The Bowen Technique (Bowtech)
By John Wilks
Background to The Bowen Technique
Developed in the 1950’s by the late Tom Bowen in Geelong,
Australia, The Bowen Technique is a gentle but very dynamic
therapy. It empowers the body’s own healing resources,
achieving balance and harmony, frequently resulting in fast
and lasting relief from pain and discomfort. The technique
is considered safe to use on anyone from newborns to the
elderly, with any condition from sports injuries to chronic
or organic complaints.
A treatment comprises sequences of small gentle moves,
each at specific sites on the body. There is no forceful
manipulation, just a light cross-fibre manoeuvring of a
muscle, tendon or ligament, pleasant to the recipient. The
Bowen Technique taps into the body’s natural feedback
system that monitors the state of each muscle.
As well as releasing any tension within the muscles, the
moves also work on energy blocks (accumulated by injury,
tension or disease), allowing increased energy flow and
hence healing ability. Treatments can be performed through
light clothing, and substantial relief is frequently experienced
after the first 1 or 2 sessions
Symptoms that may respond well to The Bowen Technique include:
Sports injuries, Stress & Tension symptoms, Back pain
and Sciatica, RSI & Tennis Elbow, Neck & Shoulder
problems, Knee & Ankle problems, Hayfever, Menstrual
irregularities, Migraines & Headaches, Chronic fatigue.
A Case Study
Jane (not her real name), a 25 year old nurse, attended
the clinic presenting with chronic lower back pain that
had started after a road traffic accident 7 years previously.
She was suffering from numbness in her right hip and leg,
severe period pain and a severe pain in the left kidney
area of her back.
She was able to attribute these symptoms to a restricted
sacro-iliac joint on her left side and general compression
through the lower lumbar area following visits to various
consultants and x-ray tests. On assessment, I found that
there was a severe rotational pattern of the sacrum in relation
to the pelvis which was reflected in a pull through the
dural membranes from the coccyx to the lower lumbar spine.
The client had come on recommendation of a friend and knew
very little about the Bowen Technique. She was therefore
somewhat surprised that a treatment so light could be in
any way effective, given her medical training. I told her
that the treatment tends to release held muscle tissue and
can result in stiffness for a few hours as toxins get released
from the tissues and work themselves through the lymphatic
system. I therefore advised her, as I do with all my clients,
to drink plenty of water and to try to keep moving during
the day. Although she was somewhat sceptical at this, she
agreed to come again next week to continue treatment.
The following week she returned, highly apologetic for
her scepticism. She had felt extremely stiff the evening
of the first treatment, but by the following morning the
stiffness had dissipated. She also said that she felt generally
more mobile and that the pain in her back was considerably
improved. She was still left with the pain in her left kidney
area. After checking that she wasn't suffering from any
kidney infection, I proceeded to address the area using
specific Bowen techniques. At the end of the session I also
suggested various gentle exercises that might help her and
made sure that she was lifting correctly in her work.
During the next 2 treatments she made steady progress and
by the 4th session (probably the average number of sessions
for most Bowen treatments), the kidney pain had gone, her
lower back and sacrum area were much more mobile and pain-free
and her periods were much less heavy and painful.
This client now returns from time to time when she has
suffered a specific injury and is interested in learning
the technique herself to use on her patients.
About the Author
John Wilks MA RCST BTAA MIIR ARCM.
John studied massage with the West London School of Therapeutic
Massage and reflexology with the International Institute
of Reflexology after a career in music teaching and a lifelong
interest in bodywork.
After studying music at Balliol College, Oxford where he
was an instrumental scholar, he went on to teach music in
London and Dorset at the same time developing a strong interest
in body-orientated psychotherapy and meditation. He helped
set up a thriving meditation centre in South London in the
1970’s.
He learnt the Bowen Technique in 1995, and works at several
clinics in south Somerset and north Dorset, including a
GP’s practice in Yeovil and the Middlemarsh clinic
in Poundbury. He teaches the Bowen Technique as an accredited
instructor for the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia both
in the UK and abroad.
He is a registered Craniosacral therapist, having studied
at the Karuna Institute with Franklyn Sills and is chairman
of both the Craniosacral Therapy Association of the UK and
the Bowen Association UK. He is actively involved with the
Foundation for Integrated Medicine to establish National
Occupational Standards for Craniosacral Therapy and is chairman
of the Cranial Forum which is the working body set up in
1999 to represent all the various cranial and Craniosacral
groups in the UK. He is also an advisor to the European
Craniosacral Association.
As a hobby, he performs regularly as a flautist in the
South-West, and is an Associate of the Royal College of
Music. He designed and maintains various websites and is
involved in several ventures for promoting Complementary
therapies on the internet. He is involved in a number of
charitable projects organising therapeutic work overseas,
including Bosnia.
For further information, please contact John Wilks on 01963
220615 or fax 01963 220176 or email JohnWilks@cwcom.net
Training in the Bowen Technique
Mr Tom Bowen devoted a lifetime to developing his gentle
and innovative approach. In 1974, he invited Oswald Rentsch
and his wife Elaine to study with him and document his work.
Their interpretation was verified by him as being a true
representation of the original technique, and it is this
that is now widely taught and practised throughout the world.
Ossie and Elaine began teaching the technique in 1986 after
many years of their own clinical experience and in 1987
they founded the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia to which
the Bowen Association is affiliated. Courses are held throughout
the UK by accredited instructors. The therapy is taught
as an introduction to bodywork for the non-professional
and also as an ideal adjunct for the professional therapist.
For Further information visit the website
www.bowen-technique.co.uk
