How does Bowen Therapy Work
There are several theories as to how Bowen Therapy works, however, the actual mechanism remains somewhat of a mystery. As with Acupuncture, the effectiveness of the treatment is shown in the results. It is only a very small percentage of people who do not respond to Bowen.
A Bowen move is made by gently rolling over muscle, tendon or ligament. Many individual movements are made at specific points all over the body in a pre-determined, systematic manner. One working theory is that the movement created by the gentle (superficial) Bowen activity is transmitted through to deeper layers along the facial covering of the muscles and relayed back to the brain. The body is networked by fascia and recent anatomical studies have revealed that the fascia is a continuous system. It surrounds muscle and bone and is developed in the embryonic period of life i.e. at less than 10 weeks gestation.
This theory goes someway to explaining how an injury or problem in one area may be created from or linked to problems in other (seemingly unrelated) areas. In short your ‘ankle bone is connected to your knee bone’ etc., right through to your head. Rather than viewing the system as being made up of muscles which are surrounded by fascia, it may one day be proven to be a fascial system containing muscles - the muscles working as a pulley system within.
Working with this theory, you can begin to understand why the body needs to be viewed as one unit and not as separate/isolated parts. This also applies to any problem or issue that presents. It then becomes easier to appreciate how, the gentle Bowen procedures can be transmitted through the muscular level to the deeper organ level within the body. This means that Bowen can also help with lymphatic, digestive, kidney and respiratory problems, to name a few. Other responses that can and sometimes do occur, relate to the release of emotional tensions and anxieties. Bowen can create a feeling of profound relaxation and calm. This may be part of the emotional release process but again, the mechanism for this remains a mystery.
The role of the therapist is similar to that of the starter motor in a car – that is, the therapist introduces Bowen to the body which triggers the self adjustment and healing process. Short rest periods incorporated into the treatment, are fundamental to this change. The body-wide application of moves means that the brain has a lot of additional information to assimilate at each treatment. The rest periods provide time for the brain to respond to the new information and begin the subtle process of adjustment and repair. An event which can continue over several days.