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Why and how does Bowen Therapy work?
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The importance of water
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How does Bowen Therapy create greater flexibility/mobility?
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What is Bowen used for? Some examples.
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What is Lymphatic Drainage?
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What is Bowen. Therapy like? Waiting Periods.
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Does it hurt?
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Can I use Bowen Therapy for "Body Maintenance"?
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... and after a Bowen Therapy treatment?
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How many treatments are necessary?
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What about Dorn Spinal Therapy?
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How much does
a treatment cost?
A Closer Look – FAQ
There is a theory which explains why Bowen Therapy works. It makes good sense to me. Even though, as far as I can gather, nobody really knows why it works, this theory suggests that Bowen Therapy assists in rehydrating the body. – – Consider the following thoughts:
We all know that our body consists of 60-80% of water – yet what
do we feed our body? Tea, coffee, Coke, beer, wine (alcohol in general), soft drinks, juices etc. Many of these are diuretics! They dehydrate us even more! As we grow older, a gradual loss of thirst perception occurs, so we drink less water and our body becomes drier still.
Is it coincidence then, that many of us become also less and less flexible as we age? Could dehydration perhaps contribute
to stiffer joints?
The importance of water
The body functions optimally with the appropriate amount of water.
Why?
I see it this way: In every part of our body we have connective tissue (fascia). Between any two cells in our body there is connective tissue and it keeps things in their rightful place. If the connective tissue is fully hydrated, it is stretchable and slippery – not unlike the chicken pieces we may prepare for dinner: The slippery, “slimy “, clear tissue which feels wet – that’s connective tissue.
It encases muscles, organs and structures and is present throughout
the body.
When connective tissue is wet, it is slippery. However, when it dries up,
it behaves like “Glad Wrap” or “Cling Wrap”: Allow two sheets of dry Glad Wrap to touch and they cling to each other, you cannot shift them.
But: If one of them is a little wet, they will not stick; because of the water the two sheets slip and slide as though you might have “oiled and greased” them.
Our fascia behaves just like that: water makes it flexible and slippery.
Arms and legs move easily and effortlessly, because they are well “oiled and greased” – with water! With too little water, the connective tissue/
fascia adheres (“connects”!!) to surrounding tissue and movements become harder to make, are more labour-intensive; any movements require more energy (not unlike a car that needs a service!).
How does Bowen Therapy create greater flexibility/mobility?
Making a Bowen Move
When we practice Bowen Therapy, we make “Bowen Moves”
by sliding the skin over muscles, tendons or ligaments. We move them sideways, i.e. across the muscle, not with the direction
of the muscle as is usually done
in massage.
By going across, we move not only the skin, muscles, tendons or ligaments, but also the connective tissue (fascia) that is attached
– and that is our intention.
Thus those structures (skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments) become
a tool to stretch fascia!
I believe that it is at the point of the greatest stretch, that the connective tissue is able to take on the greatest amount of water. Water softens all sorts of things, including connective tissue! Once it has become able
to take up water, rehydration has commenced.
The wick in a burning candle draws up the wax and the candle continues to burn. Likewise, a tea towel hanging with one corner in a glass of water will soak up the water by means of capillary action. It seems logical
to me, that the connective tissue will draw or soakup water in the same way – – – provided the water is present ... Therefore it does not seem unreasonable to presume that Bowen Therapy is a Rehydration Therapy.
So what would be a smart thing to do???
Of course!! – – You guessed it:
Drink water!!
I know this sounds silly, but I am thirsty!
If rehydration makes tissue more slippery, would it not be reasonable
to presume, that a movement of an arm or a leg will then require less energy? Instead of having to spend, say 100% of energy to pick up that cup of tea with a stiff arm, now we may only have to spend 80% of that energy! Would that not mean, that we have 20% “to play with”!
Based on priority and not on our conscious intentions, our body will decide where it is going to spend that extra energy:
perhaps on maintenance?
or repairs?
perhaps on being happier?
being more patient?
or on being more creative?
– – – who knows???
What is Bowen Therapy used for?
A lot of my clients use Bowen Therapy for “Body Maintenance”, but most of them come with a specific issue to start with. For example:
Most complain of some stiffness or pain in either joints, limbs or the back. They almost always feel relief after treatment.
Many feel tension in the neck and shoulders. They may suffer from headaches and migraines and in this regard I find Bowen Therapy particularly effective.
People with replacement hips or knees are often somewhat reluctant to have treatments, but so often I have heard them report after Bowen Therapy treatments that they could move just so much more easily afterwards.
A lovely gentleman by the name of Ted, well into his seventies, had had both hips replaced and could hardly walk up the driveway when he first came. After a few treatments he reported: “I have improved
out of sight!” Again, this does not always happen, but it happens
often enough!
Young people who have caught Glandular Fever attend school only irregularly for at least a term, because
of exhaustion. In my experience, Bowen Therapy works excellently to get them back on track in a very short period of time. Many of them are largely “back to their own selves” within 2-4 treatments!! The same applies
to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or to those who are constantly tired and exhausted. Many of these clients report significant improvement after only a handful of treatments,at times even after only ONE treatment!!
