Bowen Therapy originates from Tom Bowen, who lived and practiced in Geelong until his untimely death in 1982. He was an intuitive "natural healer" with no formal medical training, and he called his technique a "gift of God". It has been reported from several sources that by the mid 1970's he treated a staggering 13,000 patients a year with a success rate of 80%.
He did not take notes, and did not write any documentation about his technique. However, before his death he invited practitioners from all over Australia to observe and learn his skills. Such a person was Niel Skilback, a chiropractor who later became a good mate of Tom. They often finished the daily clinical work in the local pub where Tom was explaining to Niel the intricacies of his technique. I was introduced into Bowen Therapy by Niel in the late 90's.
Although Tom did not create any theory for his technique, I was rather surprised how well it fit with the theoretical foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), especially with regards to the free flow of Qi (i.e. energy) in our body. In TCM chronic pain and contractions of a muscle are interpreted as stagnating Qi. In Bowen technique, the rapid finger movements over the traumatized muscle segment disperse the stagnating Qi and re-establish a healthy flow of energy in the traumatized muscle segment.
This is the reason I was able to place Bowen technique firmly onto the theoretical basis of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture, and combine Niel's form of Bowen technique with some of the fundamental techniques of Chinese Tuina. Then it took only some experiments to develope them into one gentle, yet "right on the target" effective, hands-on treatment modality which I practice today.
The core of the hands-on body work technique in the Neck'n'Back Clinic is Bowen therapy, but it also incorporates elements of Chinese Tuina and Acupressure. The technique comprises quick finger movements at specific points over the traumatized muscles, which send vibration along the muscle fibers releasing contractions, enhancing the circulation of blood, and revitalizing the entire muscle group. However, it is more complex than traditional Bowen therapy, as the diagnostics and the focus of the treatments are firmly based on musculo-skeletal anatomy, and the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine.