Bowen Technique

...I have become a Bowen Technique devotee!! And those are the things they tell you to do between sessions, a little walk each day and as much water as you can drink!

As some of you know I have my fair share of health problems, notably Ulcerative Colitis and Ankylosing Spondylitis to name just two. My hips had been aching and steadily getting worse for a number of years now, one particular time I had done a 2 days show for work which ...
...my various conditions she recommended Bowen Technique. I had never heard of it! I intend to write of my own experience but for the history of Bowen Technique and details of practitioners in your area please see www.thebowentechnique.com which is run by the ECBS (European College of Bowen Studies).

So far I have had 4 sessions and the improvement is amazing! I have just come inside from painting the fence and doing some gardening so ... more

Right, I’ve just been for my walk and am drinking my way through my 2nd 1.5 litre bottle of water…

What is she on about you’re thinking? I have become a Bowen Technique devotee!! And those are the things they tell you to do between sessions, a little walk each day and as much water as you can drink!

As some of you know I have my fair share of health problems, notably Ulcerative Colitis and Ankylosing Spondylitis to name just two. My hips had been aching and steadily getting worse for a number of years now, one particular time I had done a 2 days show for work which involved much standing and walking and I was in agony for a week afterwards. You start to think ‘this is no way to live’ and begin looking around…

I went to the Beamac Health Centre in Bovingdon, where Rose does lots of different things, I began with a few Reiki sessions which are very relaxing and good for stressed-out ill people to be honest, it calms you down so you can see your path a bit more clearly.

When Rose learned of my various conditions she recommended Bowen Technique. I had never heard of it! I intend to write of my own experience but for the history of Bowen Technique and details of practitioners in your area please see www.thebowentechnique.com which is run by the ECBS (European College of Bowen Studies).

So far I have had 4 sessions and the improvement is amazing! I have just come inside from painting the fence and doing some gardening so it's doing somehting!!

When I knew I was going for a treatment I read a little about it, so I knew Rose would do something then pop out of the room for a while (which seems very odd!). I arrived at the centre removed my jacket & shoes – its best to just wear joggers and a T-Shirt or similar. I was asked to lie face down on the couch where I was covered in a nice warm blanket. The centre has heated beds, so you are really snuggly and feel very relaxed.

For each move Rose removed the blanket on the particular area to work and then replaced it while I rested. Each move seemed slightly different, some were just a push by a couple of fingers for a minute or so, and others were a firm stroke down a muscle. Once particular move involves being karate chopped on the base of your foot!

I didn’t expect Bowen to hurt (after my gentle Reiki sessions before!) but I was wrong, however don’t be put off at all. Rose first pressed into my hip on the exact point of pain, I nearly shot through the ceiling! It is not a hard press by any means don’t get me wrong (but I was very tender at that time!!) I thought ‘oh no I’ll be in agony for weeks now’ as any knocks or bumps really get my hip pain going. She left the room saying just rest now; as I lay on the warm snug bed I thought….where did the pain go? It was very weird, a moment of pain as a move is done and it is over as soon as it arrives!!

All the various moves and rests take anything up to about an hour and a half, turning over about 3 quarters of the way through for her to do moves on the front too (I guess whether you are on your back or front depends on what they are treating for you). Between each move the therapist will leave the room completely - it seems odd at first but it is just time for your muscles to relax into their new position, think of it as a few minutes for your muscle to think 'Hmm..OK she's put me here, do I like it? Yes I think I'll stay like this for a bit' and so it goes on throughout the treatment.

After my time is over, I am asked to rise slowly and Rose leaves me to get up and put my outdoor clothes on – and also drink a glass of water before I go. At this point you are sooooo relaxed and ‘chilled out’ this feels very good, especially if you have had chronic pain, as some people will have had for years.

Between sessions, as I said you are asked to drink lots of water and also do some walking. Bowen works on the meridians of the body and gets everything into line again, any muscles that Rose has worked on during the session will be now getting back into the positions they should be in. When muscles move they produce lactic acid and other toxins, this is where the water comes in, anything that has released or moved will be now in your system and water will help you remove it – like a detox. The walking also has this effect but in addition to this, if say your pelvis has been realigned or similar the mere at of walking will instill in your brain ‘this is how it should be’ if you see what I mean, so you won’t go back to old ways so easily. Beware any shoes you have, and discard any that are worn in weird ways, go on check your shoes now and see if the soles are worn down the same all over or…..is there one bit (or one shoe) more worn than the other? Mmm…you may need realigning!!

Before doing any Bowen you must be aware it is a holistic therapy so it works on the whole. It’s not a ‘go to the doctor get a pill’ type of treatment, you may have one session and feel like a million dollars, or more likely you will get slightly worse before you get better. Many things ‘shift’ in Bowen, in my last session, she worked on my lower back and I had to cough as there was lots of phlegm in my throat which came from nowhere! You may get a headache during a session – lots of water should sort this out.

After my third session, I felt like death on 2 legs!! My muscles had really gone for it, and it felt like they were fighting back and deciding they didn’t want to get better after all. But I persevered and this week feels much better.

Although Bowen is a complimentary therapy care should be taken not to have any manipulative treatments whilst you are having your Bowen sessions, as this can in layman’s terms just confuse the hell out of you muscles!! Bowen is telling them to do one thing and your physio or chiropractor is telling them another! So at best your recovery stands still, at worse you’ll stay in pain.

Some people can find they recover after one Bowen treatment – possibly for a new injury like a strained ham string from football, for more chronic illness then a few treatments will be necessary. I just see it as; hey I have been ill for XX number of years so if I can get better in quicker time than that it’s a bonus! So never be despondent if you don’t get the immediate miracle you were hoping for!

We live in a society where you hurt, you go to the doctor, he gives you a pill you stop hurting …. Till the next time. We need to begin looking at cause and effect in order to get really well, and as long as you understand it may take a little longer than expected to get really well (instead of the quick fix of the 21st century) you will be fine.

Bowen Technique can be used for all sorts of complaints from Asthma to frozen shoulder, from house-maids knee to IBS!! I would say most things will respond as it is all about rebalancing the body. It is totally safe with the only contraindication being don’t have manipulative therapies in the same few weeks.

My treatments cost me £43 each – which is up to 2 hours – but this will vary across the country and from therapist to therapist. I will probably end up with about 6 or 7 sessions in all (but you can’t really predict to be honest!) but then I will be pain-free and only need to re-attend if I injure myself or something else aggravates my conditions.

And as a little aside, I read recently it helps fertility too!! As it is opening everything up, realigning you etc it also gets any blockages in relevant areas on the move too – so anyone who is planning a seemingly elusive baby – it’s worth a try!!

 

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