stress management
We are all under considerable and constant pressure to meet the demands of daily responsibilities, juggling family, jobs and other commitments. In addition added worries like the lack of job security, the rising costs of housing, food and lifestyle just layer on the pressure. Bowen therapy is very useful in treating situations like anxiety and stress, leading to a reduction in the prescription of hypnotics and anti-depressants. Clients often find that they are much more able to cope with the weekly stresses that they once endured. These changes are generally significant enough to be noticed after the first treatment.
Bowen dramatically reduces stress in both the body and in overall mental attitude, with old tensions and grievances fading to clear the way to a more balanced feeling.
Clients with busy demanding lifestyles use Bowen as a means of stress management and general health maintenance, seeing their Bowen practitioner every few months.
Bowen therapists often witness big life-changes in people whose body-mind-spirit balance is being restored through treatment.
The body has two parts to the nervous system to control every day actions. These go back to our roots as animals and are designed to help us survive the day-to-day issues that life throws at us, if these out of sync with each other then this can literally ’put our nerves on edge’ making the simplest of tasks impossible to handle or cope with. The messages from the sympathetic nervous system get us ready to do battle. In the modern society that we have created for ourselves this constant onslaught of new tasks set out before us are quickly replaced with new ones in a relentless tide. The parasympathetic nervous system in essence deals with the ‘fight or flight’ reflexes. Sabre toothed tigers attacking are now replaced by that new deadline from the boss. When this system fires, our bodies escalate into fear, anxiety and panic. Among many symptoms of this state, blood pressure can rise and stay elevated. Bowen therapy allows the body to get these two systems back into a peaceful, harmonious equilibrium, allowing you to get back on track to the old you.
Sleep disturbances result from the body’s low parasympathetic nervous system’s activity and after a series of Bowen treatments this parasympathetic nervous system responds, returning to a previous more balanced state, sleep problems dissipate and well-being greatly improves.
Bowen can helps by providing an efficient way to create the inner calmness without any harmful effects. A therapeutically induced alpha state (parasympathetic response) is a natural healing state: blood pressure, breathing rate, and other vital processes normalise, and regenerate. This alpha state is the gateway to relaxation and, crucially to creating new behaviour.
Case Study
Anxiety, Nightmares & Poor Concentration
Girl: 9 – 5 treatments
Nine-year-old A. came with her mother, complaining of feeling anxious about school, having nightmares, difficulties with concentration, and making odd repetitive movements with her arms which other members of the family were finding irritating. Sessions one and two produced considerable improvement in general anxiety and behaviour. By the third session she looked much happier and more relaxed. School friends commented on how much better she was concentrating in class, and she herself found she was able to get on with schoolwork much faster. After five sessions, all odd arm movements had stopped; she was sleeping well, rarely having bad dreams.
Female: 68 – 3 treatments + monthly follow-ups
Mrs D has had cervical spondylosis for 5 years and suffers with tremors in her right hand. It also causes dizziness and pain in the back of her head. She was previously on anti-depressants for 3 years, prescribed after suffering with stress from work then a series of medical conditions including high blood pressure, a hysterectomy, pernicious anaemia and suspected cancer. She suffers with tension, anxiety, shaking and lip tremble and is very lacking in confidence, shy and retiring. Mrs D felt wonderful after the first treatment and walked two and a half miles. After the second treatment, the pain had reduced and she felt ‘good in spirits’ and noticed an improvement in her piano playing. Her blood pressure was down and she managed to drink a cup of tea without shaking. After a third Bowen treatment she managed to drive a round trip of 400 miles and is gaining in confidence. She has continued to improve with monthly treatments. She is more in control of her anxiety, coping better with stressful situations and is now resuming her social life and activities.
Girl: 15 – 3 treatments
- is my own daughter. At fifteen years of age she was suffering from 3-4 migraines a week, usually waking in the morning feeling sick and unable to get out of bed until the attack had run its course. Life had become very difficult, and she was often off school till later in the day. After only one treatment she had considerable improvement, and after three she had no more migraines. This improvement has held, and though she very occasionally has an “aura”, she has not had another headache in the 18 months since treatment.
