Bowen
Therapy From Australia
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by Caroler Ann Railton, MAR ERBT AABT
(Reprinted with permission.)
It would seem that the
Australians are currently having a profound effect on our
lives. We have beautiful models like Elle Macpherson showing
us how to be good mothers, their cricket team winning the Cricket
World Cup and now, from these warm shores, comes a new hands-on
therapy that is straightforward, non-intrusive and effective.
Tom Bowen pioneered
Bowen Therapy in Geelong, Australia. He began by observing
football trainers and others involved in sports then developed his
own technique. By the time he was 40 years of age, he had an
established successful practices that attracted a large number of
patients. A huge proportion (88%) of whom required only two or
three treatments (stated under oath - Australian Parliament
Committee in 1978).
It's good to find a
therapy that prides itself on being in harmony with the body and
able to help in areas of sports-related injuries, musculoskeletal
disorders, as well as hay fever and bronchial symptoms. The
technique works by gently relaxing the body and like most
complementary therapies, it aims to restore balance and
harmony. Although mild, it can resolve various types of
skeletal pain almost immediately. As a result of this, a lot
of chiropractors and osteopaths are now working with the technique.
Practitioners are
continually surprised when they see the effectiveness of a therapy
with such gentle movements, but then general medicine is becoming
kinder in general with keyhole surgery and lasers to eradicate
gallstones when more intrusive surgery was previously needed.
There are also drugs to suppress previously incurable
ailments. Bowen complements these general medical trends by
bringing a more gentle approach to manipulation techniques fitting
in with the flow of "less is best."
So what does it
involve? Well, the practitioner will roll your muscles and
connective tissues with their first finger and thumb, which induces
them to relax and realign. These movements are done in groups,
taking just a few minutes for each area. Between sets, the
therapist may leave the patient for a couple of minutes to allow the
body to realign before moving onto the next area.
Often the patient feels
a sense of optimism and there is a subtle energy movement that can
be felt by the hands of the practitioner and sometimes by the
patient too. The theory is that the body needs to know that it
is not under attack.
I know it works. I
have been practicing it for the last three years with babies,
children and adults. It's safe for people of all ages and it
really does make a difference! Like Tom Bowen's patients, most
conditions take a maximum of 4 treatments to restore the body to
good health, whereas chronic ailments like ME (Myalgic
Encephalomyelitis) need ongoing support. Looking over the
horizon to try and predict what awaits you is fraught with
difficulties, yet knowing where to go when you have problems is seen
as pragmatic (or pessimistic!)
Seek out your nearest
Bowen Therapist today and experience the warmth of "Australian
Touch" before you become ill and without having to move from
these shores. Caroler Ann Railton
is
a certified Bowen Therapist and Homeopath, and runs 3-day
workshops in the UK. She can be reached at 7 Elm Quay
Court, Nine Elms Lane, Vauxhall, London SW8 5DE.
Phone: 020 7627 4053, FAX: 020 7404 5795 or Email:caroler@compuserve.com
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