Hay fever and sinus congestion are treated
in a very similar fashion to asthma. I’ll never forget
a young man, suffering from hay fever at the time, exclaiming after a treatment: – – –
"Yippee,
I can breathe again!”
Asthma can be treated with Bowen Therapy very well. Drinking more water will help the situation also, and since Bowen Therapy appears
to assist in rehydrating the body, Bowen Therapy and additional water (perhaps with a pinch of salt) go hand in hand.
The Bowen Moves can instigate immediate relief.
A very old Bowen Therapy colleague from Western Australia,
Mr Max Walker, showed me how to effectively deal with haemorrhoids. The treatment only takes 25 minutes. One of my clients came to me with haemorrhoid trouble –– he had three treatments and since then he has not suffered from haemorrhoids again. Not even 20 years later.
I am constantly surprised at the results Bowen Therapy can achieve.
A woman called me, saying she had been told by her friend:
“You have to go and see Wilma!”. She was going through a most difficult stretch in life, with obstacles in many areas of her life: She had no physical problems, but she appeared to have the feeling that everything in life was going wrong and she just couldn’t get on top of things any more, she was very teary. When I asked her, why specifically she had come, she replied: “I don’t know why I’m here. I don’t know anything any more. I don’t know what I want any more.”
How and why Bowen Therapy helped her, perhaps only Tom Bowen himself would know, but when she came for the second treatment,
I could clearly see that she was “a different woman”.
She had presence and she had direction again. She was regaining
her dignity. Thank you, Tom!!
What is Lymphatic Drainage?
It is literally to have your rubbish taken out.
At first, I was reminded by a client what I, myself, had imagined “Lymphatic Drainage” to be like: A big needle in your arm (like when you donate blood to the Red Cross) and something is “drained” from your body. A scary thought indeed – and thankfully it’s nothing like it!
When my clients come for their “Maintenance” or when they feel “out
of sorts”, I often perform a full-body lymphatic drainage. I believe a lot
of doctors don’t really know how useful lymph drainage can be.
In Germany it is quite a common form of treatment, but here in Australia, we still struggle to understand it. I don't mean to say that I fully understand Lymph Drainage and other people don't, but this is how I see it:
The Lymph System in our body is our “rubbish-removal-system”.
When we carry too much rubbish, i.e. too many toxins and waste products and/or do not exercise our body sufficiently to flush these out – we begin
to feel tired easily, we may feel exhausted, don’t have a lot of energy and become prone to catching colds easily. In times like these, lymph drainage is very helpful.
Much like our blood system has the blood vessels (arteries and veins),
the lympatic system has lymph vessels. And like veins, lymph vessels have non-return valves so that their content always flows forward and cannot flow backwards.
Non-return valve in a vein
The Lymphatic System has filter stations much like sponges, called “Lymph Nodes”. The lymph fluid flows through these and the nodes retain “bits” that get caught up in the sponge-like structure. These "bits" need
to be dealt with and broken down, e.g. bacteria, waste products etc. When the nodes become congested, they need to be cleared. If we were wanting
to clean a sponge in our laundry, we would squeeze it under running water.
In Bowen Therapy many of the Moves are made near or over those lymph nodes, so: as well as working on structural realignment of the body
in a particular order, the Moves initiate lymphatic drainage.
The Moves are the same and the client does not perceive a difference.
Our muscles are the pump!
Lymphatic Drainage helps
us to “get up and going” again.
It is such a relief for the body,
not to have to deal with every-day-life AND all the “rubbish”
any more!
Why does exercise help to “take out our rubbish”?
Our muscles are the pump to our lymphatic system.
As they change their shape, the expansion and contraction of the muscles squeezes the tissue within the muscles and outside of the muscles. In doing so they flatten lymph vessels, pushing the vessels’ content up and up and up through the system until finally the lymph system joins with the blood system. Then the blood flows through the liver, the kidneys etc and the “rubbish” is taken out
via our urine and faeces.
One client, Helen, rang me to make an appointment.
She declared: “I need my rubbish taken out!”
Funny and very apt!
What is Bowen Therapy like? Waiting Periods
Rather than through clothing, Bowen Therapy is best applied to the skin.
For most of the treatment clients will lie on the treatment table. Generally, clients disrobe to their underwear and will be covered by towels at all times. This way they feel warm and comfortable. Moves, which are made while the client is standing or seated are generally carried out fully dressed (or wearing light clothing).
If, for one reason or another, a client is reluctant to take off his or her clothes, Bowen Therapy can be applied through clothing. However,
I would ask clients to wear thin and non-slippery clothes (not silky).
A bikini or bathers are very practical for the purpose, too.
Applying the moves directly to the skin is best, since I can feel in more detail what is going on under the skin.
Bowen Therapy Moves are applied in groups of four to sometimes ten Moves. There is a “Waiting Period” of about two minutes between each group of Moves. Suzanne Baker, ISBT’s Head Equine and Canine Bowen Therapy teacher, explains the Waiting Periods like this:
So, doesn’t it seem reasonable to think that those “changes” are part of the rehydration process?
