Development

Developed from the 1950s until his death in 1982, the acclaimed Australian therapist Tom BOWEN helped many thousands of people overcome their pains and conditions using a series of gentle, non-manipulative moves over muscle and connective tissue using nothing more than his thumbs and index fingers. 

In most cases, only two or three treatments were required for people to be free of pain, permanently, which is one reason why the Bowen Technique has become so popular. In 1974 Tom Bowen commissioned a natural therapist, Oswald Rentsch, to study and document the complete work. He was the only person to do so and the work took over two years to complete. 

Before Tom Bowen passed away, Oswald Rentsch made a promise that his work  would become known worldwide and together with his wife Elaine, formed "Bowtech" to teach and share with others the unchanged method of Mr Bowen's amazing work. 

The BOWEN Technique itself consists of a series of gentle moves where the trained practitioner uses thumbs and index fingers, making very gentle rolling-type moves over precise points on the body. These gentle moves aim to disturb the muscles, connective tissue and subtle energies within the body creating balance and stimulating energy flow. 

Then, as a standard and important part of the BOWEN Technique treatment, the practitioner steps back and allows the patient to absorb the work and for the healing to begin. 

The moves used by the practitioner balance the body, allowing self-healing with minimum intervention. During the course of a treatment, the client is left resting several times, allowing the body time to incorporate the gentle healing moves which have just been performed. This allows the body's different systems to respond to the moves with the subtle and fine adjustments that help to relieve tension, reduce pain and initiate the healing process. 

The practitioner will often note subtle and sometimes quite dramatic changes taking place during the breaks, and can adjust the next set of moves accordingly. A feature of the Bowen Technique is that nothing is forced to happen - the therapist gently and precisely does the work which triggers the body's natural healing responses. Improvement is often experienced within a few days. The body is prompted to readjust itself by tapping into its own resources for self-healing. 

BOWEN is a gentle, non-invasive, safe practice, and works well with all ages from newborn to the elderly. It also has a very beneficial effect on animals and there are courses available to learn a horse version of the technique, called EMRT (Equine Muscle Release Technique), which is run under the auspices of the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia.