What is Bowenwork and How Can it Benefit YOU?
nective tissue therapy. It was developed by the late Tom Bowen in Geelong, Australia, in the 1950s. He became interested in ways to alleviate human suffering and began to notice that certain moves on the body had particular effects. With primar- ily fingers and thumbs, the practitioner makes small, rolling movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue at precise points on the body, to deliver signals to the nervous system. No hard- tissue manipulation or force is used. Bowenwork is different from massage
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in the way the work is applied. Massage is generally a hands-on technique with the massage therapist almost constantly in touch with the client’s body for the dura- tion of the session, whereas Bowenwork is a combination of minimal, light moves over the tissues, interspersed with hands- off periods, to allow the client to relax and respond to the signals given to the nervous system. The Bowenwork practitioner usu- ally leaves the room or steps away from the client during these periods. Massage therapy involves the therapist intention- ally seeking tension and trigger points within muscles and then applying various massage methods and stretches in order to release them. A Bowenwork practitioner applies light, rolling moves over specific areas on the body, not necessarily at the point of pain or tension, and then allows the body to release tension patterns in varying areas, within its own time. Bowenwork is considered a holistic
Natural Triad Magazine
owenwork (aka Bowen Therapy) is a gentle, drug-free, non-invasive, dynamic system of muscle and con-
therapy. We use Bowenwork to influence the soft tissue tension throughout the body with an aim to resolving the root cause of the issue rather than just putting a sticking plaster over the symptoms. Rather than focusing on a single complaint, this tech- nique addresses the entire body, by restor- ing balance via the autonomic nervous system. The ANS controls over 80% of bodily functions and is very susceptible to external stressors. Most people today live in a constant state of high stress and sym- pathetic nervous system over-stimulation (“fight or flight” mode). Bowenwork shifts the body from that sympathetic nervous system mode to the parasympathetic (“rest, relax and repair”) mode.
Incorrect tension in our soft tissue
caused by injuries, posture, emotions and countless other influences will start ‘mov- ing our bones around’ and leave us ‘mis- aligned’, leading to different kinds of aches and pains and even internal problems. A good analogy is to imagine our bodies are like tents. Held up and kept stable by the tension in the guy lines, with the main tent pole running through the middle. Increase the tension in the guy lines on one side and the pegs will eventually ‘pop out’ on the opposite side. In our bodies the ‘pop- ping out of the pegs’ are basically where we will be feeling pain. The problem is more often than not the incorrect tension of a guy line (soft tissue) on the opposite side or elsewhere in the body. For instance, the pain that you are
feeling in your back is likely to be as a result of years of your body gradually shift- ing out of balance. Over time, compensa-
tion patterns build up putting extra stresses and tensions on certain muscle groups until a ‘breaking point’ occurs; commonly when bending over to put your socks on, or to pick something up. And although the ‘breaking point’ and pain may be experienced in the lower back, the key to resolving the issue may lie in a com- pletely different area of the body. Therefore, for successful treatment of
non-specific back pain, sciatica, slipped disc, arthritic wear and tear; and indeed any joint pain or tension for that matter, it is essential to look at the body holistically and release soft tissue throughout, to en- sure total alignment of the whole body. As muscles relax and the spine starts to adjust position, impinged nerves are released,
Forsyth Integrative Therapy an integrated path to health and well-being
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Marcelle Hammer, MA Ed Certified Medical Support Clinical Hypnotherapist
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www.ForsythIntegrativeTherapy.com SEPTEMBER 2013 19
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