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The Bowen Technique
"In 1974 Bowen met Oswald Rentsch, a Victorian osteopath and Naturopath and taught him his technique. Bowen subsequently gave Rentsch the onerous task of documenting his work and after three weeks he nearly gave up. The osteopathic procedures that Rentsch was used to were so far away from the light touch of Tom Bowen, that he could not understand how such incredible results were possible. It wasn’t long before Rentsch became a convert and after Tom Bowen’s untimely death in 1982 went on to teach the technique all over the world with his wife Elaine."
Date: 6/21/2005 2:38:59 AM ( 19 y ) ... viewed 4248 times
The Tom Bowen Story - a short biography by Heather Edmonds and Pam Trigg, daughters of Tom Bowen.
Thomas Ambrose Bowen was born on April 18, 1916 the third child and only son of William and Norah Bowen. He had two older sisters, Norah and Beatrice and a younger sister, Agnes.
Tom left school at an early age, possibly at 15 years of age, and became a carpenter like his father. If he had ever entertained the idea of going to medical school this would never have happened as his father would never had considered any of his children getting a better education than was necessary to be employed.
Tom married Jessie McLean at the Salvation Army, Ringwood in 12 September 1941 and they proceeded to live with Tom’s parents had moved to Geelong, Victoria ( large provincial town). Tom and Jessie had three children, Pam, Barry and Heather.
During their married life Jessie suffered from very bad asthma, often being hospitalized in an effort to help her breathe. This was in her early forties. Tom started to somehow learn how to help her shift her congestion and along with some special medicine obtained from a chemist in the state of Queensland and a change of diet; Jessie received considerable benefit. It was most unusual in those days to change your diet for an “illness” but Tom was convinced this was the way to Jessie’s recovery. After some years she no longer required the medicine but thanks to Tom’s method and diet she never had to go to hospital again.
It was during the 1950’s that Tom began an association with a man named Ernie Saunders, often referred to as a ‘legend in the 40’s and 50’s as a physical manipulator’. Tom would visit him and they would share many hours together and it was through talking with Ernie that he began to learn what was later to become Tom’s technique. It was not long before Tom’s ideas far outweighed those of Ernie’s and the visits ceased. The development stage commenced.
In the late 1950’s Tom worked for the Geelong Cement Works and it was during this time that there were obvious signs of an interest in healing. What he did and how this came about is a mystery. During this time he became friends with a man, Stan Horwood, who believed Tom had a unique gift. Tom started helping people with ‘bad backs’ and other ailments and so his life of helping others began. Stan Horwood invited Tom to set up a practice at his home every evening after completing a days work at the Cement Works.
At this time, Jessie kept the family going at home with three children and the formal events of family life. She always had his meals on the table when he walked through the door of an evening. He would be at home for about an hour when he would change into good trousers and a shirt and tie and go to the Horwood’s. Mrs. Horwood ran a hairdressing business at this time and so she assisted with the running of the practice.
The business grew and grew through word of mouth. There was no advertising. People would wait outside the Horwood residence for hours to see Tom. Cars would line the pavement. It became obvious that the practice could not continue this way and so it moved to 99 LaTrobe Tce., Geelong, on a full time basis. He stayed at this address for a few years and then moved to 283 LaTrobe Tce, Geelong where he moved between two rooms. At this time he used single beds with a mat at the bottom of the bed. It was many years later before he moved to electric massage tables.
At all of Tom’s clinics there were collection boxes for all kinds of charities. At times there were novelty items available for sale. Anything to help those less fortunate than others.
Tom did not have appointments as such. A patient would ring his clinic and told the opening hours of the clinic were between 9am – 11am and 1pm – 4pm. On arrival at the clinic patients were given a number from 1 to 33 in order of presentation. They would wait in the waiting room until their number was called. When all patients were seen during the morning he would then go home for lunch which Jessie had prepared and had waiting for him. He would return just before 1pm and return home when all patients had been seen in the afternoon which would have been some time after 5:30pm. During the evening he would do house calls returning home at approximately 9:30pm.
Tom had a Saturday morning clinic for disabled children where they were treated free. Parents would bring their children to him from many miles away, sometimes traveling 3 – 4 hours. Results were not immediate with these children but over a number of years results were amazing.
