http://www.bowenunlimited.co.uk/

Bowen Unlimited, Birmingham (2026)

28/11/2016

What is Bowen?

Ask someone why they would go see a Physio, a Chiropractor, an Osteopath, a Masseur or an Homeopath to name but a few, they are most likely to have an idea of what each of these paramedical disciplines can do to help you feel or get better.
Ask the same question about Bowen, and you are most likely to hear something along the lines of “is it a type of massage then?”
The short answer is no: Bowen is not a massage but rather another physical therapy the likes of Physiotherapy, Chiropractic or Osteopathic medicine.

In that essence, whenever you book a Bowen treatment, you can expect the session to go like any of those worldwide recognised treatments: the therapist will take a short history of your ailment(s), and then will make their own assessment of where the problem originates from, focusing on soft tissues like muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia etc.
Once the unhealthy tissues have been identified, the therapist will apply a series of moves with the intention of modifying the condition of those troublesome tissues so that they can return to their normal state.
Freed from mobility restrictions, the various systems at work within the body can then resume their normal function, causing pains and aches to disappear.

So what is Bowen?

Like I tell anyone asking me that question, “If you suffer from any kind of ache or pain, whether it is a recent or long-lasting one, you would go to a Physio, an Osteopath, a Chiropractor…… Or you could go see a Bowen therapist”.

Any questions, just ask!

Soaz Nedelec

Bowen Therapist

15/07/2016

When Brain And Body Start To Tango

For those of you who have had Bowen treatments for a while, you'll know exactly what I mean by "the pain(s) you've had in the past two days are merely a message for me, because your brain knew you were having a Bowen today".
For those less fortunate of you who still haven't experienced the incredible effects of the Bowen Technique, allow me to explain that phenomenon...

Bowen is a physical type of treatment which aims to improve the natural healing or self-repair ability that our body has: it activates that function in such a way that it remains a priority for around 7 days on average, thus boosting it and so speeding up the healing process.

One of the beautiful, noticeable effects when you receive Bowen treatments on a regular basis is that your brain recognises it, knows what's coming and so prepares itself for a 'serious' healing session.
One way I explain this phenomenon to clients who experience it for the first time is: "Well, you looked at your calendar and realised that you had a Bowen treatment coming up in a few days; as soon as you realised you had that treatment, so did your brain. Suddenly you start getting little niggles, aches or pains: this is your brain's way of ensuring that when you come for your appointment, you remember to mention those little niggles or pain, which in turn means that I (Bowen therapist) have been informed of a problem that needs looking at..."

Let's look at a concrete example, which in this case is myself!

Now me, I bowen myself almost everyday... Yes, you read correctly: almost everyday (I am quite accident prone for starter, but more importantly, I am very active sports wise, which means that I am more likely than some to create unwanted tensions or soft tissue injuries within my body).

This weekend, starting tomorrow, I am attending some of my yearly Bowen training.
However, until today, I seemed to always forget that I had that important training to attend and felt a bit worried about it. So yesterday, I decided to devote today to getting ready for this weekend, which I successfully did :).
Problem is, as the day went on I've started to feel tension increase in parts of my body where I regularly have to intervene, throbbing or pulsating pains in other areas I hadn't felt anything in recently...etc.
I was getting a bit annoyed by it all (as I'd also allowed some 'chill time' too so as to be able to focus as much as possible for the next 2 days) when it suddenly dawned on me: training weekend means tons of heavy duty Bowen done to my body.... So my brain started giving me information about which areas needed looking at.

Have all those pains and discomforts stopped now that I've understood their meaning you wonder?
Nope... Not at all; in fact, I'd say it's intensifying in some areas, and new problematic areas are pointing their nose by the minute! But because I now know why I'm getting all of that, suddenly it's become much easier to bear...

Am I dreading the upcoming intense Bowen then? Nope!
After all, my brain and body having fully started to tango only means that I am as ready as can be to receive this amazing treatment, which will leave me a much healthier person by the end of it :).

11/07/2016

In Doubt, Refer First

So here we have the case of a lady in her late forties who's experienced Bowen in the past few years to help resolve various soft tissue problems (she works in canine education and deals with difficult / sometimes aggressive dogs).

She calls me 2 days ago describing severe pain in her left chest area and asking whether it could be the previous muscle tear in her Pectoralis major that could have recurred.

After asking a few questions about the pain - namely whether it was in the left arm at all or anywhere else than in the left chest, I asked her to ring up emergency services to share the same information with them and rule out any possible cardiac problem. Needless to say this alarmed her, but I felt there was a possible risk and could not ignore the situation, however scary it was for her to hear that from me.

