Sara Mead Bowen therapist

Some people may, but most folk in this area have no idea. Ask them if they know what Reiki, Indian Head Massage is, and even the most ‘mainstream’ person can tell you a bit about that.

Bowen, Bowtech, Bowen therapy, is not even a bit wacky or new agey! It is very hands on, like a really gentle form of physiotherapy, and no, it’s not like massage either. It is only working on soft tissue, so no bone crunching or tendon twitching.

The secret of it, is a tiny gentle movement in a rolling motion, over a muscle, or group of muscles, which stimulate the body to heal itself. Most moves are done at the origins of where the muscles are, where the nerve receptors are located, thus changing a pain or muscle spasm. Bowen also causes lymphatic drainage, so stimulating the immune system. Detoxification often occurs after a session.

After a set of moves are made, there is a 2 minute (or more) wait, whilst the therapist leaves the room. ‘Where’s she gone?’ you think, as you lie on the table, ‘To hang the washing out? Put the dinner on?’ This is one of the most important aspects of the bowen work. It is to allow the body time to process the moves just done. As the client lies there relaxing, the body registers what has happened and goes into ‘Rest, Relax and Repair’ mode.

Different parts of the body are worked on, depending on the condition, e.g. neck head and shoulder for a sore shoulder, pelvis, knee and ankle for bad knees.

Any condition can be treated, from flu's and viruses, to slipped discs, crookedness in the body, to ADHD in kids, to depression and anxiety.

Anyone can be treated, from tiny babies to the very old or frail, as it is such a gentle non-invasive therapy. It can be done through loose clothing. Bowen is quite an insidious therapy. Usually no-one bounds off the table yelling ‘I’m cured’ (although there is the odd one!), but it goes on working for up to 2 weeks after the treatment. It creeps up on you, as you notice the bits that were painful, suddenly aren’t!

Usually, a minimum of 3 treatments is required, and the more long standing the condition, sometimes it may take longer to put right – but this is not always so, everyone reacts differently to the treatment.

It is very like peeling an onion, as one layer of pain or trauma comes off, so an underlying issue may be revealed. More treatment, and this problem becomes resolved also.

So where did this revolutionary therapy come from, I hear you ask, and how come such little moves can do so much?

In 1950, in Geelong, Victoria Australia, Thomas Ambrose Bowen began treating people in this way. He had no formal training in bodywork, but claimed it was ‘a gift from God’ that enabled him to design/invent the moves, and made him able to read each person’s body, to know what they needed. He also studied a lot of Anatomy and Physiology from books.

Thomas Bowen treated thousands of people in the 32 yrs he practiced bowen until his death in 1982. Shortly before his death, he allowed a handful of people to observe and document his work.

One of these people, Oswald Rentsch, formed the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia. It is now taught and practiced worldwide, and has changed many people’s lives for the better, making them pain free, or pain reduced, enabling them to enjoy a better quality of life.

The beauty is, it can be done anywhere, needing nothing more than the therapists hands, and somewhere to lie down in a quiet space.