The original Bowen work was intuited by a grumpy but very compassionate Australian man called Tom Bowen. He discovered that he could help with sports injuries while he was an amateur coach. If one of the players was injured, he knew what to do to make the injury heal instantaneously or very quickly. He developed this into a system of what are now called 'Bowen moves' - gentle, rolling movements over the fascia of specific points on the body. Soon he was seeing 13,000 people a year, many of them traveling from far away places across Australia to be 'healed' by him. This was in the 1950's and 60's. What is interesting is that Tom Bowen knew nothing about the anatomy of the body or any bodywork or healing modalities when he first started doing this work, so what he came up with is quite refreshingly unique in the field of health and healing, not a borrowed or refined version of something else.
The principle philosophy behind the work is very firmly that the body is designed to heal itself. We are all born with an innate ability to put right what goes wrong in our bodies. Sure, we all want to do better than that, so that in situations where we might die or be really sick then we want to change that around, and hand our health over to someone else. But the natural plan was just that if certain things happen to our bodies, then we die. No big deal. The other stuff is taken care of by the body and it's person. In a simpler world, where we ate a more healthy diet, were inspired by our work and enjoyed each moment of our lives - then we probably wouldn't get too sick and prone to injury. A lot of it is about the stress level in our lives, the layers of emotional and physical pain we carry with us, and the toxic stress on our bodies (and souls) of car fumes, perfumes, chemicals everywhere and pesticides/hormones in the food we eat. It's hard for us to deal with all that and be in the right state to heal ourselves. People walk around with undigested food in their system for days because they are so busy and stressed that their body cannot be relaxed enough to digest. Digestion takes up a lot of energy. If a person does finally relax, that's when their body can manage digestion. (That's why you start to gurgle outrageously during your massage/ bodywork/healing session)
Similarly to Homeopathy, Bowen works on a vibrational level as much as it does on the physical. The greatest healing effect comes from the least disturbance to the body - less is more. Bowen really seems to help the body reach an optimal vibrational state during the treatment, with this effect often lasting a long time afterwards. People most often describe feeling an improved sense of well being, a calmness and relaxation, and better, more refreshing sleep. On a physical level, the work creates simple messages to the brain, speaking directly to your parasympathetic nervous system. Change takes place on a cellular level. Rather than the body being stimulated consistently, as happens during a massage for example, it is given just a few gentle stimuli. The practitioner performs a few of the Bowen moves and then leaves the room or moves away for a few minutes. This is the key to the treatment, without any further stimulus the body quickly reaches a state of relaxation. Individual areas of the body relax as they are worked on. The treatment continues on like this, and usually lasts 45 minutes to an hour. Having only a few simple messages to the brain gives the body the space and time to heal itself. Too much stimulus is overload for the brain and it exhausts itself trying to respond. In the end it gives up trying to figure out what you want it to do with all that information coming from the outside.
What people love about Bowen is that it is relaxing, non-manipulative and gentle, yet, incredibly, very effective. Most people first come to Bowen work because they have a chronic injury or condition that has not responded to other holistic modalities or allopathic medicine. At the end of the first session many people feel great, but doubt very much that something so gentle and seemingly 'nothing' will make their frozen shoulder feel better, which is what they came in for in the first place, (for example). But it does. That and lots of other things- injuries, musculo-skeletal problems and postural balance, digestive problems, respiratory problems, TMJ problems, stress and anxiety, depression, it has even been very successful in working towards fertility in couples. It's great for mothers-to-be, babies and children. In the beautiful and natural states of pregnancy, labor and motherhood, a woman's body is extremely powerful and responds well to simple guidance to regain balance. Needless to say, babies are so pure that their bodies and energies need very little help, so the gentle nature of Bowen work is perfect - after labor (it's hard on baby as well as mum!) and for those little adjustments to life outside.
