October/2011 - Natural Presence Magazine

it begins to wear down. Eventually tension and pain build
until we find ourselves complaining of all kinds of health
problems. Think about a time when work was really
stressful, you were having sleeping problems, or some
kind of stress was taking its toll on you. In these instances,
you may feel irritated or less tolerant to things. If the stress
continues on too long, eventually we can find ourselves
catching colds and flu’s more easily, suffering with
headaches or pain and stiffness, or feeling too exhausted
to do simple tasks. All kinds of symptoms can result from
an overload of stress.
Brenda is a more extreme example of someone whose
body is often in a state of “fight or flight”. She has multiple
chemical sensitivities (MCS) as well as food allergies and
a list of other health concerns. Her internal regulatory
system has become so unbalanced that it overreacts to
triggers, causing a dangerous response. When exposed to
a perfume or chemical from a cleaning product for
instance, she can go into anaphylaxis. Literally her throat
tenses up and swells to the point that she cannot breath.
Some clients come to me with a complaint of pain, that
was caused from an old injury. By the time they have come
to see me, often several years later, the pain and tension
is nowhere near the original injury. With ongoing tension
and pain, the body will compensate to deal with the strain
on the body, resulting in pain shifting as the body adjusts
to the strain. For instance, Lesley who tore a ligament in
her ankle many years ago, is now complaining of pain in
her back and hips.
How do we unwind the tension and stress built up in our
bodies? In some cases getting a good sleep, maybe doing
some meditation or yoga, doing some exercise, or just
giving the body a little more care can be enough. If the
tension and stress are chronic, meaning they have gone on
for a while and the body is overstrained and out of balance,
it may need a jumpstart to get its systems running
smoothly. This is where the Bowen technique comes in to
play.
To maintain health or to repair the body, the other branch
of the ANS, the parasympathetic nervous system, needs
to predominate. The parasympathetic nervous system is
known as the “rest, relax and repair” response. When the
“fight or flight” response is no longer needed, the ANS
can shift to the parasympathetic nervous system. In this
state, the body can relax, muscle tension can release and
the body can begin to repair itself.
One of the many benefits of the Bowen technique is that
it seems to catalyze the shift of the ANS to the “rest, relax
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and repair” response. The gentle rolling movements
applied over muscle and connective tissue encourage the
ANS to become rebalanced or reset at a cellular level. This
allows the body to then gradually recognize and restore its
self-regulating functions using its own resources to heal
itself. Held patterns of tension and pain are then able to let
go and the body can return to a state of wellness.
Sarah has a condition called joint hypermobility syndrome.
Rather than having excess tension in her body like so many
people, she instead has many joints that are too loose.
When her body becomes strained or stressed, it goes
further out of balance making a simple task such as tying
a shoe more challenging. Her joints can become so loose
that injuries such as a sprained ankle can easily happen.
For Sarah, a Bowenwork session rebalances her joint and
muscle tension helping her body to become more aligned
and stable. Pain from unnecessary strain can then be
released.
The Bowen technique is effective with many acute and
chronic conditions as well as injuries. It has been
successful in treating back pain, headaches, sinusitis and
allergies, TMJ, frozen shoulder, digestive disorders, knee
and foot problems, hip pain, asthma, and so much more.
The technique addresses not only the musculoskeletal
framework, but also the fascia, nerves and internal organs.
Benefits of the Bowen technique can be witnessed in
examples like with Brenda. After having Bowenwork
sessions for a period of time, her body seems to be
rebalancing, resulting in a decrease in the severity of the
anaphylaxic response to some triggers, as well as in the
number of triggers that set off such an extreme response.
Typical benefits that result from the Bowen technique are
pain and symptom reduction, healing of old injuries and
traumas, elimination of toxins, decreased inflammation
and swelling, increased calmness, increased circulation
and lymph flow, and improved posture. Each person’s
body will respond differently, healing at its own unique
pace
Bowenwork’s gentle, noninvasive nature makes it safe for
anyone from newborns to the elderly to be worked on. It
is a noninvasive technique, which does not impose
structural changes on the body. Instead it allows the body
to rebalance itself naturally making it more likely for the
body to retain the benefits gained. A session lasts
anywhere from 30-75 minutes, and can be done over light
loose clothing. A deep sense of overall relaxation often
results, allowing the body to recharge and balance itself.
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