Does it sound unlikely that we can choose our stress levels? For years I have often felt like a passenger to the amount of stress I have endured. Between career stresses, raising children, working on a marriage, managing financial demands, keeping to a tight schedule, working on extended family dynamics, etc, etc. All of these things added a layer of stress to my life.
We often take on additional things, due to guilt, obligation, to be a people pleaser, to escape time to sit and just be with our thoughts (usually when we don't want to think about issues that really do need our attention), etc. In reality, we do have some choice in what stress we have in our life. We may even at times sabotage ourselves creating more stress as this may feed a deeper need that we are not even aware of (In the case where we thrive on drama). The number of clients I see with unimaginable stress in their life is actually quite concerning. I do wonder at what point is breaking point in some cases. But what if, we could do some simple things to start reducing our stress on a daily basis? I have gradually started to strip back demands and influences I have put on myself for many years. Recently, I have decided to stop watching so much negative television. Instead, I choose to listen to the radio (ABC JJJ - no advertisements and none of the hype that the commercial stations have which I have found ramps my stress levels up more!!!). If I don't like what is on the radio, I will choose my own music or maybe listen to a podcast. In fact, now, if someone else has the television on in the background all the time, I feel it really starting to affect my stress levels. The scare mongering that is cleverly disguised in much of what is on television is quite concerning. Do a little experiment. One evening, watch a commercial television news program, note how often violent footage will be shown on the same news story. Often the same footage will be repeated over and over again whilst the audio is playing over the top of the news presenter. Sometimes you will see the footage played up to 5 times. Also note, the order in which news stories are presented. Often the news stories that have the most sensational, scare mongering headline will rank higher than a serious world news issue. It is actually offensive sometimes the order in which news stories are played. After watching the commercial news, watch the ABC news. The stark difference in the way it is presented and the order, even the footage used is testament to the way in which agendas can play a huge role in what the general public are shown on television. All these little nuances have subliminal impacts on our stress levels and also our view of the world we live in. I believe that some reporting breeds a lack of tolerance for others within our community due to the sheer biased way a news item is presented. There are plenty of alternative things to watch if this is your preferred way to relax in a day. Much more positive options such as health channels (FMTV is just one of these - currently offering a $1 subscription for 3 months), Netflix (choose carefully!), ABC IVIEW, etc. All I am trying to do is raise awareness that these subtle influences on our stress levels actually to add up and add another layer of stress that we have the choice to eliminate. How empowering is that? Another issue I have come to realise is that with the amount of reality television now available, I believe this type of entertainment actually normalises completely unacceptable behaviour. The more this type of viewing is watched, the more that narcissistic, self absorbed behaviour is reinforced as ok. It actually isn't, and it is having a huge impact on humanity and the way we interact with one another. So do we have a choice in our stress levels? I believe so. The other thing to consider, is making time each day for ourselves and our wellbeing. I know this is cliched and the flavour of the month at the moment, but this does actually impact in a positive way on our stress levels. Making time for ourselves also works on our self worth. How often I hear clients indicating guilt when i have this discussion with them. It seems that in the society we live in, it is deemed selfish to look after ourselves. Well, I can tell you that this is a very backward way of approaching things and if you are wanting to do the very best for your loved ones, then your cup needs to be full before you can start filling the cups of loved ones. So start working on that stress and eliminating those things that easily can be. Have the odd Bowen Therapy, Reflexology or Aromatouch session!!!! Looking forward to seeing you soon, Dayna
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THE BENEFITS OF BOWEN THERAPY IN ELITE SPORTS - COMMONWEALTH/OLYMPIC GAMES ATHLETE SPONSORSHIP4/2/2019 EXCITING NEWS AND DEVELOPMENTS! One of the things that I have known for some time is the amazing benefits Bowen Therapy can offer people in the elite sporting arena. I am lucky to be able to refer specifically to one particular athlete who has given me the permission to share her story/journey in relation to her career as an athlete and how Bowen Therapy has played a role in her performance. Laura Coles has been seeing me for quite some time as a client and I am now sponsoring Laura to help support her on her journey as a competitor at the elite level. Laura competes in Womens' shooting. In particular, Women's Skeets. Laura has represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games and achieved a Gold Medal in 2014. Laura is currently attending national and international competitions, working towards qualifying for the Olympic Games for 2020. Due to the rigours of shooting, and the need to hold a steady stance for prolonged periods of time, Laura has found that at times, her body starts to compensate and muscles start working harder in different areas and sides. These, over time, contribute to muscular aches and pains. Bowen Therapy has