The Bowen Technique balances and stimulates energy flow, resulting in a deep sense of

overall relaxation. Since we all have the ability to heal ourselves, Bowen can be used from the

newborn to the elderly, for chronically ill patients, as well as the disabled. Bowen is an

extremely effective remedial therapy for overcoming sports injury, accidents and other

ailments. Recuperation time improves regardless of how recent or old the complaint may be.

The restorative process can begin once the body is relaxed and continues as the body allows.

It may take 5 to 10 days for the body to respond.

It is important to note that other manipulative therapies should not be undertaken

immediately after a Bowen session, since this can undermine the effectiveness of the Bowen

work, and therefore a week’s wait should always be observed before commencing on other

body treatments.

An initial treatment takes approximately one to one-and-a-half hours, and thereafter around

an hour.

Other Problems Bowen may address are:

    * Stress and tension symptoms

    * Kidney and bladder problems including incontinence and bedwetting

    * Digestive problems including hernia and heartburn

    * Back pain and sciatica

    * RSI and tennis elbow

    * Neck and shoulder problems

    * Respiratory conditions and hayfever

    * Menstrual irregularities

    * Migraine and headaches

    * Chronic viral fatigue syndrome and ME

    * Pregnancy and Childhood disorders

And many, many more

Bowen treats a myriad of complaints, some of which you will see on the Bowen leaflet

enclosed. In particular, I have had some success with children suffering from Cerebral palsy

and, of course, this is very rewarding.

The Bowen Technique was developed in the 1950s by the late Tom Bowen in Geelong,

Australia. Although he had no formal training in health care, Bowen became a celebrated

practitioner, regularly treating over 13,000 patients a year, according to Australian

Government statistics.

In 1974 he invited Oswald Rentsch and his wife Elaine to study with him and document his

work. It was not until Bowen’s death in 1982 that they began to teach the technique on

several continents. Dedicated to preserving the technique and ensuring it is taught in its

original form, they founded the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia in 1987. Since then

they have taught over 9,000 practitioners worldwide.

The Bowen Technique Explained

One of the fastest growing therapies in the UK is also one of the newest. We are well used to

seeing imports from the USA as well as the Far East, but the latest offering in the field of

remedial therapy comes from Australia. The Bowen Technique is becoming the therapy that

many are talking about and wanting to learn. With its incredible effectiveness and ease of use,

therapists from all fields are finding a use in their practice.

Historical Development

The technique comes from Australia and was developed by a man called Tom Bowen. Little is

known of Bowen’s early years except that he studied medicine for a year before WW2

curtailed his studies. After a spell in the forces and a tour of duty in the middle East during

the war, he returned to Australia where he worked in the area of industrial chemicals in

Geelong, Victoria. It was whilst in this profession, that he started to gain a reputation for body

work. People would come to him and Bowen, doing seemingly very little, would relieve them

instantly from their aches and pains.

Word spread very quickly and before long he was treating people at home late in to the night,

and a change of career beckoned. It was in the mid 1950s, that with no formal qualifications,

he started working full time from a rented house in Geelong. He never advertised but the

power of reputation was enough. In 1974 a Victorian Government enquiry was set up to

investigate the use of alternative therapies in Victoria. The commission discovered that Tom

Bowen was treating an incredible 13000 patients per year, with 85% requiring only one or

two visits to resolve their condition.

In 1974 Bowen met Oswald Rentsch, a Victorian osteopath and Naturopath and taught him

his technique. Bowen subsequently gave Rentsch the onerous task of documenting his work

and after three weeks he nearly gave up. The osteopathic procedures that Rentsch was used

to were so far away from the light touch of Tom Bowen, that he could not understand how

such incredible results were possible. It wasn’t long before Rentsch became a convert and

after Tom Bowen’s untimely death in 1982 went on to teach the technique all over the world

with his wife Elaine.

Julian Baker met Ossie and Elaine Rentsch whilst living in Australia and on his return to the

UK started spreading the word. Under the banner of the Rentsch organisation, he has been

responsible for setting up The Bowen Technique in Europe and has taught over 1000 people

the fundamentals. His link to the Rentsches is very close and Ossie and Elaine have been

thrilled with the growth of the technique in the UK.

The Technique

The Bowen Technique consists of a series of specific moves across tendons, muscles and fascia

throughout the body. The therapist uses thumbs and fingers to make the moves and applies

what is termed, “Eyeball pressure”, i.e. that pressure which can be comfortably applied to the

eyeball. This pressure will, however, vary according to the patient but could not be described

as heavy or invasive. The moves are rolling type moves which aim to disturb the muscles and

the energy within the body. The work can be done through light clothing and no oils are used,

making it a favoured tool for working with elderly or disabled patients.

To the patient it seems that very little is being done, mainly because very little is being done.

