Balance with Bowen

There was a particular time in my life when I felt like I needed a bit of extra help. A time where I felt everything was out of order and I could feel my body reacting to the external havoc.  I began to pay more attention to how my body behaved like a sponge to the negativity I was experiencing and started looking for ways to repair things from the inside out. My best friend recommended I give Bowen Therapy a shot, and I’m so glad I did. Genine Hill knew exactly what I needed and was incredibly gentle with me during an extremely turbulent time.

Years later, the same bestie recommended I book Xavier in for some Bowen when I began to stress about his language delay. I decided to keep a journal of all the changes that I noticed after his first few sessions. At first I wasn’t sure if all the changes were a coincidence, or if the therapy was actually working. After his first treatment, the changes happened in bursts over the days that followed. His imaginative play opened up, started pretend eating toy food and attempted to feed the toys around him. Sounds super basic, but he had never done this before with any kind of regularity. In the same week, he attempted to count to 6 a few times… cue happy mum tears.

After his second session,  I would find him standing in front of the mirror in my room moving his mouth in different ways. He would make sounds and pull faces, then laugh. Another noteworthy change was the fact that Xavier started to repeat animal sounds during bed time stories. Up until this point, he only made elephant sounds when prompted. During that week, Xavier mimicked sounds including those of a cow, chicken, cat and dog. When I spoke to Genine about what on earth was going on, she didn’t seemed surprised at all. In fact, everything that Xavier was exploring, all of the imaginative play, new sounds and silly faces - well those are the important things that precede language. So I was beyond pleased that there were definite signs of progress.

These days, Xavier is doing great, and his language is still developing. What I can certainly attribute to Bowen is the massive shift that tipped Xavier’s progress in the right direction. His daycare teachers noticed changes in Xavier’s eye contact and behaviour after each week of Bowen. I knew that many readers would be interested in getting to know a little more about this therapy, so below is a quick interview with Genine, to help give you a little more insight to Bowen and what it can do for you and your little ones.

What is Bowen therapy?
Bowen Therapy treats the whole body with a series of movements to deliver signals to the nervous system at specific locations (on muscles, tendons, ligaments or nerves).  The moves, sequences and timing intervals stimulate a variety of body responses resulting in long term and immediate resolution of problems and pain conditions.  In contrast to other bodywork modalities where the practitioner imposes correction on the client through the technique performed, Bowen allows the body to heal itself with minimal intervention.

How can it help children with developmental delays and language problems?
Developmental delays and language problems are treatable with Bowen because we recognise the underlying cause or source of many musculoskeletal, neurological and neuromuscular conditions can be found in the soft tissue of the body.  In the case of language delays, Bowen can help to release tension in the jaw and muscles around the mouth making it easier for a child to speak.  Click here to view Sydney based Speech Pathologist, Fiona Teudt discuss how Bowen Therapy has helped to treat and resolve Verbal Dyspraxia for one of her patients.

Can a Bowen Treatment be painful?
Already existing pain or tension within the muscles, tendons and ligaments can be released during a treatment bringing the body into rest, relax and repair mode which, at times, may be uncomfortable for some individuals.

How many sessions do you recommend for a child with language delays?
This will vary given the severity of delay and age of the child – early intervention yields a more immediate result.  Generally, for most chronic conditions, 6-9 treatments on a fortnightly basis offer the best outcome.  Some notice an immediate improvement while for others, Bowen tends to have a cumulative effect over several visits.

Can Bowen be helpful for mums and dads too?
The Bowen technique is appropriate to use for individuals of all ages and in all degrees of health.  Bowen can treat the following conditions:
• Digestive disorders
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Chronic pain
• Insomnia
• Weak immunity
• Women's Health
• Allergies
• Addictions
• Stress management
• Children's Health

What can be done in between sessions to maximise the treatment?
After care is an important part of the Bowen experience.  We recommend after treatment and in between sessions to move and drink water to encourage your body systems to help eliminate toxins to enhance the effects of Bowen as well as one’s overall wellbeing.  The effectiveness of Bowen tends to take place after the session, not during it.  Refraining from other forms of bodywork for 5 days gives the body full opportunity to integrate Bowen without confusing the process by introducing other therapies.

Get in touch with Genine today:
For appointments call 0415 703 725 or email genine@northwestbowen.com.au
northwestbowen.com.au