Generally it does not. And it should not, either. As you now know,
the aim of the Bowen Moves is to stretch the connective tissue
by moving skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments across the fibre.
If that hurts, what would you do?
You’d protect that area by tightening up. The result would be that
you cannot stretch the connective tissue in that area as easily and
as extensively.
The move would probably be less effective. Therefore, during the treatment, we want a relaxed body, a pain-free body. Some tenderness cannot always be avoided, but we do want to avoid pain.
If it hurts, tell me – don’t put up with it, thinking: “I’m tough, I can stand it!” – My motto is: “Bowen and heroes don’t mix!”
Can I use Bowen Therapy for “Body Maintenance”?
Yes. Once people feel okay and the initial problem has largely been solved, many choose to continue with maintenance visits. Often I hear them say: “I feel good and I’d like to keep
it that way!”
Some say: ”Don’t let me leave without an appointment. I often simply don’t get around to ringing you. Time just flies, so if it’s in my diary, I’ll come.”
"Time just flies!"
Illustration Copyright: Mark Littler
The frequency of maintenance visits could be 6 or 8 times a year.
Some clients choose monthly visits.
This is an individual choice. When they come in and declare: “Yeah, everything still feels quite good, no problems
to write home about, no great dramas,” – to me, that is the best story of all! Why?
It shows that their body has been able
to deal with all the shocks and knocks
of every-day-life.
... and after a Bowen Therapy treatment?
After a treatment most people feel good and notice improvement. “Cross-fibre-moves” don’t generally happen to our body in every-day-life. They create changes in our body according to priority, regardless of our conscious wants and wishes. Consequently,
we can never predict how you will feel after a Bowen Therapy session. It may well be different from treatment to treatment.
Yes, it has to be said that occasionally, people feel sore or “washed out” or they may feel they have had a real work-out.
If that does occur, it usually happens only after the first or second treatment. After that, the body “knows” how to respond to Bowen Therapy and people generally feel positive effects only.
The effect of Bowen Therapy can be immediate and continual. (Refer to section: “How does Bowen Therapy create greater flexibility/mobility?”). Perhaps an analogy with syphoning water
is not too far fetched: If we syphon water from one vessel into another it will continue to flow –– until the levels are equal or there
is an interruption, an air-lock, i.e. air enters into the hose. Then the flow stops. Could this apply to our body, also?
I think that perhaps for this reason that it seems to be important
to make sure water is always available in and to our body.
How do we do that? By drinking it, of course!!
How many treatments are necessary?
Initial changes and positive results are often felt after the first treatment.In my experience, quite often one treatment is sufficient.
It is recommended, though, to reinforce that first treatment, like you would “drive home” a nail which you have hammered into a plank. Certainly, after 2, 3 or 4 treatments we should know whether Bowen Therapy is making a difference in your particular case.
If there is no change after three or four treatments, then either Bowen Therapy is not the right way or I am not the right Bowen Therapist for you. (Just like a chiropractor or a masseur may
be great for one, but totally ineffective for another person.)
It's teamwork!!! In most cases – about 80% in my experience – Bowen Therapy contributes to solving a problem significantly. Repeatedly re-injuring yourself by continuing with old habits and/or activities is a poor strategy. Contributing to your own recovery
is most helpful for success. Teamwork indeed!
I will do my best to raise your awareness with regard to your particular condition – it is your choice what you do with the information received.
What about “Dorn Spinal Therapy”?
80% of my treatments consist of Bowen Therapy (more precisely: mostly ISBT-Bowen Therapy). The remaining 20% are largely made up of Dorn Spinal Therapy, tips and tricks I have learnt over the years and moves which I have developed, based on my own experience.
Dorn Spinal Therapy can be very effective in re-aligning the spine.
It is not as gentle as Bowen Therapy and it requires active client participation.
I like it for its simplicity. It is a therapy, which is quite common
in Germany and Austria.
When applying “Dorn”, I run my fingers along both sides of the spine while you are standing. I look for immobility, misalignment, tenderness, heat etc. When such a spot is located, I arrest that particular vertebra by applying pressure to it while you, the client, will (depending on the location) swing either an arm or a leg
or turn your head. That movement creates stretches in the tissues surrounding and affecting that particular vertebra, giving
it a little “wriggle room”, creating a little “space”, so that the vertebra can move back into a more appropriate position.
If we give the body the opportunity for realignment, chances
are it will take it.
Having realigned the spine, it makes good sense to re-hydrate and soften the surrounding tissue by applying Bowen Therapy.
I like the combination of first aligning, then softening the body,
so that the realignment will hold.
How much does a treatment cost?
Tom Bowen wanted to make his treatments available to many and, based on this, my fee is $85 per treatment (November 2026).
This way more people can benefit from Bowen Therapy.
You, might not need Bowen Therapy yourself, but perhaps you know someone who you think could benefit from it.
You can purchase Leaf Bowen Therapy Gift Vouchers for family and friends – for their birthdays, for Christmas or other occasions.
The Bad News is:
Time flies.
The Good News is:
You're the pilot!
“We allow time for the impact
of the Moves to make changes
to the underlying structures.”