History

Tom Bowen (1916-1982) was a natural healer who developed his own pain-relieving technique for treating patients with a wide range of complaints in Australia in the 1950s. His hands-on method was based on sensing vibrations in muscles, tendons and nerves through his fingers and thumbs and then applying a relaxing treatment via a sequence of gentle moves. In fact the moves were so gentle that he could offer his therapy to anyone from newborn infants to pensioners. In between each move, he would leave the room and allow the body to absorb the effects of his treatment and begin to heal itself naturally.

The benefits of the Bowen technique are obtained as a result of the body's reaction, rather than the direct action of the therapist. In a nutshell, this is what makes the Bowen technique uniquely effective and differentiates it from other hands-on therapies: Massage Chiropractic Physiotherapy Accupunture Reflexology Tom Bowen believed in the remarkable ability of the human body to heal itself. His therapy is a holistic whole-body technique and as such is applicable to a wide range of painful conditions. The initial move is often similar for many patients, with subsequent moves chosen based on the response of the individual. The response to Bowen treatment varies widely with each person and reflects the nature of the underlying condition.

Modern Practice

Tom Bowen himself was essentially untrained, building his skills, knowledge and technique from the experience and feedback of treating thousands of patients. In an interview in 1973, he was quoted as treating 280 patients per week, or 13,000 per year. He claimed an 88% success rate in improving or resolving their condition.

He passed on his knowledge and experience to a number of students who began the process of documenting it, training others and further developing the technique. Today there are over 29,000 Bowen practioners worldwide and the technique has been extended in various ways. There is even a separate Bowen technique for horses, cats and dogs.

The Bowen Method

The Bowen technique focuses on the muscular and skeletal systems in the human body. Approximately 90% of pain suffered by all patients arises from soft tissue and so the chances of Bowen therapy offering a benefit to any given individual are very high. In particular, soft tissue is an aspect of human health that is often neglected by the medical profession, with many patients encouraged by GPs to recover by simply getting on with their lives.

Certainly the general advice offered to everyone in terms of healthy diet, drinking plenty of water and regular exercise is also advised by Bowen practitioners. Nevertheless, there are many cases where the body's natural process can become "stuck in a rut" with little progress over long periods of time. This can leave the patient with unpleasant and sometimes debilitating levels of pain.

In practice, these chronic conditions can sometimes be helped with other alternative therapies, but the effects are often partial and not long-lasting. In contrast, the Bowen technique is typically effective after 2-5 treatments to the point of resolving the condition altogether. In the smaller number of cases which require ongoing periodic Bowen treatment, the time between those periodic treatments is usually significant, e.g. six months or more.

Conditions Treated

Bowen therapy is suitable as a treatment for the following issues:

• Abdominal Pain
• Adrenal Exhaustion
• Allergies
• Anal Spasm
• Angina Pain
• Ankle Problems
• Arthritis
• Asthma Symptoms
• Baby Colic
• Back Cramp
• Back Pain
• Bed Wetting
• Bell's Palsy
• Bladder Problems
• Blood Impurities
• Blood Pressure Symptoms
• Breast Lumps
• Breast Pain
• Bronchitis Symptoms
• Bunions
• Bursitis
• Buttock Pain
• Carpal Tunnel
• Chest Pain Symptoms
• Circulation
• Coccyx Pain
• Colic
• Constipation
• Coughs
• Deafness
• Depression
• Diaphragm Pain
• Diarrhoea
• Digestive Problems
• Distension (Abdominal)
• Diverticulitis
• Dizziness
• Duodenal Ulcer
• Ear Infections
• Eczema
• Emphysema
• Eye Problems
• Fever
• Fibromyalgia
• Flattulence
• Fluid Retention
• Frozen Shoulder
• Gallbladder Pain
• Gallstones
• Glandular Fever
• Groin Strain
• Haemorrhoids
• Hammer Toes
• Hay Fever
• Headache
• Heart Conditions
• Hernia (Inguinal)
• Hiatal Hernia
• High Shoulder
• Ileo-Caecal Valve
• Immune System
• Incontinence (Adult)
• Indigestion
• Infertility (M&F)
• Influenza
• Kidney and Bladder Problems
• Lactation
• Leg Cramnps
• Liver Problems
• Lumbago
• Lung Problems
• Lymphatic Drainage
• Menier's Disease
• Menopausal Problems
• Menstruation Problems
• Migraine
• Nausea
• Neck Tension
• Nervous Tension
• Oedema
• Osteoporosis
• Pelvic Tilt
• Period Cramps
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Pregnancy (Discomfort)
• Prostate Problems
• Psoriasis
• Respiratory Problems
• Sacral Pain
• Sciatica
• Scoliosis
• Shin Splints
• Sinus Problems
• Skin Disorders
• Sprung Ribs
• Sterility
• Sternal Pain
• Stomach Ulcer
• Stress
• Teeth and Gums
• Tennis Elbow
• Thrush
• Thyroid
• Tonsilitis
• Torticollis
• Uninary Tract
• Varicous Veins
• Vision Problems

This list is by no means comprehensive, but it gives an idea of the wide-ranging applicability of the Bowen technique.

If you have a condition that is not on this list, it may still be worth contacting a Bowen practitioner and discussing whether the technique could offer a benefit. The development of the original Bowen technique was based on experience and feedback and that is very much an ongoing process today.

Response to Treatment

For many individuals, particularly those with high levels of pain who have tried unsuccessfully to resolve it via many a number of alternative therapies, successful Bowen treatment can be a life-changing experience. It is quite common for Bowen practitioners to have experienced the benefits of the technique themselves first-hand. Their desire to pass on the good work to others is what drives the ever-increasing popularity of the Bowen technique, with more practitioners trained and more patients treated each year.

The response to Bowen treatment, both in the treatment room and over the next few days, varies significantly on a case-by-case basis. However, there are a number of common themes, including:

• Sensation of Heat
• Sensation of Cold
• Itching
• Flexing of Joints
• Involuntary Muscle Spasm
• Running Nose
• Upset Stomach
• Vomiting

Each of these are effects of the body's natural healing process and are not cause for alarm. In particular, painful conditions are usually the result of toxins stored in the cells in the body. This is known as "cell memory". Bowen treatment causes these toxins to be released into the bloodstream where they can then be processed, usually via the liver and released from the body, usually via urination. For this reason, patients are encouraged to drink at least 2 litres of water a day for 5 days following a Bowen treatment. This aids the elimination of toxins from the body and greatly speeds up the healing process.

Number of Treatments

For mild conditions, the release of toxins and subsequent healing can be effective after only 1 or 2 Bowen treatments.

However, for chronic or very painful conditions, the amount of toxins stored in the body's cells can be very high. In these cases, initial treatments will eliminate some of the toxins from the body, but with some inevitably being reabsorbed by the cells. This can lead to a sense of frustration due to pain being unresolved or relocated into other parts of the body. Furthermore, in some cases the sense of pain may actually increase as a result of healing in the nervous system. The key message here is that the changes in the body are a sign of progress and that further treatments will stimulate further progress with improvement in the level of pain. In most cases, treatments can be continued successfully with ultimately the resolution of pain altogether.

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