A few attributes of a good Bowen Practitioner
Some of the attributes of a good Bowen Practitioner:
The practice place is clean, welcoming and inspires calmness and relaxation.
Before the first session you will have your personal record completed: you will be asked about the health issues you are dealing with, the eventual aggravating factors (life environment, work place, stress), the medical history, if you had any Bowen sessions before or you had other treatments, etc. This information will help the practitioner to conceive a personalized treatment plan.
The Bowen practitioners do not do diagnosis (except the ones that are doctors), but they take into consideration the diagnosis indicated by the patient's physician. If you have not been consulted by a doctor, your practitioner might consider necessary to suggest a medical consultation.
The Bowen practitioners cannot indicate a number of sessions that a patient might need, because each person is unique and responds to the treatment in its own manner. The patient evolution will be re-evaluated before each session.
Before the first session, the practitioner will explain to you what the Bowen technique is, how it works and the necessity of breaks between the sequences of moves.
The treatment rooms are individual, or the space for each bed is secluded. The beds must be placed at least 3 m one from each other. No perfumed sticks or candles are used, no relaxation music.
The practitioner will make sure the patient is comfortable lying on the bed or sitting on the chair. Pillows or rolls can be used to achieve a comfortable position and blankets for covering.
The Bowen moves are very delicate and must not induce pain. If you perceive the applied pressure being too strong, tell the practitioner and he will apply the pressure according to your sensitivity degree.
There are few minutes’ breaks in the Bowen technique, between the specific sequences of moves. These breaks are necessary for the patient's body to integrate and process the messages sent with the Bowen moves. During the breaks, the practitioner will leave the treatment room, leaving the patient alone, tranquil and relaxed.
In the Bowen technique it's important the quality of the moves, not the quantity! The practitioner will choose for each patient which is the treatment plan, so the first session could comprise in only few moves, according to each patient needs. A Bowen session can last, generally speaking, 30-60 minutes, but there are situations when it can last less or more.
The Bowen technique cannot be combined with other manual or energetic methods of treatment, The Bowen practitioner will only apply Bowen procedures in a treatment session.
The practitioner will help the patient get off the bed and will give him indications for the following days, establishing the date for the next session, if needed. The time between sessions is 7 days, but there are situations when this time can be prolonged to 2 or even 3 weeks. The Bowen practitioner will encourage the patient to call him, if there are any questions.
The body works for at least 5 days after a Bowen session. The patient must not receive other manual or energetic treatments 4 days before a Bowen session and 5 days after.
The patient doesn't need to change his lifestyle for the Bowen technique to work. Some recommendations will help though the body in its self-healing process: water consumption, daily walks, and moderate physical exercises.
The children will be treated having one of the parents present in the treatment room and the babies can be held by the parents during the entire session.
Bowen practitioners are only facilitators, not fixers! They give the messages to the patient’ body and the body will be responsible for its own healing, in its own time and limitations.
All the practitioners listed on this site are accredited by the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia (Bowtech), are members of the Practitioner’s Association and participate in the continuing education program:
Practitioner level
* Advanced level
** Masters level
*** Instructor
**** Senior Instructor