assisted Laura in managing various imbalances that occur and recover quicker from training and competitions. Bowen Therapy not only works on the physical, but also on the energetic and emotional areas as well. As such, this assists with managing stress and imbalances in the energetic arena. Think TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), Acupuncture is probably the most well known modality that embraces TCM. Bowen Therapy also includes components that are directly impacting on TCM principles. So if you have been thinking of trying something different to address health issues, why not give Bowen Therapy a try? People often ask what can Bowen Therapy assist with. My answer to this is, think of all the things you may see a chiropractor, physiotherapist, massage therapist, osteopath, acupunturist for, and there is your answer! Bowen Therapy can assist with pretty much anything you would see the above professionals for. It's just a different approach. I like the old saying, if you are wanting a different result, but keep doing the same thing, you are only going to get the same result. The same applies to your health. If you have tried all the mainstream or conventional forms of approaches, maybe it's time for giving something else a try. Looking forward to assisting you in your health and wellbeing. TAKING THAT HUGE LEAP OF FAITH
I thought I would write a blog to explain the transformation I have experienced over the last year in particular, in the hope that it encourages others to do what intuitively they feel needs to be done. Or where they hear a nagging voice that keeps giving them a push, but due to various reasons it gets ignored! This is also a timely blog, given that it is new year, and often we start a new year with the best of intentions to make some changes, and we get towards the end of the year and look back and feel immense disappointment that all those best-of-intentions have not been realized! So…… here is my experience of following your gut, intuition, that nagging voice, whatever resonates with you! This sounds clichéd, but with great risk, comes great reward! I want to start off my experience with this as it has taken a great risk and overcoming what is probably an irrational fear to realize the happiness and joy I now experience daily! What has changed you ask? Well, after much ‘energetic nudging’ by the universe, and many kicks up the behind from the universe, I finally have bitten the bullet and started practicing solely from a home-based clinic room. This may sound very low risk to majority, but what one fears another won’t find at all scary. THIS is the important message. We all have fears that prevent us from doing what we need or want to do. It is important to respect and recognize that these fears to the person experiencing them are very real. I was getting so many indicators that I should leave a clinic based consulting situation and practice from home for ages. Such as, people approaching me in the car park of a shopping centre specifically asking me if I offer my services from home (after they saw my business advertised on the side of my car). Clients contacting me for a session and preferring to see me from home rather than a clinic. I was so closed to the idea, I didn’t see what was right in front of me. There was a huge interest in people sidestepping a clinic based service and going to my house. I persisted with requiring clients to see me at the clinic (which was taking 50% of my fee charged – 40% for rent, reception and other expenses associated with a clinic and 10% GST). I kept plugging away, trying to improve my service to my clients at the clinic. I introduced a service of calling all initial clients the day after their initial with me. This required me taking contact details home, which were in my phone and then contacting them. Clients then had my direct contact details and would contact me instead of the clinic when they wanted an appointment. I still booked them into the clinic! All things were nudging me towards a home-based business, but I kept resisting. I look back now and I see that these nudges probably started about 3 years ago!!!! I was becoming increasingly irritable with little things that occurred in relation to my practice, but still did not ‘see the forest for the trees’!. Anyway, I started to relax my stance on seeing clients at the house and gradually my business at home started to flourish. I wasn’t pushing things, it was more a case that clients would need to see me on a different day or time to when I was available at the clinic and unless I was willing to lose them as a client, I needed to compromise. I found it odd that clients would actually prefer to see me at my house rather than the clinic. I didn’t offer health fund rebates at my house. These were all registered at the clinic, yet people would forego the rebate to see me at the house!!!! Gradually my client base at home was getting to a point that I was struggling to fit them in around my commitment to the clinic. I still persisted with my clinic practice. It was like my safety blanket! That was all I had known since qualifying as a therapist over 13 years ago. I had been with the same clinic since qualifying, which in the alternative therapies industry is almost unheard of. There is often a high turnover of staff as people often follow their intuition and believe in moving on when an opportunity arises. Not me!!! I just kept persisting! I was the longest serving staff member at the clinic and saw myself only leaving when I retired! I don’t know what gave me the final push I needed, other than taking a serious look at my client numbers at the clinic and home and logically realizing that, I can do this! The figures support the fact that I can work from home. What are you waiting for? I was so fearful of handing my resignation in and no longer having the safety net of the clinic. I also valued the networking and comradeship of the other staff at the clinic and knew