Simply Bowen

History of Bowen Therapy

Bowen Therapy was developed in the 1950's, by an Australian man named Thomas Bowen who lived in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. He had a great interest in massage and bodywork and spent time observing football trainers and others involved with sports. During his interest in ways to alleviate human suffering he began to notice that certain moves on the body had particular effects. He claimed that he could sense minute vibrations in the soft tissues of the body and that the tension in the muscles helped him find the precise places to mobilize. More importantly, he innately knew how to treat and what was required, by looking and touching the person's body. Thus, allowing the right space and balance within the body to heal itself. Over a period of several years he developed the system as it is used today. By the time he was in his early 40's he had established a full time practice in remedial therapy using the techniques that he had developed now known as 'The Bowen Technique'.

In 1973 the Australian parliamentary Osteopathic, Chiropractic and Naturopathic Committee who were reviewing complimentary medicine documented that he stated under oath, that of the 280 patients that he treated weekly, 80-90% of them responded after two or three sessions. By 1977 his extremely busy clinic, was seeing 13,000 patients a year. Treatment times varied from between two minutes to two hours, depending upon circumstances. Tom Bowen treated most of his patients in two minutes.

Tom Bowen lived from 1916-1982 and was a truly gifted man in that he created musculo-skeletal treatments that allowed the body to heal in a short space of time.

During his working life Tom Bowen only allowed a few therapists to come and learn from him. At a National Health Conference in Adelaide, Australia Tom Bowen was introduced to Osteopath and Natural Therapist, Oswald Rentsch. Oswald became Tom Bowen's apprentice and scribe, documenting his treatments. In all he taught five men his techniques one of who made extensive notes and has taught others the Bowen Technique throughout Australia, New Zealand, North America and the United Kingdom. It has been practised in Britain since the early 90's. The goal has been and still is, to pass on the original techniques used by Tom Bowen at his clinic. Today, the Technique is practised worldwide by osteopaths, chiropractors, sports therapists, physiotherapists and metaphysical therapists. The list is endless on the positive results which have and are currently being experienced worldwide.