The Blessings of Bowenwork Therapy
(Bowen’s Blessings)
What if you went from being told that you would never be able to walk again because of an accident and surgery to dancing
What if you went from being unable to stand in a shower because of dizziness to riding your bike 5 miles….
What if you went from having to quit work and school for health reasons to becoming a missionary overseas…..
What if you were able to get off your MS meds because of health improvements….
What if you were able to heal from a stroke and travel around the world….
What if you had detox( as with the MTHFR gene mutation) and structural issues, and found that your immune system became healthy and your body aligned…..
What if you severely sprained your ankle the day before the big game and became the hero of the game
What if your pelvic floor issues resolved and you were Blessed with a beautiful baby after having had challenges in conceiving….
What if you went from digestive issues and fatigue to feeling energetic and healthy....
What if you went from Asthmatic wheezing to a relaxed diaphragm and breath….
What if you went through life relaxed, confident, healthy, Joyful…..
What if “Your life changed Amazingly.”
How are these changes possible?
How can one therapy affect all these different types of health concerns and more, and make a difference? The examples above are my clients who have had inspirational journeys whose only change was adding a neuromuscular bodywork modality known as the Bowen Technique (Bowenwork).
My Story
My own story with Bowenwork Therapy began with me about to die from Addison’s Disease. Pain every day, myofascial and alignment issues, endocrine and neurotransmitter deficiencies, and no energy. Tom Bowen, the originator of Bowenwork, called it a “gift from God”, and it has been to me. Within 6 months, my blood work went from critical to normal, adrenal function from 0 to 95%, no pain, and within a year and a half, I went from hardly being able to go to the grocery, to beginning my own journey to become a Bowenwork Therapist, and feel Blessed to share this amazing technique. Sometimes it only takes a few sessions to obtain the results that you desire, and sometimes it may take longer, as in a long standing condition, or with an autoimmune dysfunction. We work together, with your body’s unique roadmap and capacity.
What is Bowenwork Therapy?
The Bowen Technique is a gentle series of touch which uses the fingers or thumbs, with each move being applied at a precise point on the body, that begins with butterfly like pressure to gently stretch the skin, and then a unique melting challenge that relays information through vibrations, like a pebble in a pond, to stimulates a gentle myofascial unwinding that:
:::Gently frees constrictions and increases energy and fluidity flow,
:::Rehydrates, Rebalances muscles and fascia, which aligns our structural system,
:::Connects us to our muscle memory, both emotional and physical,
::: is Amazingly Relaxing.
What follows the move is a rest that lasts anywhere from 2 minutes to 20 minutes, and this is an integral part of why Bowen Therapy works and why the results last and build. This time allows for the neuroplasticity of the brain to recalibrate neural connections, and communicate its readjusted response to the body, like computer updates, without information overload.
In Bowen Therapist and Sports Trainer Craig Mattimoe’s words” The Bowen Technique outperforms ALL currently accepted sports medicine techniques, as far as prevention and recovery from injuries, as well as providing a deep sense of wellbeing”.
There are four reasons that the Bowen Technique works so Amazingly:
1.Your body is the driver, and the therapist is like the “spark plug”.
2. Bowen facilitates the health of the Parasympathetic Nervous System, by the nature of the work itself, and by directly influencing the nerves, especially the Vagus Nerve, which is a benchmark of health, measured by our Heart Rate Variability. Research is showing that some diseases may have their origin in the gut, traveling through a weak Vagus nerve.
3. As Bowenwork helps transforms the connective tissue, or fascia, which is the glue that holds us together, we go from restriction and pain to mobility and ease. Bowen balances the cellular muscle fibers, allowing for greater movement of blood and lymph through tissues, and faster nerve conduction, translating into enhanced function. Many people, after a Bowen session, feel relaxed and almost glow. Your body is working hard, so rest, hydration, and gentle walks are important.
4. Bowen’s ability to work with the Dura, the membrane that surrounds the spinal cord and brain, is a key component, because of the dura’s effect on our posture, stress response, and the relationship of how we engage in the world. Tension in the body can result from a physical injury or have an emotional origin, and can often cause dysfunction. Our bodies always remember, and Bowen is amazing at helping the body gently bring balance and healing. Tom Bowen believed that if we gently help the body remember how to bring its structure into balance, the body could then relax, and that is when the real healing takes place. Research currently in Biotensegrity, the balance of the tension between the structures in our bodies, is discovering how true Tom Bowen's vision is; that if we heal the Biotensegrity of the body, then all other systems will follow, which accounts for improvements in organ health, in addition to the body as a whole, on a foundational, cellular level. Bowen is perfect for almost everyone, especially those with autoimmune issues.
Research Highlights
The University of Chapel Hill in North Carolina in 1998, conducted a research study on the effectiveness of Bowenwork that revealed that 95% of TMJ conditions resolved in approximately 4 sessions, and that Bowen Therapy significantly helped most other conditions with an effectiveness of 85%. Sport’s Illustrated Online shared that Bowen therapy was a large contributing factor in concussion recovery for athletes. Professional Lacrosse player, Nathan White, used Bowen Therapy to recovered from multiple concussions and return to his passion. The University of Arizona found Bowen Therapy significantly helped with both the prevention and symptoms of cancer related lymphedema. Nikke Ariff's research tested the efficacy of Bowen in treating asthma and found that there was an 83% reduction in frequency of asthma attacks and 75% of those in the study were able to decrease their medications with their doctors' Blessings, and that their health and lives had improved. Research has also shown that Bowen's gentle moves travel through vibrations to stimulates different receptors in our skin and deeper tissues,much like a pebble being thrown into a pond. These vibrations are communicated to our hypothalamus to reorient our collagen fibers, which results in a strong increase of heathy energy to flow throughout our bodies as our tissues' fluidity increases. In an Australian research study using infrared thermography, clients who had received Bowen treatments showed a clear increase in energy and heat afterwards, even up to 14 days, as the body works towards balancing itself to its best optimal health possible. California State University athletic coaches and training staff have both personally experienced the positive and almost instantaneous effects of Bowen therapy and have seen winning results using Bowen Therapy for their sports teams. These are just a few of the successful studies and stories. What I hear most from clients is, "my life has changed Amazingly".
Give Yourself a Gift
The Bowen Technique uniquely helps your body feel more connected and aware so that the Blessing of healing can begin. Whether it is you wanting your body to be aligned again and out of pain, to work on improving a more serious health condition, improved digestion and sleep, would like your skin and body to feel healthier and more supple, for you to feel energy and your body to feel more balanced, or would like a spa day and feel amazingly relaxed, I would love to visit with you to see how we can make that a reality.
My name is Lisa Bilbrey, and I am a Certified Bowenwork Therapist, an Associate Instructor for the American Bowenwork Academy, LMT, with a B.S. in BioMedical Science, from Texas A&M, and a former internship at Stehlin Cancer Foundation. I own and operate a private practice called Bowen's Blessings that is dedicated to helping clients regain hope and function in all areas of their lives.
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future."
512-923-3625 lisaaggie@live.com Bowensblessings.abmp.com
