The long-term goal of Mézières treatment is to sculpt the body towards its ideal shape. At the beginning of each session, the practitioner makes a detailed analysis of the existing shape of the patient and notes where this shape departs from the ideal. These departures will dictate the specific content of the session. The sessions are always tailor-made as all patients are unique and have unique ways of distorting their bodies.

In order to move towards the ideal shape, it is necessary to reduce the inevitable excess of muscle tone found in the muscular chains (MCs). To do so, some apparently simple but very precise postures are used, together with specific movements; this provokes neuro-muscular reactions which decrease the muscle tone in the MCs. Once a reduction in muscle tone has been obtained, body shape will spontaneously improve. Since shape determines function, pain, strain and malfunction will also progressively disappear.

At the end of a session, the shape of the patient is re-evaluated. The work affects the autonomic nervous system and, as a result, it is not unusual for patients to feel hungry, cold or extremely tired after a session. Although not painful, the sessions can be extremely demanding as they often require intense and sustained effort to hold the therapeutic postures.

For these reasons, there should be an interval of a week between sessions.

Mézières practitioners do not require the use of any machines, tables, gadgets nor other apparatus. The Mézières method is not a system of exercise, so there is no home work!