I would miss this terribly. I realized that leaving the clinic didn’t mean the end of these relationships with other staff members, I just needed to ensure that I worked at these and also made efforts to attend meetings with other professionals in my field of work that were available to me, but I had not utilized up to this point. Essentially all the obstacles that I perceived, were able to be overcome, if I changed my mindset! So with this all in mind, I did the hardest thing, which was hand my resignation in. It was bittersweet, but it is the best thing I have done as I felt a stagnancy energetically that I needed to shift. When asked why I was leaving, I really couldn’t put a finger on why, I just felt this very strong push that I needed to do it. I had not other offers to work elsewhere, nothing. I just had this knowing that it needed to be done! As soon as this was done, the stagnancy lifted and I have never been busier! Traditionally, the Christmas/new year period is the quieter time of our business. Not this year! I was struggling to fit clients in and accommodate everyone! My business is flourishing like never before and I am now being challenged in other areas. I have had to overcome the fear of setting up an online booking system. Again, why I had this limiting fearful approach to this I do not know! But once I tackled this and got it up and running, I found another level of stress lift, as I no longer needed to send out reminders to each client before their appointment. Clients can now book repeat sessions online, meaning a more convenient streamlined process reducing the chances of me losing clients due to them not being able to get hold of me whilst I am consulting! So the upshot of taking the risk, is that I am now my own boss completely. Today, I am sitting in a café writing this blog and I can determine when I work and when I have a day off! I can work smarter not harder! I can earn more per session, meaning I don’t need to see as many clients in a week. I no longer feel beholden to anyone else when trying to juggle and accommodates clients. This gives me a great sense of freedom that I didn’t realize was lacking before. As for me personally, it has changed me. I have less stress, which means that I am a happier person and I am able to give to my clients more completely. I believe that when we are truly happy, this is apparent to those we meet and people will tend to gravitate around people that emit this positive energy. I am finding that I am getting more referrals/recommendations through word-of-mouth. This is indicative of client satisfaction. So the moral of the very long blog is, follow your heart and your dreams. When you are truly doing what you are meant to be doing, the energy flows and things happen as they should. This journey of mine has not been an easy one, but the rewards have been vast. I initially worked for the government for 18 years. Finishing my government career at Centrelink. I know that if I hadn’t taken the initial leap of faith and studied in Bowen Therapy and Reflexology, my health and wellbeing would not be where it is now and I have no doubt I would have been a very unhealthy version of who I am. I hope this encourages someone else to follow their dreams and also listen to those subtle nudges that your intuition gives you. It is scary, but so worth it! Kind regards, Dayna Did you know that often if we experience neck pain, jaw pain or upper back pain, it can be associated with the opposite end of the spine? In other words, the coccyx. It sounds highly improbable but often when a client experiences persistent issues, there is a correlation with other areas of the body. In Bowen Therapy we approach the body as a whole and will address issues from one end of the spine to the other, or one end of the body to the other!. I also tailor a session to meet the needs of the client at the time. This means that if the client walks in with pain when they are walking, pelvic alignment will be assessed and addressed, as well as all the other areas relating to this. Often, when only the area that is causing pain is worked on (which is often the case with other modalities or traditional approaches to address pain), it will actually set off a chain of events. In Bowen Therapy I am impacting primarily on the connective tissue or fascia. This tissue encases every single structure in the body and is one continuous web that can have disruptions to it’s function from head to toe. Therefore, it is important that an approach is taken that respects this and addresses dysfunction right through a fascial plane. Did you know for example, that you can get pain in the plantar region of your feet (bottom of the feet), which can impact on your fascia between the ball of the foot right along the calf, back of the thigh, buttocks, up through to the neck, back of the head around to the forehead? This is one continuous web of fascia that often will have dysfunction in these areas affecting other areas of this fascial plane as indicated above. Due to the approach of Bowen Therapy, moves that are specifically placed on fascia, insertion points of tendons, ligaments and muscles, we cause a vibrational affect along the fascial plane, resulting in dysfunction being addressed in it’s entirety rather than just one area where pain, mobility issues or tension is occurring. This is the key to the success of Bowen Therapy where many other approaches have failed. In addition to this, I also spend a great deal of time with my clients in their initial consultation, establishing a timeline of their issues and determining if there are any other underlying causes that need addressing to achieve results that no other health professional has been able to achieve. It sounds unattainable and too good to be true doesn’t it? Especially if you have been on the conveyor belt of various treatments and medications to address a persistent problem. Why not give me a call and see if I can assist with your