Female: 30’s – 2 treatments
Following three years of fibromyalgia – worse in the past twelve months – Gail felt pain in her ‘back, neck, limbs …all over’. After the first Bowen treatment she experienced extreme ‘anaesthetic’ tiredness for three days, then improved steadily: less pain, no falling down, almost no vertigo, and walking and sleeping better. After only two treatments other members of her support group also experienced real improvements. ‘Unbelievable’, as Jenny said!
Female: 40’s – regular treatments
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E. – also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)
“I have had ME for 15 years and like to think I know all its little tricks. I manage it reasonably well on a day-to-day basis as long as nothing too dramatic occurs in my life. “1998 was to be the sort of year that would trouble most people. My father was terminally ill and I was flying to Bristol at least one a month, our house was up for sale and just ten days after his death, we moved. I think I worked through my grief by decorating the house from top to bottom over the ensuing 12 weeks. This would have been quite impossible under normal circumstances with ME but 1998 was not to be a normal year. “In January I was introduced to a remarkable lady. Brenda Parker is a qualified Bowen Technique therapist and I have been seeing her regularly ever since. “I cannot speak too highly of the treatment I am receiving from Brenda. I still have ME but it is easier to handle with the benefits my whole system has gained from this superb therapy.”
Girl: 7 – 3 treatments + ongoing ‘top-ups’
T was taken for Bowen treatment because of a bed wetting problem. After discussion with T’s mother, it was decided to say the treatment was for her frequent bouts of tonsillitis rather than emphasise the bedwetting to the child. T would wet the bed four or five times a week, and occasionally more than once a night. T’s mother was instructed to cut out apples and apple juice from T’s diet. T wet the bed three times the first week. She had really enjoyed her Bowen session and was looking forward to the next one. After the second treatment, T wet the bed twice. Following the third Bowen treatment T was completely dry all week and stayed dry for two and a half months (she had one accident during this time). T now has a Bowen ‘top up’ every two to three months. As a bonus, T has had only one very sore throat in the last year which would normally have required antibiotics but which cleared up naturally after 24 hours much to mum’s amazement!
Girl: 13 – 3 treatments
“I am a registered hypnotherapist and I have become increasingly aware of Mind/Body connections and Bowen’s ability to deal with both as it enables the client to balance themselves in a very gentle non-intrusive way. “Miss A’s parents are separated and she was sexually abused by her father on a visit to his home three months previously. This resulted in severe panic attacks, asthma like symptoms, loss of use of lower limbs, very disturbed sleep with nightmares, loss of confidence and nervous anxious behaviours. At the time of referral Miss A was having up to 10 attacks per week. “At her first treatment session we discussed the pros and cons of Bowen and hypnotherapy, resulting in an agreement to give Bowen a month. We also agreed that her mother would remain quietly in the room during the Bowen treatments. After her first Bowen treatment, she was advised to drink lots of water and to go for at least two short walks each day. “At her second appointment, she reported she had slept better, with nightmares on only two nights and her panic attacks had reduced to three in the week. Her third treatment was one week later. Miss A had slept each night for 8-10 hours undisturbed by nightmares or panic attacks and had only one attack in the seven days. Mother commented that her daughter seemed much more relaxed. “When she came for her fourth, and final, treatment, she reported having no panic attacks and no disturbed sleep. Miss A. and her mother were delighted about Miss A’s return to her normal happy teenage self. I didn’t give her any treatment as I felt Bowen had done its work. “During the 5 months since Miss A’s last treatment, her mother rang regularly and told me that her daughter was now a “gruesome normal teenager”. She is doing well at school, has an active social life, and had the self-confidence to sing solo at a large concert.” Woman, aged 29 Mrs C was diagnosed as having depression and was prescribed medication. She felt herself to be “on an emotional roller coaster, full of negative thoughts and very tense and snappy” and