Bowen Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injuries

Bowtech® – The Original Bowen Technique Bowen Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injuries By Madeline McBride, M.A.Sc. Certified Bowenwork® Practitioner

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Bowen Therapy is an emerging bodywork modality that is effective for:

·       Brain injuries, including TBI and concussion

·       Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

·       Autism

·       Acute muscle spasms and tension

·       Post-surgery recovery (e.g., lymphatic drainage, processing of medications)

·       Repair of broken bones, damaged tissue and scarring

How it Works

Bowen Therapy “resets” the body’s stress response via the autonomic nervous system (ANS), moving the body from “fight or flight” mode to “relax and repair” mode. The result is greater blood flow, improved oxygen delivery, restoration of cellular activity, stimulation of lymph flow, and often significant pain reduction. Muscles relax such that bones that are misaligned due to trauma are able to reposition. (Partially contracted muscles can pull bones out of alignment.) Bowen procedures for the neck and head affect hearing, vision, headaches, sinuses, breathing, TMJ, blood pressure/flow, nerve constriction, inflammation and more. Bowen moves catalyze the body to heal at its own pace, returning the body to homeostasis – a balanced state.

Bowen Therapy is unique among other forms of bodywork. It is not therapeutic touch, massage, acupressure, trigger therapy, osteopathy, physiotherapy or chiropractic manipulation.

A Bowen Therapy Session

The therapy can be applied on clothed patients in sitting, standing, prone or supine positions. That is, clients in wheelchairs and those immobilized in hospital beds can receive Bowen Therapy.

The Bowtech practitioner performs a set of superficial movements called a “Procedure”. Thumbs and fingers apply light pressure perpendicular to muscles, fascia and nerves, giving them a gentle stretch. After each procedure there is a minimum two minute wait while the muscle proprioceptors re-balance muscle tension, and nerves send signals through the autonomic nervous system. Muscles perceptibly relax. Session duration is 15 to 60 minutes. With Bowen Therapy, more is not necessarily better. When there is a strong reaction to a set of moves, no more is done that day in order to give the body time to process.

Contraindication

The body processes the Bowen moves for up to five days. To maximize the effectiveness of the treatment, the patient should have no other form of bodywork during that period.

Bowen Therapy Training

Bowen Therapy originated in Australia. Tom Bowen discovered that gently manipulating muscles or tendons could relieve a very large variety of musculoskeletal and organ dysfunction conditions. Today The Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia licenses instructors in 17 other countries. More than 26,000 practitioners have been trained since 1986. Learn more at www.bowtech.com