Healing Through Bowen

Recently, I was introduced to a healing modality called Bowenwork (TM) which was a creation of Australian born Thomas Bowen, who had no formal training in therapeutic technique, but felt called to assist people in alleviating pain and dysfunction. He began to see rapid and sustained results with various injuries and conditions in children and adults. Over the years, he trained others to carry on the legacy, including Oswald and Elaine Rentsch who then went on to teach others. I was a beneficiary of his wisdom, as I was about to experience this subtly applied technique from someone carrying on the tradition.

According to the website www.bowtech.com, it works in this way:

Sometimes called thehomeopathy of bodywork, it utilizes subtle inputs to the body (known asmoves), stimulating the body to heal itself, often profoundly. It seems to be based on the body’s innate intelligence to heal itself with the practitioner acting as a guide in the process.

I entered into the peaceful, lavender-hued office of certified Bowenwork practitioner Yvonne Fisher, who has been practicing since 2005, open to whatever was to follow. I have been a massage and energy worker for over 25 years, with my own preconceived notion of technique and results. Surrendering to Yvonne’s expertise, after an overview of the session and a drink of water, I was invited to lie on the massage table, fully clothed. The table itself was comfy and warm; just what I needed after coming in from a torrentially rainy Philadelphia late winter day.

According to an article that Yvonne co-authored with Elizabeth Mackenzie,The basic philosophy behind Bowenwork is that the human body ishard-wired to seek balance through the regulatory process of the Autonomic Nervous System. Bowenwork seeks to affect positive change through this system. Focus on the Autonomic Nervous System allows an integrated response that can affect not just the muscle and connective tissue, but the internal organs as well. The idea is to put just enough information into the body to trigger the body’s own innate capacity to restore balance. The change is therefore brought about from within the body and tends to result in greater and longer lasting benefits.

Yvonne explained that she would be working gently on various fascia, muscles and lymphatics. The work was administered with ever-so-light pressure, some seeming to be a rocking motion. In between each move, she would leave the room, since she had expressed in the introduction that unlike other modalities, the practitioner does not keep their hands on the body, but rather gives it time to (my words) allow the move to ‘settle in’. Some people, she found, were uncomfortable with someone else just being in the room in the meantime. She quietly exited and entered as if on a sweet breeze.

I found myself sinking into the table, feeling drawn down into the warmth of the Earth itself in a deep meditative state. When the session was complete, there was a sense ofHmmm….that felt refreshing., but there was no overt awareness of a major change. Yvonne encouraged me to drink plenty of water afterward and refrain from other bodywork for a few days. She suggested light exercise as well. I drove home and then over the next day or so, noticed a sense of fatigue, as if I could literally sleep for 24 hours straight. Wishing I had that luxury, I managed to squeeze in a few extra hours. I recognized it as a detoxing experience and wasn’t alarmed. Then, it was as if an enveloping fog had lifted and I felt refreshed. Since that time, a week or so prior to writing this, I have felt even greater energy and vitality.

I would recommend this technique and Yvonne in particular for her professional and engaging style. She also offers presentations for your community group that will provide further information. Her website is www.insightbodytherapies.com

If you are not in the Philadelphia area, you can go to the website www.bowenworkacademyusa.com to find a practitioner near you.

Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW is a free lance journalist, speaker, interfaith minister, PR Goddess, massage and energy worker. Her website is www.liveinjoy.org