In between each set of moves the therapist leaves the room for a short period, to allow the

body a chance to process the information just given. This, together with the gentleness of the

treatment on the therapist as well as the patient, is what makes Bowen so different from

many other therapies and what appeals to many practitioners.

How does it work?

There are many theories abounding about exactly how the treatment works, but as yet no

definitive medical reasoning behind the astounding results of Bowen. Even Mr Bowen himself

did not explain how it worked preferring to let the treatment speak for itself.

One idea is that Bowen simply connects the parts of the body with the brain, using the many

receptors scattered throughout the body. The minimal moves push the brain into a simple

form of holistic examination, information is then exchanged and structural integrity restored.

Another theory comes from the concept of cellular communication as explained in the book,

Dark Side of the Brain, by Roger Coghill and Harry Oldfield. This puts forward the theory that

each cell of the body is a kind of wireless transmitter tuned to the specific frequency of that

individual. Where certain areas are out of tune, injury, illness or disease are the result. By

gently touching and moving certain parts of the body, a re-tuning takes place and the body is

able to heal itself.

The important aspect to focus on, is that the body heals itself and that the input from the

therapist is in the form of a communication. As with any form of communication the individual

has a choice as to whether he or she listens! Until current research is complete, all we will be

left with is results rather than explanations.

What makes Bowen different from other therapies?

Many other therapies inflict the will of the therapist on to the patient. In osteopathy,

chiropractic and physiotherapy for instance, a diagnosis is made and treatment is given

accordingly. On the face of it this may seem okay, but Bowen doesn’t work like that. The

important thing about Bowen is that it allows the body the space to decide what is wrong and

how to go about fixing it. Many conditions will respond that the therapist was not even aware

of, simply because the body has made the decision to restore lines of communication to that

area. A Bowen therapist will realise that the body is capable of doing absolutely anything and

that therefore any treatment should not be conditional.

Diagnosis therefore is not generally an area that a pure Bowen therapist will enter. Rather he

or she will offer the work to the body and allow it to decide what, when and where it will use

the treatment. There are obviously certain moves for certain symptoms and conditions but in

many cases, a basic balancing of the body is enough to clear many long standing problems

without need for specifics.

Bowen’s critics will say that much may be missed by choosing not to diagnose in any way and

this may be the case. But with the best will in the world, diagnosis is generally a fairly hit and

miss affair even by highly trained practitioners. Bowen is not a substitute for medical advice

but rather a chance for the patient’s body to choose, rather than a set of symptoms being

thrust upon it.

The other area that Bowen differs from many other therapies is the speed at which it works.

Most sport or work related injuries or problems will respond to Bowen within two to three

treatments a week apart. Even long term conditions can respond very quickly irrespective as

to whether other treatments have been used.

What conditions can respond to The Bowen Technique?

There is no person that can not be treated safely using Bowen, from the youngest to the very

old. Midwives use Bowen with tremendous success on both labouring women and the

new-born. At the other end of the scale, geriatric staff and hospice workers report

consistently good results with people in their care.

Back pain would be one of the most common presentations and one that tends to respond

very quickly. Other conditions that are consistently resolved include: frozen shoulder,

asthma, tennis elbow, ME, migraine, hayfever, carpal tunnel, RSI, painful or lumpy breasts

and whiplash. The list is exhaustive and there is no condition that would exclude a treatment.

The reason for this is that a Bowen therapist does not treat the condition, but rather treats

the patient. The work is offered to the body and is given a choice. If it accepts the work and

responds, then the condition is addressed. If the body chooses not to accept, then no harm can

be done.

Who can learn The Bowen Technique?

The technique is taught over four days mainly to people already involved in the field of

complementary health care although anyone can learn. The basics can be picked up in this

time, but extensive practise ensures proficiency. Further one or two day courses are held

culminating in a two accreditation course held by Ossie and Elaine Rentsch. Accredited

therapists are then invited to join the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia which operates a

world wide referral list and further training opportunities. There are therapists from a whole

range of disciplines currently using The Bowen Technique, including, GPs, sports therapists,

chiropractors, osteopaths, consultants, nurses and massage therapists. Aston Villa football

club has recently discovered the Technique, and Jim Walker the Villa physio’ is excited by the

potential of The Bowen Technique within premiership football.

Russell Dick, an osteopath for 20 years and former Dean of Studies at the Northern Counties

School of Osteopathy, discovered Bowen in February of this year. He says “There are things

in life which pass in front of you that must be grabbed with both hands. Bowen has turned my

practice on its head, with 80% of my patients being given Bowen as a first choice.” Malcolm

Stemp, an osteopath and lecturer at Oxford University and homeopath of 40 years’ standing,

calls the technique, “A great truth. It answers all the laws of natural medicine namely that the

body be treated as a whole without reference to named disease.”