issue. I believe in being completely honest with people and will advise if I can’t be sure. But just taking that first step towards your health and wellbeing can relieve the stress associated with having a persistent problem that has not been addressed successfully. My approach to my work is one of dedication and service to my clients. I offer ongoing support for clients during their period of Bowen Therapy sessions. This is second to none and I understand that clients may feel uncertain or unsure as their body processes a Bowen Therapy session. By making myself available for a client to touch base with me if need be, this gives them the piece of mind that they are supported through the entire journey. I look forward to speaking to you and discussing your wellbeing. Kind regards, Dayna STRESS - THE VICIOUS CYCLE - CAN YOU RELATE? SOME PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO COUNTERACT THE SYMPTOMS11/9/2018 DISRUPTED SLEEP, INABILITY TO QUIET THE MIND, ANXIETY, LETHARGY, REGULAR ILLNESS, PAIN AND INFLAMMATION, RAGING MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS, WEIGHT GAIN, ETC. A PRACTICAL EXPLANATION AND SOLUTION-BASED BLOG. Stress contributes to all of the above and so much more. The problem is, once we get into the vicious cycle of ongoing stress, it is really hard to switch this off. It can even be hard to recognize that we are in a state of fight or flight all the time. Why is this? Often, stress creeps up on us. Life will throw us curve balls; job security is often no longer a certainty (this contributes to an ongoing underlying level of stress often), often we are monitored quite closely in our work for performance targets/customer satisfaction, etc, we have to work to maintain a household, the kids need to be dropped off/picked up from school, then taken to after school activities (often there can be guilt associated with the children due to feeling we are not able to give as much as we would like to), elderly parents that need support, guilt that we don’t have the time to foster friendships, the list goes on. If we sat down and listed all the responsibilities most of us have, it becomes apparent pretty quickly that we do tend to juggle much more in our modern lifestyles than our counterparts had to 30 years ago. Life is fast paced and on top of this we are constantly bombarded visually and verbally everywhere we go with advertising, we plug into facebook, instagram, snapchat, emails, etc. Creating an over-stimulated state. Add to this, the reality shows on television that we often choose to watch as a bit of time to not need to think, full of bullying narcissistic behavior, this creates stress too, although it is often so subtle we are unaware of it. When we are constantly bombarded with all of these things, we gradually drive our cortisole levels through the roof. The demand for more of this hormone to be produced, places additional stress on the body, directly impacting on our hormone balance. An over production of cortisole can be associated with weight gain, particularly around the abdomen and face, thin and fragile skin that is slow to heal, acne, facial hair and irregular menstrual periods. How do we start to reverse the affects of this over production of cortisol? We need to start encouraging the production of the neurotransmitter and hormone called oxytocin. How do we do this? Essentially we need to start doing things that bring us joy, surround ourselves with positive people, maybe do a gratitude journal, exercise, yoga, meditation, touch also assists in producing oxytocin so if you don't have a significant other then therapy such as Bowen Therapy, Reflexology, Aromatouch (the therapies I offer) or other forms of hands-on therapy can assist with this. As we get busier and more stressed it is often these self-care activities that will fall away and we won’t prioritise them. Often we will feel guilty and put others before ourselves. However, if our vessel isn’t full, we are not able to offer as much to our loved ones. If we fill our vessel, we then have the vitality and ability to support our loved ones. Unfortunately, often what ends up happening, is instead of doing these healthy, self-care activities, we fall into habits that fill a void quickly. We may reach for unhealthy treats, a glass or two of wine or some other alcohol, collapsing in front of the television watching mind numbing content, etc. Of course, all of the above activities are fine if they are done in balance, but if you get to a point where you cannot unwind unless you have a glass of wine or whatever other activity of your choice (that deep down we know is not really serving us positively), then you are on a unhealthy spiral that will catch up with you at some point. Ignoring the early signs of burnout can result in adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue or other more serious diseases. Our bodies will tend to give us warning signs very early, little niggles, sleep issues, inability to unwind, anxiety, digestive upsets, etc. As these early signs are ignored, the body will start to give more prominent symptoms. Literally trying to shake some sense into us. The body is an amazing machine, it will continue to adjust and adjust to our surroundings, but everything has it’s breaking point. If you are experience symptoms, don’t ignore them. Instead of addressing them with a bandaid (pain medication, alcohol, cortisone injectioins, etc), lets start addressing the root cause and get you feeling healthier, with more vitality, energy and a zest to live life instead of existing from day to day. If you would like to see how I can assist with the issues you have, please feel free to contact me directly. I am always willing to give time to people that reach out to me. Lets take some positive steps towards your wellbeing. As with most things nowadays, as our understanding of the human body improves, so does our approach to assisting people with various health issues and symptoms.
