Your options
If you are still not sure and want to know what a Bowen session is like then there is more information further down this page.
If you are ready to look for Bowen Therapy yourself, use our 'Find A Therapist' search facility to locate a practitioner in your area. If you are looking for Bowen Therapy for a child, you may wish to choose one of the dedicated Children's Clinics.
If you are interested in trying a taster session many of our practitioners run local events but on a national scale BTPA tries to attend a number of events to help spread awareness of Bowen. The Events page details shows you may like to visit for a taster Bowen session, or to check which shows BTPA has attended in the past.
Using your Health Insurance
If you have a health insurance policy or health cash scheme, you may be able to claim back the costs of your Bowen Therapy sessions.
As these companies change their cover from time to time (and cover varies between plans from a single company), it is difficult to categorically state that a particular scheme covers Bowen Technique or Bowen Therapy. If you have one of these schemes, get in touch with them and ask whether your Bowen session would be covered (in advance of making your appointment, as sometimes you have to be referred from a GP or particular practitioner).
Most schemes that cover Bowen Therapy require that the therapist is registered with a professional association, the CNHC or has training from a particular school. Please check with your therapist about their qualifications and membership of such a body.
Companies that are offering to cover the costs of Bowen Therapy (according to the CNHC) include:
What is a Bowen Therapy session like?
With primarily fingers and thumbs, the Bowen practitioner makes small, rolling movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue at precise points on the body, using only the amount of pressure appropriate for that individual. No hard-tissue manipulation or force is needed or used.
Rather than 'making' the body change, Bowen 'asks' the body to recognise and make the changes it requires.Between each set of moves, the body is allowed to rest for a few minutes, to allow it to absorb the information it has received and initiate the healing process. Bowen is generally pleasant to receive, each session lasting 30 – 60 minutes, depending on the age of the client and the nature of their symptoms.
Many clients become so relaxed they fall asleep during the session.
Short-term (acute) injury is usually resolved in 1 – 3 Bowen sessions, while long-standing (chronic) symptoms may require longer. A gap of 5 to 10 days is recommended between Bowen sessions; so that the body can process the subtle information it has been given.
Clients are advised not to have other hands-on therapies while receiving Bowen, as this can confuse the body's response and inhibit the healing process.