- How safe is Bowen Therapy?
- How long is a typical treatment?
- Why are there pauses during a Bowen Therapy treatment?
- What am I going to feel afterwards?
- How often should I have a treatment?
- What should I wear?
- Do you charge by the hour?
- Does Bowen Therapy use oils, lotions or cremes?
- Is Bowen a form of massage?
- How many sessions will I need to have?
- What disorders does the Bowen Technique help?

How safe is Bowen Therapy?
Bowen Therapy has been taught and applied around the world. Hundreds of thousands of Bowen Therapy sessions have been performed. Bowen Therapy appears to be very safe.
Bowen Therapy has been used on expectant mothers, before and during labor, newborn babies and young children, on up through all age groups to the very elderly.
I have been unable to find reference to any reported case of serious injury or death resulting from a Bowen Therapy session. Indeed, I have been unable to find a single lawsuit resulting from Bowen Therapy.
Please note some Bowen "moves" are contra- indicated for use with pregnant woman.

How long is a typical treatment?
I find my typical Bowen Therapy session lasts forty minutes. That said, each client is an individual with their own presentation and specific requirements. The content of subsequent sessions may be quite different and therefore the time in any given session may vary.
I have, because of a clients condition, had sessions of less than twenty minutes and sessions that lasted in excess of an hour. There is no set time, it all depends on what is appropriate to your presentation.
My philosophy regarding the length of a session, is not time determined but rather, identifying and applying the most appropriate Bowen "moves" for a given presentation and optimizing the amount of work done, so as not to overload the client.

Why are there pauses during a Bowen Therapy treatment?
Typically during a Bowen Therapy treatment there are a number of short pauses, where the therapist will leave the room.
These pauses are to allow the body to assimilate the energy flows that have been initiated and stimulated by the just completed "moves". It is important not to overload the body's senses with too much noise. The pauses serve to allow the body to assimilate and settle before subsequent moves are applied.

What am I going to feel afterwards?
Bowen Therapy is an extremely gentle and effective therapy for the relief of pain and symptoms.
Bowen Therapy typically gets to the very core of your body to effect these seemingly miraculous results. This is known as a 'correcting process' and your body can have a diverse and full range of feelings and emotions.
Generally, following a Bowen Therapy treatment, clients feel positive, energised and upbeat. Typically clients quickly experience a reduction in pain and relief from symptoms.
However, in some instances the 'correcting process' brings with it some discomforting feelings and emotions, such as: lethargy and fatigue; difficulty sleeping; shifting body sensations and emotional fluctuations. In some (rare) instances a short term worsening of symptoms has been known to occur. This is known as a 'healing crisis' and while very rare, is typically short in duration.
My philosophy on all of these feelings, both positive and negative, is that it is all good, it shows that your body is receptive to Bowen Therapy and that change is taking place. My experience is that positive things tend to happen, even following a temporary worsening of symptoms.

How often should I have a treatment?
I recommend a week between treatments. Sometimes that is not possible, so a range of five to ten days is permissible.
I have seen at the extremes, follow-up treatments performed within three days to alleviate some new problem and I have seen people wait weeks between treatments, seemingly without ill effect. Bowen Therapy is very forgiving and each individuals' presentation should be treated on its merit.
My philosophy regarding frequency of sessions is not to adhere to a rigid number of days, but rather to optimise the body's response to the follow-up treatment. If, given a particular presentation, I think it would be best to follow-up in five days, then that is what I will recommend. My experience is that for most presentations the week offers the optimum time for the previous session to 'bed in' and ready the body for the next treatment.

What should I wear to a Bowen Therapy session?
Bowen Therapy is usually performed through (light) clothing. I request that my clients wear loose fitting clothing - preferably t-shirt and shorts, but lightweight blouses/shirts and trousers are acceptable and won't impede the effectiveness of a treatment.

Do you charge by the hour?
No, I charge by the session.
My philosophy on charging is not about time, but rather seeking results through appropriate treatment routines. Neither of us should be concerned about a ticking clock and mounting bill.
My task is to identify and apply the appropriate Bowen "moves" to maximise and optimise the result. It may take thirty minutes, it may take fifty minutes, the cost is and should be the same.

Is Bowen a form of massage?
The treatment is performed through light clothing. No oils or prolonged pressure is used. A series of simple, gentle moves across muscles and connective tissues creates a harmonic resonance that balances the autonomic nervous system. There is no rubbing or friction in the move, which uses the movement of skin to effect a rolling type of action over the muscle.

How many sessions will I need to have?
For a condition like a stiff back or neck three sessions may suffice. This does of course vary from individual to individual. Other treatments will vary in duration.

What disorders does the Bowen Technique help?
Working in harmony with the body, the Bowen Technique is incredibly effective for any muscular, skeletal or nerve imbalance, injury, chronic condition or acute or chronic pain. The Bowen technique does not normally treat specific conditions, however individuals have found that it has helped bad backs and necks, Bowen also is extremely effective on more complex or organic problems, such as Asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine and stress. It has also been found helpful in very serious or acute conditions, where an injury has just occurred.