Bowen Technique

Bowen Therapy is a soft tissue rolling and stretching technique, applied using your practitioner's fingers or thumbs, almost always as near as practical to 90 degrees across the fibres that you wish to have the greatest effect on. This can be muscle, ligament, tendon, fascia 'any soft tissue'.

The late Thomas Ambrose Bowen, of Geelong, in Victoria, Australia, the original innovator of Bowen Therapy was born on the 18th of April 1916 and passed away on the 27th of October 1982 aged 66. Tom, as he was known to many, was a humble man who over many years developing the therapy he practised to the day he died. Tom helped many people with a number of different ailments from fertility problems to back ache. Tom treated many people, the elderly, and newborns, those with disabilities, and even dogs and horses. His dedication to helping people less fortunate than himself was inspirational to many. The way in which we believed he used his intuition to determine his treatment of his clients, continues to amaze us, 'Thank you Tom'.

The simple answer is that Bowen Therapy is a soft tissue rolling and stretching technique, applied using your practitioner's fingers or thumbs, almost always as near as practical to 90 degrees across the fibres that you wish to have the greatest effect on. This can be muscle, ligament, tendon, fascia 'any soft tissue'.

We can quite clearly separate Bowen Therapy from massage because we do not stay in contact with the person's skin throughout the treatment session. In fact therapists are encouraged to have short breaks away from the person to allow their body to respond in the best possible way for them to heal. It is also not physio therapy, as we do not use mechanical or electronic devices during the treatment process, nor is it chiropractic, as we do not manipulate bone or joint structures at all, just the soft tissues of the body.

For the above reasons Bowen Therapy is like no other - therapist work on all soft tissue, thus allowing them to work through light clothing assisting a wide variety of conditions. Bowen can be performed with the person sitting, lying or standing.

Due to the nature of this non-invasive light touch therapy is suitable for the whole family, from new born to the elderly.

Bowen is essentially a holistic treatment so the therapist will treat the whole body - for example - if you have come to a therapist with a shoulder problem they will not just work on this area. The body is so 'interconnected' and will affect other areas of the body.

Treatment will last between 20-60 minutes depending on the problem presented. The therapist can either work through light clothing or directly on skin - whatever is most comfortable for the client. Cost can vary depending on your area anything from £30-£60.

Anybody practicing Bowen professionally will have several qualifications - Please do ask to see them, every therapist should be happy to provide this for you. To be sure of this look for a QUALIFIED Registered therapist.

They will require a Bowen Qualification from one of the main schools: Smart Bowen, European College Bowen Studies (ECBS), BOWTECH or The Bowen School for Healthcare professionals. They will also require a Qualification in Anatomy & Physiology, a First Aid Qualification, (CPD) Continual Professional Development each year and insurance cover. This gives you reassurance, quality of work and professionalism among registered therapists.

Bowen Therapy Professional Association (BTPA) is the largest non-profit making professional association providing standards of professional excellence and a code of practice for the protection and benefit of the public and its members.