What is it?
The Bowen Technique is a remedial, hands-on physical therapy that is applied using gentle pressure. The practitioner uses thumbs and fingers on precise points of the body to perform Bowen’s unique sets of rolling-type moves which stimulate the muscles and soft tissue of the body. There is no manipulation or adjustment of hard tissue and no force is used. The experience of a treatment is gentle, subtle and relaxing. It is believed that the Bowen Technique prompts the body to reset, repair and balance itself and clients report the experience of pain relief, improvement of function and recovery of energy.
Gentle
As a therapy, Bowen is truly light-touch. The pressure used in Bowen is quite subtle and can be extremely light and still get the job done. It is not dependent on hard pressure and there is no awkward bending, twisting or re-positioning of the client during the treatment. Because of this, Bowen can be considered for clients for whom other forms of therapy might be too aggressive, forceful or invasive. The tiniest of babies through to the frailest of adults have been treated with Bowen.
Holistic
A key element of the principle guiding Bowen, and indeed all complementary therapies, is that we work holistically, according to the well-established principle of naturopathic medicine: ‘That the body be treated as a whole, without referral to named disease’. Indeed, with Bowen we don’t diagnose and we are not treating just the named disease or condition, but we are treating the whole person.
Relevant
The Bowen Technique treatment protocol is very well worked out in its effect on the whole body. For instance, probably the most common presentation for a Bowen therapist will be back pain. With Bowen we will tend to give a whole-body treatment at the first visit, which includes the neck, knees and shoulders. Because it is often very difficult to be completely sure where any given pain is coming from and to know how other structures are being affected by the original problem, Bowen’s holistic way of treating will most often get to the root of problems gently and efficiently.