[Extracted from Vitality magazine Sept/Oct 2011]
The Bowen Technique is a natural, drug-free, non-invasive complementary therapy, invented in Australia and introduced to the UK in the 1990s. Bowen Therapy has a particularly strong record of success in the treatment of back pain. A national study, carried out by The Bowen Therapy Professional Association (BTPA) in the summer of 2006, showed that 95 per cent of back pain sufferers experienced either complete relief or a marked improvement, after a series of no more than three Bowen treatments.
The Bowen Technique prides itself on being able to trigger the body’s own healing systems. Rather than 'making' the body change, Bowen 'asks' the body to recognise and make the changes it requires.
With primarily fingers and thumbs, the Bowen practitioner makes small, rolling movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue at precise points on the body, using only the amount of pressure appropriate for that individual. No hard-tissue manipulation or force is needed or used. Between each set of moves, the body is allowed to rest for a few minutes,
to allow it to absorb the information it has received and initiate the healing process.
Bowen is generally pleasant to receive, each session lasting 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the age of the client and the nature of their condition. Many clients become so relaxed they fall asleep during the treatment.
Short-term (acute) injury may be resolved in one to three Bowen treatments, while long-standing (chronic) conditions may require longer. A gap of five to ten days is recommended between Bowen sessions; so that the body can process the subtle information it has been given. As well as back pain, Bowen Therapy also may help with a host of other health issues
such as frozen shoulders, sports injuries, whiplash, migraine, hay fever, asthma, IBS
or fertility matters.
Brighton Bowen therapist Sarah Yearsley has treated Channel 4’s Born Survivor Bear Grylls for many years now. Grylls says of his Bowen treatments with Sarah, “It (Bowen) has helped keep my body together despite the continual bashing it takes. It’s a vital support in putting right a whole range of new aches and pains, making sure that old injuries don’t cause
me problems, and helping me fight stress and fatigue.”
As with many other alternative therapies, the success of a treatment mainly depends on visiting a legitimate, well trained practitioner, who is a member of an organisation like BTPA (The Bowen Therapy Professional Association). Members of this association are qualified in Anatomy & Physiology and First Aid. They are also fully insured, abide by a strict code of conduct and ethics and are committed to a programme of continuing professional development.