As such, Bowen Therapy continues to evolve with this increasing understanding and knowledge. Tom Bowen, an Australian, developed Bowen Therapy back in the 1960’s after practicing as an Osteopath for many years. Tom did not write any theory behind his Bowen Therapy work and only taught his work to a handful of lucky people, before he passed away. The current forms of Bowen Therapy that exist are all originating from the understanding gained by the handful of people that were lucky enough to have been taken under Tom Bowen’s wing during his clinical practice. Some of the schools offering Bowen Therapy now have been developed by ‘2nd and 3rd generation’ individuals. What I mean by this, and by no means is it intended as a derogatory explanation or slight on any of them, is that, they contain components of the original Bowen Therapy as taught to these handful of people, but they have also evolved, as a better and clearer understanding of the human body continues. Personally, I feel that it is important for any modality to evolve. The reason I feel so strongly about this is if we look at Bowen Therapy for example. When this modality was originally developed in the 1960’s, our lifestyle back then differed greatly from our fast paced often-sedentary lifestyle a lot of us lead today. So now we are starting to see a higher incident of symptoms associated with our changing lifestyle, such as sciatica, bulging discs, heachaches, migraines, pelvic misalignment, sluggish lymphatics, weight gain, sleep issues, stress related issues, etc. The list goes on, but these are just a few of the more common issues presenting in my clinic practice. To effectively assist and address these issues an evolving approach is required. This involves remaining up to date with reading material, attending study days in your field of profession and learning from other professionals you are surrounded by. The form of Bowen Therapy I have learnt primarily is Fascial Kinetics form. This school of Bowen Therapy (WA School of Bowen Therapy) placed a great deal of importance on understanding the impact that Bowen Therapy has on all the structures of the body that is incased in Fascia/connective tissue. I specifically chose to study this form for this reason, as I am one of those people that likes to understand the ‘why’ of everything I do. I did complete one module of Myopractic form of Bowen Therapy, however I do feel I gained a great deal more from my original training in Fascial Kinetics, and I continue to learn much when I attend the study days offered by this school. As for the other forms of Bowen Therapy that are out there, I believe they all have something to offer. It really comes down to personal preference. I hear a lot of grand statements by some schools, indicating they are the ‘original and best form of Bowen Therapy’, etc. I really feel that you need to do your research and give a form of Bowen Therapy a try. If it doesn’t seem to be the right fit for you, then try another form. Can I also strongly suggest you speak to the therapist first. Get a feel for whether you think they are the right fit for you too. The therapist really can make all the difference. One of the main differences I hear from clients when they see me after trying other Bowen Therapy forms out is my pressure is preferred. Now as a general rule, I do use pressure that is on the firmer side. However, it doesn’t have to be firm and I see babies right through to the elderly. Pressure must be adjusted to suit each individual client. So yes, I can offer firm pressure, but I can also use gentle pressure. I have heard from some very disgruntled clients that have experienced what in their description is ‘feather touch’ pressure, where they walked out feeling very frustrated and as if nothing much had been done. The other main difference I have heard as well, is some Bowen Therapists will use extremely long waits, in some instances up to 5 minutes. Again, I do have waits between certain moves, however, they are 2 minutes maximum. At the end of the day, you need to find what works for you. I will also touch on the fact that there is an issue of Bowen Therapy becoming ‘watered down’ as therapists learn more and more modalities and then do a ‘fusion’ of all these. I have chosen to only qualify in the bodywork of Bowen Therapy and I am also a qualified Reflexologist. This means that my Bowen Therapy, is strictly Bowen Therapy. I do not add in massage or any other form of bodywork. This will suit some but not all. But the biggest issue I find, is often someone will go to what they believe is Bowen Therapy, yet it was far from Bowen Therapy. I’m unsure how to guide people in ensuring they are getting what they are expecting, other than again, speak to the therapist before booking in. I hope this gives some guidance and clarity on Bowen Therapy as a whole and why there are so many forms offered nowadays. If you have any queries regarding this blog or are interested in speaking to me, please feel free to contact me. I often get asked if Bowen Therapy will help with headaches or migraines. I see so many therapists or physios/chiropractors making huge statements and promises about curing them There are some grand statements I am seeing about specialists in the field!. But is it possible?
