Bowen Technique

What is the Bowen Technique?

Tom Bowen was an Australian practitioner who pioneered the use of a gentle non-forceful treatment for correcting musculo-skeletal faults. The technique he developed is a rolling move across tendons, ligaments, muscles, and connective tissue. Each move acts on a small area which is linked to other areas of the body by further moves on different parts.

What conditions are most commonly treated?

• Muscular, tendon and ligament strains.
• Skeletal/structural problems; backache, sciatica, 'slipped disc'.
• Injury and illness: Bowen speeds recovery and recuperation through improved circulation.
• Colds/flu, bladder/kidney infections, wound healing.
• Removal of toxins and lactic acid in athletic muscles.
• Pain: Arthritis; migraines; irritable bowel syndrome; fibromyalgia.

How does Bowen heal?

• The nervous system settles, reducing stress, anxiety and muscle tension
• Muscles relax, relieving stresses on other parts of the body
• Tissues soften, allowing more space for improved circulation of blood, lymph and energy
• The body draws on it's own healing powers and adjusts to a new state of balance.

What is the role of the nervous system in Bowen Technique?

The nervous system is divided into two main parts:

• Voluntary, and
• Autonomic (or Involuntary). The autonomic is again subdivided into:
  • Sympathetic (adrenalin secreting), and
  • Parasympathetic (acetyl-choline secreting).

The autonomic nervous system controls function:

• Cardiac,
• Respiratory,
• Peripheral circulation,
• Reproductive,
• Endocrine,
• Gastrointestinal.

The autonomic nervous system is easily affected by stress and change in emotional state.

Each branch must be balanced by its opposite half. During fear or anxiety we secrete adrenalin which makes the heart beat faster and turns off digestion. During relaxation we secrete acetyl-choline which activates the release of digestive juices and slows the heart.

This could explain why some people heal slowly, or experience incomplete recovery from sickness or injuries. For healing to happen the organism need to shift from sympathetic to parasympathetic dominance. This is what the Bowen Technique does.

During a Bowen Session it is very common that a patient will fall asleep, or drop into a deep state of relaxation.

'Often loud peristaltic sounds can be heard just after doing a Bowen move: This indicates the switch from sympathetic (adrenalin) to parasympathetic (acetyl-choline) activity and a release from stress. It is also the state of body that promotes healing.'