Bowen Technique- Gentle Touch Produces Miracles

30/09/2012 08:52

 

For as long as I can remember, I've suffered from back pain. Although I have experienced some relief using heat, cold, massage, chiropractic and acupuncture, invariably the pain has always returned. Until one day I visited a friend in California who had similar back problems. She told me she had some body work done called Bowen. Her back and hip pain were gone after just one session!

I was definitely intrigued. I couldn't wait to find out more. When I arrived back home I got on the internet and learned that the Bowen Technique involves a series of very gentle rolling moves on the body using thumbs and fingers. It was developed in Australia in the 1950's by Thomas Bowen, a gifted healer who devised a simple but powerful method for releasing pain. He estimated his success rate to be about 88%!

Hoping to find a Bowen practitioner near me, I emailed close to 40 practitioners around the U.S. and asked if they could refer me to someone. After 39 "no's" I got one "yes"! I arranged to have three Bowen sessions. After the third session, my back pain and sciatica were history! I got so excited I decided to train to become a Bowen practitioner.

How Does The Bowen Technique Work?

The gentle yet powerful Bowen moves send neurological impulses to the brain resulting in immediate responses of muscle relaxation and pain reduction. The moves create energy surges which are concentrated in specific areas of the body using blockers or stoppers. These are released when you stand up.

The Bowen Technique helps the body remember how to heal itself. Electrical impulses sent to the nervous system remind the body to regain normal movement in joints, muscles and tendons. This helps relieve muscle spasms and increase blood and lymph flow. Several of the moves are located along acupuncture meridians or on specific acupuncture points which are known to stimulate and balance the body's energy.

A Bowen Treatment

A Bowen treatment lasts about 30-45 minutes. Most of the work can be done through light clothing. No oils are used. During a session the practitioner uses thumbs and fingers to make rolling type moves on different muscles of the body. There are times when the therapist actually leaves the room. During the pauses, the body has time to make its own adjustments, which help relieve tension and reduce pain.

Many people experience pain relief after just one session. Two or three treatments are usually enough to achieve long-lasting relief. Even long-term conditions may respond very quickly. The ideal situation is to give the Bowen Technique a try for 3 sessions, once per week, without having any other kind of body work in between.

Success Stories

Frozen Shoulder

A woman who suffered from severe pain in her shoulder couldn't lift her arm. Her hands and fingers felt numb. The night after her second session she called from a restaurant and said that during dinner she heard a popping sound. Her shoulder had popped itself back in place. She's been pain-free ever since.

 

Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue

A woman with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue lived in a constant state of severe pain (a 10 on a scale of 1-10). After two sessions her pain level dropped to a 4. She slept through the night and was able to go through an entire day without having to rest constantly.

 

Arthritis

My eighty year old mother suffers from severe arthritis. After just one Bowen session, she slept through the entire night for the first time in six years. The next morning she was able to walk without her walker.

The main difference between Bowen and other modalities is how fast it works, how gentle it feels and how long the pain relief lasts. Anyone can learn how to do the Bowen Technique: there is only one basic move.

The technique has been successful in treating back pain, sciatica, headaches, migraines, arthritis, fibromyalgia, sports injuries and much more. For me, the miracle lies in the fact that doing so little produces such long-lasting relief.

 

©2002 Gerri Shapiro. All rights reserved. Republished with permission on 27-Sep-02.

About the author

Gerri Shapiro, MS Ed, is a Bowen practitioner and leading health educator who has worked with the World Health Organization, Asian Development Bank, USAID and Management Sciences for Health in the areas of alternative and traditional medicine.

Article found at www.naturalbloom.com


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