My answer whenever I am asked if I can assist someone with this problem is it depends on the cause. Often it is a multilayered issue, and these layers to a situation are regularly overlooked by the mainstream providers of solutions for these symptoms. It can be hormonally related, a result of inflammation, blood sugar regulation issues, vitamin or mineral deficiency related and the list goes on. If these underlying causes are not addressed, most people will experience little to no improvement, or as is often the case by the time a client presents to me, what I hear is they are experiencing a few days improvement and then the symptoms return with full avengence!. My approach for any issue that presents in my clinic practice is to empower my client with the information they need to address their health issue and get long lasting results. If it is apparent that the issue is beyond my area of expertise, I have very trusted professionals that I am able to refer on to. How can Bowen Therapy assist? One of the most common causes of pain starting and escalating for a client, is a magnesium deficiency that goes undetected and slowly worsens over time. As the deficiency escalates, the symptoms will become wide and varied, since magnesium plays an important role in hundreds of biochemical pathways in the body. For example, the relation to headaches and migraines: Magnesium is an electrolyte. As soon as your levels become depleted, your ability to hydrate effectively is severely compromised. This impacts on your body hugely, in particular, your connective tissue/fascia. This tissue surrounds every structure in the body including muscles. Often when someone begins to feel the effects of a magnesium deficiency, they will start getting tighter muscles, muscle cramps, restless legs, all of which tend to worsen at night. (There is also a reason for this, however, this is explained in an intiial consultation as it is too intricate to discuss in a blog!). If you can imagine fascia, when hydrated, is fluid and ‘coats’ our muscles. Over time as hydration of this tissue becomes an issue (due to magnesium defiency among other things), it almost becomes vice-like around our structures, including our muscles. So the cycle goes a little like this: We see a professional of some kind (Dr, Chiropractor, physiotherapist, massage therapist, acupuncturist, etc), a Dr will often provide a script for pain relief and anti-inflammatories and refer you on to another professional for further treatment. They work on this muscle tension/pain. We feel some improvement initially after the treatment, however over approximately two days, we find ourselves in the same position we were in prior to having the treatment. Why? Because the contributing factor (magnesium deficiency and in turn dehydration), have been overlooked. These two factors are CRITICAL in the improvement of these issues, and often the type of muscle tension experienced from this issue is the common cause of headaches and migraines. It sounds too simple to be attainable doesn’t it? That something so simple could be overlooked and yet provide the missing piece to the puzzle of recovery. I promise you, if this is the issue in your particular case, if this is addressed, your pain issues will also be addressed/improved, and in a reasonably quick period of time. When I see a client for the first time, I explain how Bowen Therapy works and the contributing factors that will give you the best results for the issue I am seeing you for. I provide you with the correct information when it comes to purchasing a magnesium supplement. (The number of clients that I hear saying, ‘I’ve already tried magnesium, it doesn’t work’, is disturbing. There is a reason for this. You need to purchase the correct formula and know what to look for. Maybe your ability to absorb a formula could be the reason for not responding to the magnesium supplement, this is all looked at when I see a client for the first time. I also walk my clients through stretches that I have ‘tweeked’ over the years of seeing clients with these issues. I often hear ‘I’ve already been given stretches from my physio’. However, when I walk my clients through these stretches, they are surprised at how different and effective they are! All this information is provided and explained in an initial consultation. I also support my clients through their recovery period. I contact my clients in the 24 hours after their initial consultation to see how they are progressing and they are able to touch base with me if they have any concerns. I pride myself on attentive and professional service. So if you have had enough of the rollercoaster of taking pain relief, paying for ongoing treatment but only getting short term improvement, isn’t it time to give something different a try? I’ve heard this saying, ‘if you want change but you continue doing the same thing, how can you expect a different result?’ I will be honest with you, if after two Bowen Therapy sessions you are not progressing as I would expect, I will look at this and determine whether it is worthwhile continuing with further Bowen Therapy sessions. If it sounds like a different approach may be needed, why not contact me and discuss your situation. I can more than likely give you an idea when speaking to you if I think that my services would be of assistance to your situation. Looking forward to helping you on your path to recovery. Dayna Often people have heard of Bowen Therapy but don’t know what it is or mishear the name and think it is Bone therapy, etc.
