Originally from Australia, the Bowen Technique is a gentle alternative to Physiotherapy. It involves gentle moves over specific junctions of muscles and ligament tendons and fascia in various parts of the body. These moves will help to re-orient your body to its original ‘blueprint’, in other words your body’s previous healthy state, free of pain! The Bowen technique is a soft tissue remedial therapy. The work is very subtle, relaxing and gentle involving no hard or prolonged pressure.
At the first visit a thorough consultation will cover your full medical history, general health and the stresses and strains of your life. You will then be asked to undress down to your underwear and you will then lie on our heated couch (which you control), under a fleece blanket and then a whole body treatment will be performed.
As a general rule, moves will be made over the lower and mid back and legs, the upper back and shoulders before finishing with neck moves with the client supine (face up).
A feature of the work is that between sets of moves the therapist will leave the room and allow the client to rest. This is a key element of Bowen and is a defining aspect of the technique as well as being one of the most important. The break allows the body the opportunity to create a decision about what action needs to be taken in response to the moves given.
As humans we create appropriate responses to most situations. We can clearly establish where danger is present and determine how we should respond. Similarly we are able to define appropriate responses to other stimuli, whether it be sexual, social, pain, heat, cold etc.
With a Bowen move the response mechanism is thrown into a degree of confusion as to what the appropriate response should be. The moves aren’t painful and so therefore the defence response isn’t called for. There is no friction or rubbing and so there is no need for the body to increase fluid to the area. The breaks give the nervous system a chance to establish the correct actions. In the process other information can be gathered by the body and it is common for areas not being directly treated to respond to the treatment.
A session will last generally around one hour. Treatments should be scheduled for between five and seven days apart and an initial set of three treatments is recommended in order to establish whether the client is likely to respond to treatment.
Results can be remarkable, even from the first session; usually we will see dramatic improvements within 3 treatments.
Anybody can be treated from all age groups including newborn babies it can help with problems such as sports injuries, lower back pain, headaches, asthma, frozen shoulder, sciatic pain, neck pain, period pains, back pain on pregnant women, RSI, general aches and pains and low energy levels.