The Bowen Technique is based on the late Tom Bowen’s work in the treatment of the soft and connective tissues of the body. Thomas Ambrose Bowen (1916-1982) began developing his technique in the 1950s in Geelong, Australia. Although having no formal medical training or qualifications he was astutely aware of the complex interrelationships within the body and continued to develop and refine his work over the course of his life.
Tom Bowen was extremely busy in his Geelong clinic, performing about 13,000 treatments a year. This was verified by the 1975 Victorian government inquiry into alternative health care professionals. Considering treatments were seven days apart and most people needed only one to three treatments, an amazing number of clients passed through the clinic and benefited from his unique work. Mr Bowen also held free clinics for children, people with disabilities, and community service workers.
The Bowen Technique is a neuromusculoskeletal approach to health care in which treatment is mediated through the soft tissues of the body. Treatment is applied systematically using a series of rolling moves and punctuated by brief but necessary pauses with the aim of correcting mechanical and neural dysfunction.
Each individual treatment is based on holistic appreciation of the systems of the body as well as its complex interrelationships and is intended to stimulate and facilitate the body’s innate, natural capacity to self-regulate and heal.