So, let’s take a look at this therapy and learn a little about what Bowen Therapy does and the sorts of issues that may be assisted with Bowen Therapy. Firstly, Bowen Therapy is a ‘hands on’ therapy. What does this mean? Some therapies do not involve any touch, it is all energy based work where the hands ‘hover’ above the area of the body being ‘worked’ on. However, Bowen Therapy does involve the placing of the hands on the body and actually physically working on the body, similar to massage. The significant difference between Bowen Therapy and massage, is Bowen Therapy moves are specifically placed, cross fibre moves and are done in stages throughout a Bowen therapy session. What does this mean? Essentially, we approach a Bowen Therapy session differently to massage or other forms of therapy. The Bowen Therapy move is different and the intention of a Bowen Therapy therapist is to approach the body as a whole. We are intending to balance the body and impact on the Fascia. Fascia is very important and surrounds every structure in the body. Tendons, ligaments, lymphatics, muscles, blood vessels, major organs, skeletal system, everything is encased in this tissue. Bowen Therapy is impacting on this important tissue and in turn, improving the function of all of these structures as well. Improved blood flow, mobility, improved immunity, etc. If you are interested in reading more about fascia, then here is a link that gives some information: https://www.anatomytrains.com/fascia/ When dysfunction starts to occur in this tissue, (due to dehydration, lifestyle, stress, surgery, injuries, vitamin/mineral deficiencies, etc), then this in turn impacts on the fascia functioning as it should. As this continues, over time, more and more symptoms will tend to arise. Initially, it could be some pain or tension in muscles, reduced mobility, unexplained pain or symptoms. Often people will seek the advice and treatment from a doctor, then physiotherapist, chiropractor, or massage therapist, etc. During this process, certain things often get overlooked and so starts the slippery slope where a person can end up on strong pain medication, or other medication, yet their symptoms continue to escalate. This is often the point that clients present to me. After years of symptoms, that over time, have become quite debilitating. It seems too simple that a lot of issues could be arising from this tissue that on the surface seems so insignificant. Trust me, I have had so many cases such as this. Honestly, the simple factors get overlooked so often, once all the contributing factors are addressed, quickly, clients will start to feel improvement. Generally, this is within one to two Bowen Therapy sessions. My aim with any client, is to empower them with information and an understanding as to why they have arrived at the position they are in. Often issues become multilayered and more complicated as the underlying issues are overlooked. Hence, why there can be multiple symptoms that on the surface don't appear to be related. Once these issues are understood, the process of supporting a client through their improvement and usually recovery or atleast management of their symptoms begins. I tend to manage this within 3 – 4 Bowen Therapy sessions. I have been working in this field for 13+ years and the results are profound and ridiculously simple to achieve when all the dots are connected. Some of the conditions that have been assisted or resolved with Bowen Therapy are Sciatica, migraines, headaches, IBS symptoms, hormonal issues, muscular aches/pains/tension, growing pains, anxiety, depression, and many other symptoms. Bowen Therapy has also been found to assist in long term conditions such as Parkinsons, dementia, There has been some evidence of Bowen Therapy working on many levels other than just the physiological level. This is for another blog post though! Of course, if I feel that I am unable to assist a client with their health issue, I am honest and will advise the client. After reading this, if you have any queries or are wondering if I may be able to assist you with an issue, please feel free to contact me to discuss your individual issue. |
AuthorDayna Willesee Archives
February 2019
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