Books' publications are available through most bookstores. For further informa-
tion, visit our website at www.northatlanticbooks.com or call 800-733-3000.
PLEASE NOTE: The creators and publishers of this book disclaim any liabilities for loss in
connection with following any of the practices, exercises, and advice contained herein. To
reduce the chance of injury or any other harm, the reader should consult a professional be-
fore undertaking this or any other martial arts, movement, meditative arts, health, or exercise
program. The instructions and advice printed in this book are not in any way intended as a
substitute for medical, mental, or emotional counseling with a licensed physician or health-
care provider.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barral,J. P.
[Comprendre les messagers de votre corps. English]
Understanding the messages of your body : how to interpret physical and emotional signals
to achieve optimal health / by Jean-Pierre Barral.
p. cm.
Summary: "Describes the relationship between the emotions and the internal organs, with
detailed analyses of various types of human personality and their related physical-emotional
complexes and organ dysfunctions. Provides exercise recommendations, psychological
approaches, and dietary plans for self-healing"—Provided by publisher.
ISBN-13: 978-1-55643-679-6
ISBN-10: 1-55643-679-3
1. Medicine, Psychosomatic—Popular works. I. Title.
RC49.B375 2007
616.08—dc22
2007021849
45 6 78 9 10 VERSA 15 14 13 12 11
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My best and warmest thanks to all those who, through their presence
and support, helped me progress on the road to recognizing our body's
messages:
Jean Arlot, Professor Georges Arnaud, Michel Boujenah, Marc
Bozetto, Paul Chauffeur, Professor Pierre Cornillot, Vincent Coquard,
Framboise Coulet, Jacaues Descotte, Thomas Dummer, Didier Feltesse,
Viola Fryman, Regis Godefroy, Barbara Hendricks, Lionelle Issartel,
Bernard Lignier, Frank Lowen, Jean-Paul Mathieu, Pierre Merrier,
Serge Paoletti, Professor Bernard Paramelle, Henri Pinel, Didier Prat,
Louis Rommeveaux, Maurice-Paul Sainte-Rose, Dominique Thevenot,
Dominique Triana, John Upledger, John-Matthew Upledger, Gail Wetzler,
John Whernam, not to mention the Planchard and Igounet families and
the entire Barral tribe, masterfully guided by Rose and Rene.
An additional thank you to Annabel Mackenzie and Dawn Langnes for
their technical assistance in bringing the English version of this book to
you.
CONTENTS
Introduction xi
^ PART ONE: Your Body Talks, Listen to It! 1
1. The Human Body, A Weil-Oiled Machine 3
In Our Organs, the Echo of Our Emotions 4
In Our Behavior, the Echo of Our Organs 4
Our Weak Link 5
The Brain 6
Thank Goodness, We Have Psychosomatic Reactions! 7
2. Emotions for Life 9
The Great Spectacle of Our Emotions 9
The Body Has Its Own Memory 12
3. What Do Our Organs Think? 15
Body, Mind, Same Story! 16
Too Much or Not Enough 18
4. Your Body Speaks, Listen to It! 21
Healing an Emotional Problem by Treating an Organ 24
Healing an Organ by Treating an Emotional Problem 25
What If An Organ Has Been Removed? 25
^ PART TWO: What Your Organs Think 27
The Organ Person 29
5. The Brain, The Big Boss 30
How the Brain Works 30
The Limbic System and the Organs: An Intimate Relationship 33
When the Limbic System Isn't Working as well as It Should 34
How to Take Care of Your Brain 39
From a Physical Point of View 3 9
From a Nutritional Point of View 39
From a Psychological Point of View 3 9
6. The Lungs and the Bronchial Passages: A Lot of Wind or
Just a Breeze 41
How the Respiratory System Works 41
When the Lungs Don't Work as well as They Should 45
Lung-Bronchial Passage People 47
How to Take Care of the Lungs 54
From a Physical Point of View 54
From a Nutritional Point of View 56
From a Psychological Point of View 57
7. The Heart: It Beats and Throbs 58
How It Works 58
When the Heart Doesn't Work as well as It Should 60
Heart People 62
How to Take Care of the Heart 69
From a Physical Point of View 69
From a Nutritional Point of View 71
From a Psychological Point of View 71
8. The Breasts: Most Feminine of Symbols 73
How They Work 73
When the Breasts Are Not as well as They Could Be 74
Breast People 75
How to Take Care of the Breasts 81
From a Physical Point of View 81
From a Nutritional Point of View 82
From a Psychological Point of View 83
9. The Gallbladder: A Small Pocketful of Annoyance 84
How the Gallbladder Works 84
When the Gallbladder Doesn't Work as well as It Should 85
Gallbladder People 86
How to Take Care of the Gallbladder 89
From a Physical Point of View 89
From a Nutritional Point of View 90
From a Psychological Point of View 90
10. The Liver: Our Deeper Self and Emotions 92
How the Liver Works 93
Why Take Care of Your Liver? 97
When the Liver Isn't Working as well as It Should 98
Liver People 102
How to Take Care of the Liver 110
From a Physical Point of View 110
From a Nutritional Point of View 111
From a Psychological Point of View 114
Cholesterol and the Liver
11. The Stomach and the Duodenum: Our Social Self 120
How the Stomach and Duodenum Work 121
The Stomach: A Grinding Pouch 121
The Duodenum: A Cocktail Shaker 121
When the Stomach Isn't Working as It Should 122
Stomach-Duodenum People 123
How to Take Care of the Stomach 131
From a Physical Point of View 131
From a Nutritional Point of View 132
From a Psychological Point of View 133
12. The Pancreas and the Spleen: Severe Emotional Shock
Absorbers 135
How They Work 135
The Pancreas 135
The Spleen 135
When the Pancreas and Spleen Don t Work as well as
They Should 136
Pancreas-Spleen People 137
Zooming in on the Spleen 141
How to Take Care of the Pancreas and Spleen 143
From a Physical Point of View 143
From a Nutritional Point of View 144
From a Psychological Point of View 145
13. The Intestines: A Long and Winding Road 146
How the Intestines Work 146
When the Intestines Don't Work as well as They Should 147
Intestine People 150
How to Take Care of the Intestines 156
From a Physical Point of View 156
From a Nutritional Point of View 156
From a Psychological Point of View 157
14. The Kidneys: Two Non-Identical Twins 158
How the Kidneys Work 158
When the Kidneys Don't Work as well as They Should 159
Kidney People 162
"Genitality," or Our Reproductive Potential 167
How to Take Care of the Kidneys 168
From a Physical Point of View 168
From a Nutritional Point of View 169
From a Psychological Point of View 171
Description:Fears, anxieties, traumas, and physical and emotional shocks imprint on the body and remain dormant in its vast memory store until they are roused by an event or encounter. They may manifest in a different form or place—a fearful incident may transform itself into a stomachache or a headache, or e
