The Bowen Technique
What is the Bowen Technique?
The Bowen Technique is a body-orientated therapy that is inspired by the work of Mr Thomas Bowen (1916-1982), a renowned Australian therapist.
The Bowen Technique works by stimulating the body's own self-healing capacity. This often results in quick and significant healing of pain and dysfunction. In more than 70% of cases an improvement is noticed within two treatments. Often three to five treatments are enough for long term reduction of pain and dysfunction.
What is meant by "the body's self-healing capacity"?
We all have a variety of complex regulatory processes that work to keep our bodies healthy, to fight off disease and to help us recover from injury. These processes are constantly working to heal small injuries, fight off a cold or flu, to eliminate toxins and foreign substances from our body and to reduce muscle stiffness and maintain a healthy state of muscular balance. Most of this occurs below the level of our conscious awareness.
Sometimes we get injuries or conditions that do not "go away by themselves", because the body is not able to heal itself. There are numerous causes for this including a traumatic events such as a car accident or a serious illness. More often than not though, it is the result of years of poor eating habits, poor posture and body use, stress or other life-style influences. Regardless of the reason, if the self-healing capacity can be stimulated by the Bowen Technique, significant healing is often the result.
How does the Bowen Technique help stimulate the body's self healing capacity?
This is a difficult question to which there is no definite answer. The best we can do is try to explain what we see occurring after receiving the Bowen Technique with what we know about human physiology.
One of the body's self healing mechanisms is a series of nerve endings that is constantly sending nerve signals to the spinal cord and brain about the length and tension of muscles and the precise positioning of joints. In response to these signals the brain and spinal cord are constantly sending messages back so that the body maintains a state of health and muscles and joints are able to junction in a healthy way. When this system fails several things can happen. The signals can stop reaching the spinal cord or brain, the brain recognises these signals as normal so fails to send a healing / balancing signal, or the brain and spinal cord over-react to the message sending too many messages for correction leading to muscle spasm.The gentle moves of the Bowen Technique move muscles in very specific ways. The body's nervous system picks up that the muscles, tendons and fascia is moving and sends a signal to the brain / spinal cord. Because of the unique nature of the message being sent it is allowed to reach the spinal cord or brain and the spinal cord or brain responds to it. This causes the body to re-examine the balance of muscle length and tension in the area and if possible restore the body to a healthy state of balance. The nervous system is more fully able to regulate muscle length and tension and the position of joints.
In the human body everything is interconnected. Blood and lymph vessels and nerves pass through or between muscles and bones. When the muscles are tight or the position of joints is not quite right these structures may not function fully. Blood circulation is reduced leading to poor supply of oxygen, nutrients and hormones to the body's tissues. Lymph does not flow properly leading to a decrease in the body's ability to remove waste products produced by the cells. Nerves that play a vital role in regulating various processes such as circulation and digestion may not function fully.
For this reason, by increasing the body's ability to regulate muscle tension and length the body is also in a better condition to carry out many functions. This is why the Bowen Technique can have a beneficial effect on a whole range of conditions that are not commonly thought of as being connected to joints and muscles.
Can the Bowen Technique help with acute injuries?
Until now we have only looked at chronic conditions that the body has not been able to heal for some reason or another. If the body's self-healing capacity is stimulated through the Bowen Technique it is also often able to heal itself more quickly in the case of acute injuries or conditions - sometimes in a fraction of the normal recovery time.
For this reason, the Bowen Technique is often used by elite athletes in Australia for the treatment of injuries and to help them recover after training and competition.
NB: The Bowen Technique is not meant as a replacement for regular medical advice. If you have any doubts over the nature of your condition please contact a medical practitioner.