An Introduction to Bowen Technique

An Introduction to Bowen

The Power of 2 Bowen Moves

The Power of just two Bowen moves

Last week I treated a client who I have worked with for many years (on and off), and decided to try Mind Body Bowen (MBB) with her, which is an approach both developed and ‘discovered’ by Margaret Spicer and Ann Schubert many years ago. For me it is absolutely fascinating work and I have had enormous physical and emotional releases through this work, including removing the trauma of my birth through the processing of this work.

The body is set up in a different way to ‘normal’ Bowen work. We speak to the client and tell them that we are going to ‘switch on the computer’ of the body and to see what happens and to track sensations as they occur naturally in the body. I did this with my client, Sarah (pseudo-name), who had a history of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Gardia – diagnosed in 1983. Here is what happened with just two Bowen moves:

Bottom Stopper moves 1 and 2 in Bowen

2 minute break

Face and chest became hot and feet glowing. Face felt hot – that became a sweaty feeling in the scalp.

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Feet feel like she is walking on hot sun all over the soles of both feet – naval warm and remaining so. Reports to feeling calm.

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Left foot fading in heat, but the right foot remains the same and the naval is still hot

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Right foot is still hot all over – naval area gurgling and pulling downwards into right groin

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Right foot is still warm just before ball of right foot and the big toe is warmest. Left big toe is also warm and naval area remains warm

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Right foot continues to be warm and naval warm, but less so than before

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Ball of left foot in sympathy with right. Right foot still warm and naval is getting less warm and ‘stirring itself’ up inside

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Right foot is still warm – across the ball of the foot and left pad of big toe. Naval is now normal.

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On looking at the meridian and elemental work involved in MBB – Sarah’s symptoms related to the water element and kidney meridian. I selected to do the Psoas procedure for the naval sensations and hammer toe for the footwork. Afterwards Sarah reported that her right toes in the pads of the foot felt as if they were in a draft. She then reported to feeling less cold, I left Sarah for a bit and then got her up to try and see if there was any story connected to her experience, as is the way of this work.

Sarah told me that she had a memory of ingesting sea-water in 1983 as she dived off a boat in Turkey in 1983 – she ‘vomited’ water – and really didn’t feel well. It was interesting she had reported a water-related incident, following bodily sensations and reactions relating to the water element.

Next Week

One week later – 26-5-16 – Sarah came back to session. She has a lot to report following the session above.  She said that she felt tired, but OK, but definitely not fatigued (which was an improvement). She gave an energy score of 6 – but felt it was towards 8. When she had left last session she reported that her knee had buckled – for the first time in ages, but by the time she got to the station it was fine, and never went again. She soaked in Epsom salts that evening and was very tired, and rested the next day. She reported having a very windy tummy, that her teeth hurt and she had sinus symptoms. Her mother had said that Sarah grounded her teeth since a young child, and she felt that now, and as an adult, she had clenched her teeth. Sarah reported that she also felt her right cheek feeling higher than the left, which had happened before. She had also experienced several episodes of hot feet over the week, mainly at night. However, she felt that she had had a ‘quantum shift’ since the last session.

Having thought carefully about what I might do today – I reflected on doing the knee procedure and burning heel, but my plans changed altogether when we ended up doing MBB work again  - because so much started happening after 4 Bowen moves this time:

2 minute break

Heat around naval

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Now ‘glowing’ around the naval –  both feet now feeling prickly but not hot like the last session. All over both feet, but mainly on the balls of the feet and rim of the heel.

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Feet subsiding – stomach warmth moving from naval to the diaphragm

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Feeling of pulling at the front of the right iliac crest to the far right.

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Strengthening of the pull to the right, and pulling deeper inside

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Everything fading ‘like a mist rather than a fog’

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Pain keeps returning to anterior/inferior iliac crest, but less than before.

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The niggle in the area remains, it feels like a muscle being pulled than in the abdominal (on asking).

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Sensations lessening.

Once again the symptoms were related to the water element and kidney meridian. I decided to do the coccyx procedure as Sarah had reminded me (upon my questioning of falls) that she had a major fall off a horse and landed on her coccyx. Upon palpation the coccyx was shallow, but very clearly defined. There was no observed tethering or pulling in the gluteal crease, as can sometimes be observed in those with coccyx trauma.

After the session Sarah said that she remembered she felt she could not judge where the edge of chairs were or would aim food into her ear rather than her mouth. (This sounded like some sort of Dyspraxia). She said this started happening in 1983 around the onset of her illness, and that she would ‘forget words’. She said she was not at all distressed about it. She then told me about a really serious trauma she had had in 1982 where she was grabbed at knife point by a man trying to take her bag. She had never told me this before. She told me that she had prayed and felt that angels must have looked after her that day. She said that she felt that humour was the only way to cope with the incident. She said the memory of it had never bothered her afterwards – but I wonder. I’d say that this was a release of a trauma – and the body was finally dispelling the trapped energy of this trauma. Sarah also said she often felt hyper-vigilant – something I have observed in the years of treating her – and how, once with a group of friends camping – she kept half awake all night. This is indicative of trapped trauma, and the body remaining in freeze/flight of flight mode. I explained how animals discharge energy after such events (being chased) – but that in humans the energy did not fully discharge which is why it is stored as a traumatic event. I told her about Peter Levine’s work and his excellent book, ‘Waking the Tiger’ – but she said she would rather continue to experience the work I was doing through Bowen, rather than read about it at the moment. She left looking very happy, and walking virtually without a limp. Amazing and profound.

Musings of a Bowen Therapist Part 5

I have just looked at the date of my last blog posting and was extremely shocked to find that I haven't blogged anything for over six months. What is scary is how quickly that time has passed, but also just how busy I have been in clinic since that then.

I thought that I would reflect upon a just a very few client's responses immediately after treatment. These were all new clients:

Highly complex client, with numerous ailments, and a long medical history. He says, "After the session I could breath properly, and I felt instant relief from the first moves. I relaxed."

Another client with a long and complicated history says, "I felt like my heart was beating in my back and then the whole body. It went on for most of the time, and was a nice sensation. I felt quite relaxed and I felt my jaw release after the neck moves."

Finally, one said to me, "I felt very relaxed and couldn't open my eyes at one point." This comment came from a client who would have extreme difficulties in relaxing owing to autonomic disturbance.

I love my job, and the stories unfold daily. Bowen is remarkable stuff!