How It Works

The Technical Stuff!

When a Bowen move is performed on the body, it creates a specific vibration on the fascia. This relays to neighbouring muscles, tendons, ligaments, bone and organs, similar to a ripple affect when a stone is thrown into water. It also sends messages to the brain.

The brain usually shuts down any area of disorder in the body ( to help rest and repair it) and uses other parts of the body to compensate. Once the original problematic part has recovered, the brain needs to release it and allow the parts that helped compensate resume normal action. However because we, like horses, rarely rest and take pain killing drugs to mask sensation, the brain accepts the disorder to remain, often causing stresses and strain, disease and secondary problems within the supporting parts.

Bowen triggers the brain, the disordered part and the supporting parts. The moves create a new disorder to encourage the brain to reassess the problem. Once the Central Nervous System finds areas supporting an area which no longer needs supporting, then it releases it and realigns it back to normal. Every part of the body holds a blue print of normality, it wants to be in alignment because then it works efficiently. Bowen triggers this process to occur.

If someone has one hip higher than the other, the body has caused this to initially support or protect an injured area. Once that area has recovered, the hip still remains higher. Why? Because a muscle, tendon or ligament still hold this hip higher and now is much shorter than its opposing pair, and probably also in spasm.  

Once a Bowen treatment takes place, the brain acknowledges the release and begins to allow the body to revert to normality. This can take a few days to a few weeks, but changes of release can be seen.

Any forced change is usually short lived. If the brain accepts that disorder is normal, it will revert back to its compensated position. Bowen however, is gentle yet powerful and acts as a reminder to the body to heal back to normality. In practice, this can be seen when horses during Bowen breaks, laterally flex their necks as if checking their new boundaries, or pressing their buttocks onto stable walls as if helping to reset themselves.