Visceral Influences on Bodily Expressiveness

Each of us presents ourselves to others through our own choice of clothing and appearance. What others see of us is our outermost, superficial, "more material" layer, one might say. Let us imagine ourselves as beings composed of multiple layers. If we remove what we wear to appear a certain way, what remains is our postural attitude, that basic muscle tone which guides our gestures, the result of what lies even deeper beneath. At the base of posture lies musculoskeletal biomechanics, that is, all those joint and muscle relationships that compose our supporting structure. Even deeper, we can say there is what gives energy to the functionality of our structure, namely the visceral system that encompasses all those structures that transform the air we breathe and the food we ingest into energy to be used for various vital and social functions. At the base of everything is control dictated by the nervous system intimately connected to the psycho-immune system which translates the spiritual language of our vital energy into a biochemical language.

    There are precise relationships between the anatomical-physiological aspects of the human body's structure and those related to the visceral system. We can define the visceral system as the content of the musculoskeletal structure that acts as a container.  Between the two, there are biomechanical correlations but also neurological ones.

    We also know how important the free mobility of the viscera is for better blood circulation, the optimal maintenance of vital functions, therefore for the general health of the individual. We know the relationship between the visceral system and the lymphatic-immune system: internal organs such as, for example, the spleen or Peyer's patches in the small intestine are in fact true immune organs.

    We can safely say that the viscera is what physically creates the link between the deepest part of us, connected to psychological, emotional, metabolic aspects, and external aspects made of posture, movement, sociality.

       I quote, in this regard, some significant passages from Bonnie B. Cohen's book Sensation, Emotion to Action published by Somaticaedizioni, as a point of reflection and opening toward a broader perspective:

    "Fundamentally, the organ system and the musculoskeletal system interact dynamically, giving each other reciprocal support and balancing one another.

The musculoskeletal system is the container, the organs are the content. Occupying our internal space, they give us a sense of volume and fullness of inner vitality and support in coordinating the entire skeletal structure.

The organs perform, within the body, the functions necessary for survival: respiration, nutrition, and waste elimination... controlled by the autonomic nervous system. This, in turn, is the basis of the organization of somatic nervous system patterns... It is thus that the activity of our organs constitutes the background of our movements in space. And, on the other hand, the ways in which we secure survival influence our way of interacting with the world...

...Each organ is a standalone element, which at the same time is connected to all other organs, which together - through rhythm, energy flow, and movement - constitute a system. The tone of the organs establishes the basic postural tone of the skeletal muscles."

    Therefore, compared to a manual approach, the visceral system is a level on which one can effectively work to achieve results on the morphology of our outer body.