So she did, and like many medical emergency services around the world, any pain localised in the left chest and associated with breathing will send you off to the hospital to have it checked out.

After several hours spent at the local hospital emergency room, cardiac problems were ruled out and this lady was told it was likely muscle tear in the left Pectoralis causing the intense pain.
She came to me the next day for a treatment.

Specialising in sports injuries, I have gradually changed my protocol so as to focus on acute injuries. In this case, I had the lady sat up on the treatment table so that I could access the whole left torso - namely back and front.

Though the client felt the pain in her left chest, I identified the source of the problem as being between the left Pectoralis major and the left Deltoid, along the axillary crease. After a few moves, I asked where the pain was and the client replied that it wasn't in the chest anymore but rather in the left shoulder.

I allowed 2h rest, during which the pain gradually receded both in intensity and surface area. I then carried out a second intervention with the client still sat up on the table and worked on the whole upper body.

Each intervention lasted around 10 minutes (with short breaks in between each move).

In the span of a few hours, the pain devolved from being an intense one in the left chest preventing full breathing and presenting like a possible cardiac scare, to a localised and diminishing one in the shoulder area.

I advised the client to ensure she doesn't use her upper body in a strainful way in at least the next few days so as to give the torn tissues time to heal.

Needless to say she left feeling much better and reassured: after all, 15h earlier she was being checked out for a cardiac problem!

09/05/2016

Latest testimonial! A huge thanks to Stan for writing such a heartfelt one.

“I had been suffering from severe shoulder pain for some 5 months and despite having osteopathic treatment, the pain was such that combined with my arthritis, I was taking massive amounts of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs just to get through the day.

I met Soaz through a colleague and noticing I had a problem, she asked me about it. She then told me about her Bowen Therapy and that she felt it may be of help to me. Feeling I had nothing to lose I made an appointment and thus far have had 4 weekly treatment sessions. I am no longer taking any painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs; my shoulder has improved enough for me to start swimming again and my arthritis has improved beyond belief. I had also been suffering discomfort between my shoulder blades since a car accident in 2000, which has disappeared.

For 25 years I was a successful marathon canoeist and triathlete, until the pain made it impossible to continue. I'd spent so long in constant pain that I'd resigned myself to it. Now I feel I have my life back. I've started training again and getting my weight down.

I'm not saying Soaz can perform miracles, but to me she comes very close. I cannot recommend her highly enough.”

Stan
Herefordshire

29/02/2016

An article explaining how the tiniest dysfunctioning area within the body will induce a strain in other body parts, eventually leading to much greater damages or injuries in the sports world.

Dan Carter's 2011 Rugby World Cup injury is here taken as an example, all quotes from his book "Dan Carter: The Autobiography Of An All Blacks Legend", Headline Publishing Groups, Copyright 2015 Carter Promotions Ltd

17/01/2016

Can Bowen help with slipped discs and sciatica pain?

Definitely.
I myself had lumbar discs regularly slipping out of place and was advised surgery to "fuse my spine so that the discs don't come out".
Thing is, if discs slip out, it's often because they are under a huge and unwanted amount of pressure. It is that same pressure that is likely compressing the sciatic nerves and causing pain.
Bowen is a technique where, by working on the fascia layer (reaching just below the skin - so no need to press hard to get to it), the practitioner aims to to get rid of those unwanted tension, whilst stimulating the brain in such ways that it then gets involved in the repairing process, thus ensuring an effective and lasting results.

05/11/2015

Removing the barriers

The Bowen Technique is a manual, remedial, myofascial therapy which works on different levels to help the body reach its optimal working state. In today’s article, I would like to talk about how a Bowen treatment helps removing the barriers in place in a body.
Every time the body is exposed to a trauma, being physical, emotional or psychological, the body’s response is to protect the rest of the body by putting in place a “safety rail” around the traumatised area. This serves to contain the trauma, thus preventing it from spreading.
The problem lies in the fact that most of the time, once a barrier has been erected, the brain tends to forget about it, and so the individual carries on with their life unaware of the fact that a part of the “machine” is not linked to the rest anymore; this fenced off area does not play its part, which can in turn lead to strain in other parts of the body.
During a Bowen treatment, the gentle movements applied by the practitioner are a way to draw the brain’s attention to these areas once again, thus initiating a removal of the now obsolete barriers. Free from obstacles, the brain is in tune with the whole body and so able to re-align tissues so as to achieve a state of homeostasis.
Soaz Nedelec
www.bowenunlimited.co.uk

Bowen Unlimited

28/11/2016

15/07/2016

11/07/2016

09/05/2016

29/02/2016

17/01/2016

05/11/2015

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