What is Bowtech – The Original Bowen Technique?
Bowen Technique allows the body to reset and heal itself. A Bowen
session consists of a series of gentle moves on skin (or through
light clothing), with the client usually lying on a bed or treatment
couch.
A session usually lasts from ½ hour to 1 hour, and frequently
results in a deep sense of overall relaxation, allowing the body to
recharge and balance itself.
The Bowen moves are, in themselves, a study in delicacy, being
light, gentle and very precise.
The Bowen Technique is not necessarily a ‘long-term’ program. Most
clients find that a small number of sessions are adequate even for
long-standing complaints.
How Does Bowen Technique Work?
Simply stated, Bowen technique allows the body to reset and heal
itself. The work consists of a series of gently rolling, connective
tissue moves. There are frequent important pauses between these
moves which give the body time to benefit from each set. By
combining moves, both in placement and in combination, the
practitioner is able to address the body as a whole, or target a
specific problem. A unique tool of the Bowtech practitioner is
ability to address the body as a whole, or target a specific
problem. Another unique tool of the practitioner is ‘tissue tension
sense’, meaning that the practitioner is able to discern stress
build-up in muscle groups and then utilize Bowtech moves to release
that stress.
Relaxation
Bowen Technique may very well be one of the single most important
tools we have to facilitate healing of the whole body. The moves
bring about incredible results by penetrating to a deep cellular
level, incorporating the body’s unique ability to heal itself.
With the release of toxins and old patterning, the moves begin to
accomplish holistic balance almost immediately. Since Bowen
Technique addresses the body as a whole unit rather than just the
presenting symptoms, it embraces the physical, chemical, emotional
and mental aspects of each individual receiving Bowen.
Simplicity
The Bowtech practitioner is merely a catalyst, setting the stimulus
in motion for the body to heal itself. Because the human body is so
amazing, self-healing can be achieved with minimal outside
influence. A Bowen session, whether to address a specific problem or
maintain a healthy body, is the essence of simplicity.
What Bowtech Is Not!
Sometimes it’s easier to explain this technique by stating what it
is not!
Bowtech is not Massage.
Rubbing or prolonged palpation around a
Bowen move can weaken the effect. The moves go no deeper than fascia
on superficially accessible muscles, and only with gentle pressure.
Bowtech is not Acupressure.
Some of the areas of focus will
coincide with acupuncture points, but there are so may acupoints
that some overlap does occur. With the Bowen ‘points’ however, one
simple move across the structure is all it takes.
Bowtech is not Chiropractic.
No manipulation of the skeletal
system is made. Most practitioners and many clients observe
vertebral movement, but this is evidence of the body realigning
itself and a Bowen session working.
Bowtech is not Directional ‘Energy Work’.
Given its parameters,
even energy work can be intrusive. Practitioners can focus too much
on accomplishing their own desired results which may or may not
coincide with the client’s needs. Instead, practitioner are taught
to focus only on doing a precise movement accurately, and then
physically leaving the room.
Bowtech is not Physiotherapy or Neuromuscular ‘re-education’.
Stretch reflex, Golgi reflex and reciprocal enervation may be
involved in the muscular releases, but these occur on a cellular
level and expand out physically. In fact, people may fall asleep
during a session and may not feel the effects for several days.
These factors distinguish Bowtech from remedial exercises or
movement training that some people need for long-term injury
recovery.
Bowtech is not Trigger-Point Therapy.
Some points are unavoidably
similar even though the referral zones are different. Most trigger
points are found in the core of muscles, while Bowtech moves are
usually made where two muscles or muscle groups overlap. This and
other factors seem to make Bowtech most similar to fascia work but …
Bowtech is not Fascia Release.
With each Bowen move, the fascia is
rocked and minutely ‘disturbed’, but not forcefully separated. After
a series of Bowtech sessions, adhesions tend to loosen, scar tissue
frequently softening and shrinking on its own, because impediments
to the natural healing process are removed.
Bowtech is not Lymphatic Drainage.
Bowtech does stimulate
lymphatic releases, in that sinuses will often drain during
sessions; breast lumps may shrink or be gone within a few weeks, and
excess fluids are usually eliminated within the week. Bowtech does
not, however, use the percussion or vigorous stroking of lymphatic
massage, although there is a bit of gentle teasing done around the
sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM).
Bowtech is not an Emotional Release Modality.
The intent of a Bowtech session is not to effect emotional release. However, some
people report dramatic lightening of spirit and a subtle but
pervasive refocusing of troublesome emotional patterns. Many
body-workers consciously focus on the interface between physical and
emotional, trying to touch on that which is hidden behind a
protective wall of hyper tense musculature. Excessive pressure is not
needed. Bowtech confirms that the best access is gained by the least
threatening approach.