Here are some of the most common things clients ask. Have a different question? Add it to the list by sending me an e-mail. tania@artofbowen.com

I've never heard of Bowen. Why don't more people offer Bowen?
That is an excellent question since Bowen is so effective, relatively easy to learn, and extremely affordable. One of the great health myths is that if something is good then everyone must know about it. While we are doing our best to help more people every day, and word of mouth is spreading, I have observed that good news tends to travel more slowly than bad news, and people often think that anything that claims the results Bowen does must be "too good to be true". The only answer I have is to experience it yourself and see what happens in your body.

Why would anyone feel worse after a Bowen Session?
This is what we call a "healing crisis" and it does happen sometimes. Fortunately, I have not seen it happen frequently with my clients, but it is one possible indicator that the treatment is working. For example, if your body has been full of toxins and your Bowen treatment inspires your lymphatic system to drain and your body to start pushing crud out of your system, you may experience anything from headaches (this is why we recommend drinking water), to aches in your body, to diarrhea, to some light cold symptoms, to any number of other things. These symptoms are short lived and will pass within less than a week (usually a few days).

Another common experience is people will feel a little sore in their muscles, like they have been working out at the gym. This is not because of touching you firmly like a deep tissue massage, but because when we release a muscle that has been in spasm or torqued around an area of pain, it changes it's relationship to other muscles in the body. Muscles that had been "on vacation" in the past are being called back to duty and they may become a little sore at first.

How many sessions will I need to feel better?
Most clients experience dramatic shifts after their very first session. It is quite common for a person to present a long list of pains, symptoms, ailments, dis-ease, etc. and find they can remove 50% or more of the items from their list within a week after their first treatment. Generally, most people see maximum results after 3 to 5 sessions spaced 7 to 10 days apart.

One thing to keep in mind is that it took years, possibly decades, for you to acquire everything that is not working properly in your body. Your body is amazing but it is not a car. Try to let go of the mechanical view of your body that it needs to be "fixed" and embrace the idea of it being more like a garden to be nurtured and maintained. Given the number of years you have been in pain or dealing with your health issues, a few weeks or even months to give your body the lift it needs to heal is a very small investment.

Why can't I get in the jacuzzi (use an ice pack, get a massage, etc.)?
This is advice Tom Bowen gave his patients and we pass on the same instructions to our clients today. Have you ever been working on your computer and opened too many windows at once or had too many applications running simultaneously? What happened? The computer shut down or locked up because it was receiving too many commands at a time or receiving conflicting commands. When you receive a Bowen treatment, your body will get a series of signals to go to work on the things it needs most at that time. If you go see the chiropractor, massage therapist, hop in the hot tub, etc. you are giving your body another set of instructions before you have completed your healing cycle with your Bowen session. This will diminish your results.

If you want to enjoy other healing modalities, please take advantage of them— just wait until 5 to 7 days after your Bowen session so you get the most from it. Ironically, many of my clients report that their Bowen sessions are more relaxing than a massage, and the results last longer than their chiropractic treatments. Nevertheless, I encourage people to do whatever is working for them.

Do you have some in-depth resources that explain Bowenwork in more technical and medical terms? (Or, I would like to explain this to my doctor, friend, or family member so it doesn't sound like voodoo or snake oil.)

Yes! Associated Bodyworkers and Massage Professionals magazine featured an excellent article in their May/June 2010 edition and it is available online for you to read.
The full article can be accessed online by clicking here. (When you get to the page, either type in page 54 or click on the Bowen article on the magazine's cover.)

Now you can book your next appointment online. Give it a try, it's really easy!