Your first Bowenwork session will last about 60-75 minutes and will include a thorough review of your health history. You may download and complete the new client intake form and bring it with you to your first session. Follow-up sessions last about 30-50 minutes. Bowenwork can be done through light clothing so please wear or bring lightweight, non-restrictive clothing to your appointments.
I will draw on information gathered during your initial evaluation, further observations of postural, structural and movement patterns, and your response to Bowenwork procedures, to design sessions specific to your needs. It’s important to understand that, with Bowenwork, a ‘less-is-more’ approach yields the best results, and that doing too much in a session is counter-productive. The length of your session is determined by your body’s response to the work. With Bowenwork the focus is on the body as a whole, rather than on isolated symptoms.
Most sessions will be done with you lying comfortably on a therapy table. If you are unable to lie down comfortably you may be supported with extra pillows or treated in a seated position. Some procedures may be done with you either seated or standing.
When you are positioned comfortably, I will apply a specifically orchestrated series of gentle ‘moves’. Between sets of moves I will leave the room allowing you to rest quietly for a period of at least two minutes, or as long as it takes for your body to finish responding. These rest periods are an essential part of Bowenwork, as they allow your nervous system to enter into a state of profound relaxation, and give your body time to assimilate the work without interference. In order to get the most out of your session, an atmosphere of relaxation is created and talking is limited to giving feedback about your responses to the Bowenwork moves.
People respond to Bowenwork in their own way. Some feel sensations such as tingling, heat, waves of energy moving through the body or releasing of muscular tension or fascial restrictions during their session. It’s common to feel adjustments taking place during the week following a session, as the body continues the subtle work of reorganizing and healing itself. Most people experience a deep sense of relaxation and wellbeing during and after their sessions. You may be given simple movement patterning or joint mobilization exercises to do in between session.
How many sessions will I need?
I recommend that my clients start with a series of at least three sessions spaced a week apart. Many people feel significant positive changes and pain relief after the first session, and most conditions improve significantly or resolve altogether in about three to six sessions. By the third session we will have a clear idea as to how you are responding to this work, and whether or not additional sessions are needed. The first session is generally geared towards balancing the whole body and helps lay the foundation for the more specific work to come. Subsequent sessions help to unwind the dysfunctional patterns in the tissues, working in a holistic way to bring the body to a greater state of balance. It is essential to release these underlying dysfunctional patterns in order to achieve lasting results.
Some chronic conditions may benefit from longer-term therapy. New injuries may be treated immediately, and usually respond to brief and more localized treatment. Your goals, state of health, and response to the treatments will determine the number of sessions needed. Continue