My own personal favorite experience with Bowen was working with someone who had been bitten by a brown recluse spider. Usually she was very active and healthy, but for the 3 months following the bite she had not had the energy to move from the sofa at home. The bite sites were still painful and she could not stand the pain and sensation of touching them. That first treatment I worked very slowly and did very little, just enough I thought to take the body out of it's toxic state somewhat and lighten the load on her internal organs. When she came back a week later, she was 50% back to full health, had been able to take the dog on short walks and move around the house, felt less depressed, and could happily touch the bite sites. We did 2 more sessions to get her back to full health, the last one working on her kidneys to help flush them out after the toxic overload. What I like about that particular experience is that it confirms to me what I believe happens during a Bowen session, that the body has great capacity to re-balance itself with just these small suggestions - combined with an environment conducive to relaxation, feeling safe and being able to fully let go for a moment. That moment where you fully let go during meditation or expression may only last a short time, but it is essential to your being and to your sanity to notice it and to try for more. Bowen is easy meditation. It's easy to get into that state during the session and have it last a few precious minutes or even the whole time and beyond. That is incredibly refreshing for your body and makes you more able to start processing your imbalances, untangling them, and healing them according to your own natural priority. The principle philosophy behind the work is very firmly that the body is designed to heal itself. We are all born with an innate ability to put right what goes wrong in our bodies. Sure, we all want to do better than that, so that in situations where we might die or be really sick then we want to change that around, and hand our health over to someone else. But the natural plan was just that if certain things happen to our bodies, then we die. No big deal. The other stuff is taken care of by the body and it's person. In a simpler world, where we ate a more healthy diet, were inspired by our work and enjoyed each moment of our lives - then we probably wouldn't get too sick and prone to injury. A lot of it is about the stress level in our lives, the layers of emotional and physical pain we carry with us, and the toxic stress on our bodies (and souls) of car fumes, perfumes, chemicals everywhere and pesticides/hormones in the food we eat. It's hard for us to deal with all that and be in the right state to heal ourselves. People walk around with undigested food in their system for days because they are so busy and stressed that their body cannot be relaxed enough to digest. Digestion takes up a lot of energy. If a person does finally relax, that's when their body can manage digestion. (That's why you start to gurgle outrageously during your massage/ bodywork/healing session)
Similarly to Homeopathy, Bowen works on a vibrational level as much as it does on the physical. The greatest healing effect comes from the least disturbance to the body - less is more. Bowen really seems to help the body reach an optimal vibrational state during the treatment, with this effect often lasting a long time afterwards. People most often describe feeling an improved sense of well being, a calmness and relaxation, and better, more refreshing sleep. On a physical level, the work creates simple messages to the brain, speaking directly to your parasympathetic nervous system. Change takes place on a cellular level. Rather than the body being stimulated consistently, as happens during a massage for example, it is given just a few gentle stimuli. The practitioner performs a few of the Bowen moves and then leaves the room or moves away for a few minutes. This is the key to the treatment, without any further stimulus the body quickly reaches a state of relaxation. Individual areas of the body relax as they are worked on. The treatment continues on like this, and usually lasts 45 minutes to an hour. Having only a few simple messages to the brain gives the body the space and time to heal itself. Too much stimulus is overload for the brain and it exhausts itself trying to respond. In the end it gives up trying to figure out what you want it to do with all that information coming from the outside.
What people love about Bowen is that it is relaxing, non-manipulative and gentle, yet, incredibly, very effective. Most people first come to Bowen work because they have a chronic injury or condition that has not responded to other holistic modalities or allopathic medicine. At the end of the first session many people feel great, but doubt very much that something so gentle and seemingly 'nothing' will make their frozen shoulder feel better, which is what they came in for in the first place, (for example). But it does. That and lots of other things- injuries, musculo-skeletal problems and postural balance, digestive problems, respiratory problems, TMJ problems, stress and anxiety, depression, it has even been very successful in working towards fertility in couples. It's great for mothers-to-be, babies and children. In the beautiful and natural states of pregnancy, labor and motherhood, a woman's body is extremely powerful and responds well to simple guidance to regain balance. Needless to say, babies are so pure that their bodies and energies need very little help, so the gentle nature of Bowen work is perfect - after labor (it's hard on baby as well as mum!) and for those little adjustments to life outside.
Simplicity.
2 comments:
This is a great description of and introduction to Bowen. Wasn't Ganhdi supposed to be grumpy too? And Van Morrison, of course, that goes without saying.
this sounds like a really beautiful way to trigger someone's own healing process. i feel all too often we give away power of our own health and wellbeing to others, stemming from the allopathic indoctrination. be it doctors or alternative practitioners manipulating us back into shape, they are all invasive and take us away from the essence. which is surely HEAL THYSELF.
The way you describe Bowen beautifully describes the delicate yet empowering/outstanding technique that it is.
my own experience of the power of self healing (activated by bowen) was the trapped nerve condition (not sciatica) i had issues with for 5 years. the agony was incredible even with regular visits to a reputable osteopath. i think it was my 2nd bowen session when i felt something "shift" (all on its own, after the therapist had left the room!) in my neck and the 3rd session i was pain free for a whole 2 hours!~
it just got better and better in the last three years to the point where i only get twinges every 6 months or so and go running straight for bowen and it clears up again even after just one session. as you say "less is more" .wonderful and there is nothing else out there quite like it!
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