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.
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AuthorDayna Willesee Archives
February 2019
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