A method for joining and holding closed a wound in bodily tissue, fastening junctions of wounds, tying off wounds, joining a foreign element to tissue, and altering the position of tissue using a 
barbed suture including sharp pointed ends. Each end of the suture includes barbs on that permit movement in an opposing direction to the barbs on the other end of the suture. This two-way 
barbed suture is used by the method of the present invention in applications including abdominal surgeries such as a Nissen fundoplication, laparoscopic uses such as stabilizing a bowel structure and performing a closure of a cystostomy, liver to bowel 
anastomosis, closure of an orifice of a Zenker's Diverticulum, endoscopic uses such as closure of ulcerative lesions or and post-procedural tissue defects, bladder 
wound closure, 
valve replacement surgery, device attachment, cosmetic 
surgery, and 
blood vessel wound closure.