she hated taking this medication because it made her fuzzy. At consultation, Mrs C was very uncertain about hypnotherapy so I discussed the Bowen Technique and she was very happy to try this as a treatment. Seven days after the first treatment, Mrs C said that she had felt much more relaxed and asked if I felt that she should stop her medication. I advised that this was something she should discuss with her GP. By her third session, nine days later, Mrs C had seen her GP who had reduced her medication prior to withdrawal. Mrs C was much more positive and delighted with the effects of the Bowen Technique. Eight days later, at her fourth session, Mrs C was relaxed and positive. She had successfully applied for a new job and feels able to cope well with her life. She asked if I would see her on a regular basis as she felt that Bowen helped her to relax and that it is “much better for me than medication”. We agreed that she would make an appointment when she felt it would help. Mrs C has had several sessions since. She rings every 6-8 weeks. Woman, aged 43 B. is quite a sensitive person and is currently ‘coming off’ anti-depressants. After the first basic Bowen moves, she immediately felt ‘spaced out’. After about half an hour, she got a terrific pain in her throat, whereupon there poured out all sorts of confessions about her childhood, and deep secrets she’d never told anyone before (sexual abuse etc). Then she had a cry (I gave her Rescue Remedy & just listened). After this huge outburst of very personal horror stories, all of a sudden the pain in her throat cleared completely and she felt much brighter and somewhat amazed at what had happened. Clearly, Bowen had prompted this enormous ‘‘release’. It certainly proves that Bowen works on many different levels. – from Bowen practitioner Beth Darrall
more - stress management
Bowen therapy gently treats your condition as opposed to many common techniques such as visiting a Chiropractor, that can use heavy manipulation. So if you do not like the thought of being pushed and pulled about then Bowen therapy could be the perfect treatment for you.
The Bowen technique can work along side other effective techniques like Chiropractic, Osteopathy or Physiotherapy.
Zoe Louise is located within the 5 Valleys Physio Therapy Clinic, and therefore has close links with other industry professionals to offer your body ‘the total package’ and refer specific conditions.
The Bowen technique is ideal for those that are frail as Bowen helps the body to help its self it is a non invasive treatment that will not result in bruises and can be carried out with light clothing left on.
Bowen therapy treats the body as a whole, without referral to named disease. A Bowen therapists will take your case history, but the treatment does not set out to treat specific conditions or ailments, so do not be alarmed if during a treatment a part of the body that is not directly affected is being treated.
Bowen therapy should be used as a preemptive measure, to treat general issues before they become a problem. You will find that you will have less injuries, less pain and less illness as regular Bowen sessions help to keep your body in tune with its own health needs and looking after its self.
Issues are often resolved quickly in relative terms. Although it is recommended a minimum of 3 sessions each with a minimum of a week apart, dramatic improvements can be see after the first appointment.
Long term savings can be found in reduced visits to your General Practitioner and hospital.
More and more physiotherapists and doctors are incorporating the Bowen technique into their working lives as an excellent additional tool for addressing dysfunction.
articles: stress, depression & general wellbeing
stress – when everyday stress becomes chronic, Bowen can help
Stress is the natural way your body responds to a demand or threat. When you feel threatened in some way, your body is designed to respond through physiological changes – your body’s way to protect you – until the threat has passed.
Using Bowen Therapy to assist with Anxiety
Today most of us live in a constant state of high stress which causes the SNS to be in overdrive. Bowen Therapy can shift the body from sympathetic dominance to parasympathetic dominance. Due to its gentle approach, the body has the ability to repair itself with minimal intervention.
Is Quality Sleep a Problem for You?
Do you lie awake at night wishing sleep would come? Or do you have trouble getting to sleep only to wake a in the middle of the night? You are not alone 33-45% of Australian adults in 2016 had problems sleeping (Sleep Health Survey 2016).