Bowen Technique (also known as Bowtech - the Original Bowen Technique and Bowenwork) is a dynamic yet gentle system of soft-tissue therapy that was developed in Australia in the 60s and 70s by the late Tom Bowen, who discovered that making small and gentle movements on strategic points in the body generated an integrated healing response. Sometimes called the “homeopathy of bodywork,” it utilizes subtle moves performed over the muscles and connective tissue to send messages deep into the body, retrieving cellular memory of a relaxed, balanced way of well-being, and stimulating the body to heal itself, often profoundly.

Bowen Technique offers tremendous benefit to clients with very little effort on the part of the practitioner. Bowen moves are light, gentle and very precise. There is no forceful manipulation.

The practitioner is able to discern stress build-up in the muscles and other soft-tissue, enabling them to perform specific Bowen moves to assist recovery and pain relief. The practitioner’s moves deliver signals to the nervous system at specific locations (on muscles, tendons, ligaments, or nerves), and the body responds in its own time, within its vital capacity.

Bowen Technique is appropriate for people of all ages, in all degrees of health- from the newborn to the elderly and stunning results can often be observed after only a few treatments; even for chronic complaints. Working holistically, via the body’s innate healing mechanisms, it can provide relief for many types of injuries and other health problems, both acute and chronic, and it can address almost any health problem including:

  • Headaches &Migraines
  •  Back, neck & shoulder pain
  • Sciatica & soliosis
  • Wrist & elbow pain
  •  Knee, ankle & toe problems 
  • Respiratory problems 
  • Chronic fatigue & Fibromyalgia
  • Digestive problems
  • Menstrual problems
  • Fertility problems
  • Sports injuries
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Depression
  • Jaw & TMJ problems
  • &  much more

Rather than focusing on a single complaint, Bowen Technique addresses the entire body, by restoring balance via the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS controls over 80% of bodily functions and is very susceptible to external stressors. Most people today live in a constant state of high stress and sympathetic ANS over-stimulation (“fight, flight or freeze mode”). Healing can occur only after the ANS shifts from sympathetic to parasympathetic dominance (“rest, relax and repair mode”). Bowen Technique enables that shift. During a session, the client often drops into deep relaxation or falls asleep, and loud peristalsis may be heard. Both of these changes are indications of a profound release from stress and a shift towards parasympathetic influence. This shift could explain, in part, the common observation that a Bowen Technique session seems to reactivate the recovery process in situations where healing from trauma, sickness or surgery has stalled or reached a plateau.

A typical Bowen Technique session generally lasts from 30 - 60 minutes. Clients usually lie on a massage/bodywork table or bed, or may be seated in a chair if required, for comfort. A 'session' involves one or more 'procedures', each of which consists of several sets of 'moves’. The moves are gentle, but purposeful, and can be done through light clothing. Between each set of moves, the practitioner pauses for as many minutes as are needed for the client's body to begin responding. As the nervous system begins to adjust the tension level in the muscles, the practitioner senses when the client is ready for the next set of moves. A common approach in a session is to balance the entire body by addressing the lower back, then the upper back, and then the neck. To minimize the need for disturbing the client's rest, all procedures that address the back of the client are completed before turning over for procedures that are done with the client lying on his/her back.

In contrast to other hands-on modalities, where the practitioner imposes correction on the client through manipulation, Bowen Technique facilitates the body in healing itself, with minimal intervention. Because of the subtle nature of Bowen Technique, and the body's continuing response to it over several days thereafter, other forms of manipulative therapy are discouraged for up to five days after a session, as they may interfere with the efficacy of the work.



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