What is The Bowen Technique?
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The Technique
The Bowen Technique is a holistic, non-invasive therapy that is applied to specific areas of the body.
Therapists create rolling-type moves over the skin, using the thumbs and fingers. The moves are designed to disturb the underlying tendons, fascia, muscle and organs. Between each set of moves, the therapist will leave the room. These 'breaks' provide an opportunity for 'interoception' to take place, which is essentially a conversation between the body and brain via the nervous systems.
Bowen moves are designed to be comfortable for the recipient, there is no deep or prolonged pressure, sliding or flicking involved. Most of the moves can be made through light clothing with the client lying, sitting or standing.
The pressure can be adapted to suit the individual - making Bowen a suitable therapy for everyone from the newborn to athletes, the elderly and disabled.
The Bowen Move
The Bowen moves are very distinctive and applied to precise points on the body.
They are designed to stimulate the tissues (particularly the connective tissues - muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia). The nerve pathways and lymphatic system are also affected, whilst simultaniously creating a focus for the brain.
The Bowen "Breaks"
Tom Bowen was a man who had a great ability to accurately observe the often very subtle imbalances in the body and could therefore start the process of correcting these very quickly. Once he had started the process with a few well-chosen moves, he would leave the client alone in the treatment room before returning some minutes later to check how the body had responded and determine what more, if anything, needed to be done.
This element of allowing the body to rest for a few minutes initiates the process of repair and therefore plays a key role in every Bowen session. The length of the breaks will vary from client to client and depending on which procedures are being used. On average, the breaks are between two and five minutes.
One of the most fundamental principles of Bowen is that it is the client's own body that is doing the work, not the therapist. The therapist merely provides the correct environment to initiate the change.
How Does It Work?
This is an excellent question, and the answer you receive may vary depending upon who you talk to. That's not because anyone is 'wrong', but more that several of the body's systems are activated simultaniously, and each person's body will respond in a different way, depending on what is required. In addition, anatomical studies and research are ongoing, and so our knowledge in this field is still developing.
Bowen moves are primarily made over muscles and have a very specific effect on fascia (the tissue that surrounds muscle fibres and organs). Some of the moves correspond to well known acupressure points, whilst others are designed to stimulate proprioception (the sense that allows us to perceve the location and movement of parts of our body), lymphatic drainage or the nervous systems.
Fascia has many different sensory nerves, and touch of any kind will activate certain sensory receptors in the skin - such as touch, pressure, texture, heat and pain. Most Bowen moves involve taking skin slack, applying a challenge, or 'gentle push', followed by a slow, steady move. This type of move stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest response), which in turn generally results in deep relaxation.
The 'breaks' left between sets of moves are unique to Bowen therapy and are a key feature of every session, as they initiate a process called 'interoception'. Interoception is the sense that asks the question "how do I feel?" and the appropriate response will be initiated, depending on the answer.
Tom Bowen used to say that when you do the first few moves of a Bowen session 'the body knows that the emergency is over'.
Will Bowen Work for Me?
It is not uncommon for a client to walk out of the therapy room feeling that there has been little or no improvement, other than perhaps a sense of relaxation. In most cases any change will be observed within the following days. Occasionally a client may report headaches, muscular aches or stiffness initially, demonstrating that some form of change is underway. During this time it would be important for you to stay well hydrated and move as much as possible. After a couple of days, any such response should begin to calm down and some relief from your initial symptoms may be observed.
We would generally recommend having three to four Bowen sessions to begin with. During this time you may begin to notice some changes. It is worth noting that these 'changes' are not necessarily an improvement in the symptoms you initially arrived with. Your body will initiate the appropriate response, in the order that it needs to happen. For example, you may notice improved sleep patterns. This is quite a common, and also important response, as it allows an opportunity for the body to repair cells, restore energy and engage in other necessary recovery processes.
Occasionally Bowen will not initiate any noticable changes at all, and this may be due to any number of reasons. Unfortunately there are no guarantees that Bowen will definitely work for you, but the worst case scenario is that the you have received a pleasant and relaxing hour of therapeutic touch, and perhaps even a little power nap!
