Geelong Bowen & Remedial Therapies

Bowenwork’s system of gentle non-invasive, soft-tissue moves is based on the work of the late Thomas Ambrose Bowen (1916 – 1982) of Geelong, Victoria, who, in the last six years of his life, allowed several practitioners to observe him. He recognised only six of them as understanding his work. One of the six, Oswald (Ossie) Rentsch, developed notes to preserve and accurately represent Mr. Bowen’s work, and promised to make his work known around the world.

Ossie Rentsch met the challenge of presenting Mr. Bowen’s work in a structured, teachable format with highly effective, easy-to-learn sets of procedures that address a wide range of conditions throughout the body. Bowtech Bowenwork is Ossie Rentsch’s interpretation of Mr. Bowen’s work and indeed it was Ossie who named the therapy the ‘Bowen Technique’ in honour of Tom Bowen.

Since 1986, the pioneering work of Ossie & Elaine Rentsch has seen the spread of the Bowen Technique to over 30 countries worldwide.

About Tom Bowen – the Father of Bowenwork

Tom Bowen began developing Bowenwork in the 1950s, and continued to practice in Geelong, Australia until his passing in 1982. According to a 1974 survey of alternative health practitioners performed by the Victorian Government, Bowen was performing over 13,000 Bowenwork sessions per year. In over 85% of his cases, the problems for which his patients sought relief were resolved. Bowen also held free clinics for children, people with disabilities, and community service workers throughout his career.

While no one knows for certain how Tom Bowen discovered the precise locations and sequences of his ‘moves’, we do know that Bowenwork’s use of light pressure follows the ‘Arndt-Schulze law’, which states that the body responds more deeply and positively to low-pressure stimuli than it does to painful strong stimuli. Tom Bowen discovered and employed this principle long before the Arndt-Schulze law had been formulated.

The Bowen Technique

Using minimal touch, a practitioner makes gentle, precise, Bowen moves over tendons, muscles, and nerve bundles. These Bowen moves help to bring the body into balance, thereby promoting healing and well-being. The body, in response, elicits deep, healing responses within the body on many different levels – physical, chemical, emotional, mental, energetic and spiritual. People of all ages respond to Bowenwork according to what their bodies need in order to heal. One important aspect of ‘classical’ Bowen Therapy is the ‘Wait’ after each set of moves. Apart from allowing the moves to integrate and the body to unwind from long held tensions, it is an honouring of the Innate Intelligence of the body recognised in all the traditional healing arts. Every body is better with Bowen

Why study Bowtech / Bowenwork

Turn your hands into powerful healing tools. Apply simple, gentle touch to help ease back, neck and shoulder pain and address a large range of other presenting acute or chronic conditions. As an holistic stand-alone bodywork therapy, Bowenwork has also been used, as support for people experiencing times of stress and trauma, life threatening disease, and also as a companion therapy to other non-bodywork therapies e.g. counselling, palliative care and meditation.

• Bowenwork is gentle on both client and practitioner. It is so gentle that anyone, from newborns, children, highly trained athletes, pregnant women, to the aged and infirm, can safely receive a session, even if they can not receive other types of body therapies.
• Bowenwork can be performed in many settings, with no special equipment, lotions, or oils needed. The moves can be performed over clothing – Bowenwork is remarkably effective. Even new students see exciting results as they practice the technique after their first class – The technical competency and high-level professional knowledge of each practitioner is maintained by a world-wide network of instructors

Bowtech Internationally

Bi-annually Bowtech Instructors and practitioners present at international Bowen Conferences that also feature well-known speakers from the medical and research community.

Bowtech is also the largest International Bowen organisation in the world and over the years has supported Bowtech Instructors and practitioners involved with leading humanitarian projects in various countries, Kosovo, Rwanda, Africa, El Salvador, Papua New Guinea

Bowtech Bowenwork stands on its own

Bowen is………Bowen is Healing – the best their is!
Bowen is Exciting – a whole new world!
Bowen is Fulfilling – results upon results!
Bowen is Direction – a map for the future!
Bowen is Practitioner Friendly – win/win!
Bowen is Advancement – with rewards and growth!
Bowen is Enlightening – a continuing education!
Bowen is an Awakening – the lights go on!
Bowen is Awareness – senses and knowing!
Bowen is Peace – quietly and calmly making a difference!
By Anne Barker (Bowen Training Australia Instructor)