The history of the Bowen School for Healthcare Professionals
By tutor Anneke Loode
The late Thomas Ambrose Bowen, of Geelong, Australia, was born on the 18th of April 1916 and passed away on the 27th of October 1982 aged 66. He was the originator of what is now known as "The Bowen Therapy". Tom, as he was known to many, was a humble man who over many years developed the therapy he practised in Geelong for several decades.
In 2000 - 2001 I was taught the Bowen Technique. I can honestly say that it changed the way I work completely.
I am a sceptic by nature and found it all a bit vague to start with. Being used to a lot of technical explanation on the many courses I have done in the past, this one was different. I believe being sceptical is fine as long as it goes together with an open mind. So I tried to accept the information I received and came back to the clinic after a few confusing days.
The first time I practised the technique was on a patient with very chronic, severe back pain. I had been treating her on and off for years. She was happy to try something new and so I had my first experience with the effects of The Bowen Technique.
She phoned me the day after the treatment and said:
"I don't know what you've done, but I think you should finish that course. I've not felt this good for years."
I was surprised. I had done so little. It was all so gentle. I'd been out of the room half the time. How could this work? But it did. So I kept going, finished the course and qualified in 2001.
It was a struggle to change from my known and tested way of work as a physio- and manipulative therapist into the Bowen way of work:
- To change from thinking very "anatomical" to more "energy".
- To treat conditions like asthma, IBS, hayfever and kidney problems as well as my normal caseload of mainly musculo-skeletal problems.
- To use a very gentle hands-on, hands-off technique.
- To leave the treatment room during a session.
- To not mix Bowen with other treatment modalities (except exercises).
- To accept that the patient's body and/or brain would decide on a response rather than me trying to enforce a change, as I would do when using for instance a mobilisation technique or ultra-sound.
The results were there, simple as that. I haven't stopped being a physiotherapist, but I now treat 95% of my patients with The Bowen Technique. It is a wonderful and effective tool for a wide variety of conditions.
My 'struggle' inspired me to teach the Bowen Technique to healthcare professionals. I started teaching in 2003. After two years of assessing the course, making improvements to the syllabus and gaining the necessary teaching skills the course is now recognised by the Bowen Therapist European Register (BTER), an independent umbrella organisation of Bowen Therapists.
More information on the technique can be found at the Bowen Therapists' European Register website.