How Bowen Works
Quite simply, Bowenwork promotes relaxation by working on the nervous system. The technique stimulates energy flow and the body’s capacity for self-healing. Seemingly simple and small Bowen moves have a powerful impact on the energetic, structural, chemical, and emotional aspects of the body. With its light pressure, minimalist approach, and its effectiveness, there is no other therapy like it.
Technically speaking, Bowen helps balance the autonomic nervous system, taking it from a “fight or flight” sympathetic mode into a “rest, relax and repair” parasympathetic mode. Nutrient assimilation, toxin elimination, lymphatic drainage and circulation are enhanced.
Bowen works at the level of the superficial fascia which plays a critical role in the functional and structural integrity of the body. Most Bowen moves are made at the origin, insertion or belly of the muscle where proprioceptors like golgi tendon organs and spindle cells relay information to the brain about muscle tension, stretch or length. Additionally, many moves overlap major acupuncture points which may explain the strong vibrational component of the technique.
I like to tell clients that the therapist is merely the catalyst in the session. The practitioner may know or intuit which chords to play, but it is the body which orchestrates the healing.