He held a clinic every Saturday evening for those who had injured themselves playing sport during the day. This was also a free clinic and people once again, came from near and far.
If Tom had people attend his clinic who were in desperate circumstances or with disabled children needing extra care, he was a most generous person. At this stage of his career he could have made a great deal of money, but this was definitely not his priority. What Tom could do for people was his greatest reward and this continued to be his cause throughout his life. He did not always immediate have the answer to a problem that was presented to him but he would analyse the problem and have a solution in a few days.
Tom trained several men during his lifetime. These people were: Keith Davis, Nigel Love, Kevin Neave, Oswald Rentsch, Kevin Ryan and Romney Smeeton. These men each had their own set day at which they would attend the clinic. There were others who would attend his clinic to learn his technique but if Tom felt that they didn’t ‘have the touch’ he would ask them to leave.
Due to circumstances beyond his control, he moved from 283 LaTrobe Tce to Villamanta Street, Geelong West. It was during the 1970’s that Tom applied for registration of his business. This process took considerable time and was eventually refused. This had a devastating impact on Tom as he felt that the ‘establishment’ was telling him he was not worthy or appreciated. He was interviewed by a government inquiry where it was stated that he saw 13,000 patients per year. Whether he was registered or not people still came from far and wide to see him.
It was during this time at Villamanta Street, that he had his first leg removed. The reason for this is unknown. The members of the family were told it was due to poor circulation. This was a devastating time for Tom who was a very active man. A friend would drive Tom to physiotherapy a few times a week. After some months he had a prosthesis made which enabled him to have an easier life. At this time, the clinic ran on a part time basis and Tom eventually returned to work. It was not long after this that the clinic was again opened on a full time basis with Tom back at work full time. The practice continued to grow as it had always done, by word of mouth.
In the 1982, Tom had his second leg removed. Due to a serious infection he was moved to the infectious disease area of the hospital where he never recovered.
Today Tom’s work has been taught world-wide and is taught at university level in Australia. Each person who has been taught Tom’s technique has their own unique way of interpreting it. Each persons interpretation is different. The only original Bowen therapist was Tom Bowen himself. He continually developed and adapted his technique to whatever situation presented itself to him – perhaps sticking to the same basics but always a different interpretation. He had a favourite saying by which he lived his life: “I expect to pass through this world but once, any good thing therefore that I do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall never pass this way again.”
http://www.bowendirectory.com
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The Bowen Technique Explained
by Julian Baker
About the Author
Julian Baker is UK Trainer and Co-ordinator of European College of Bowen Studies, a member of The Association of Light Touch Therapists, which in turn is affiliated to the British Complementary Medicine Association. The College is sponsoring extensive medical research in the USA and is working to ensure the growth of the technique throughout Europe. There are over 400 accredited Bowtech therapists throughout the country and can be contacted by writing to Louise Atwill at the European College of Bowen Studies, 38 Portway, Frome, Somerset, BA11 1QU, or phoning 01373-461873. E-mail: bowen@globalnet.co.uk or http://www.TheBowenTechnique.com
One of the fastest growing therapies in the UK is also one of the newest. We are well used to seeing imports from the USA as well as the Far East, but the latest offering in the field of remedial therapy comes from Australia. The Bowen Technique is becoming the therapy that many are talking about and wanting to learn. With its incredible effectiveness and ease of use, therapists from all fields are finding a use in their practice.
Historical Development
The technique comes from Australia and was developed by a man called Tom Bowen. Little is known of Bowen’s early years except that he studied medicine for a year before WW2 curtailed his studies. After a spell in the forces and a tour of duty in the middle East during the war, he returned to Australia where he worked in the area of industrial chemicals in Geelong, Victoria. It was whilst in this profession, that he started to gain a reputation for body work. People would come to him and Bowen, doing seemingly very little, would relieve them instantly from their aches and pains.
Word spread very quickly and before long he was treating people at home late in to the night, and a change of career beckoned. It was in the mid 1950s, that with no formal qualifications, he started working full time from a rented house in Geelong. He never advertised but the power of reputation was enough. In 1974 a Victorian Government enquiry was set up to investigate the use of alternative therapies in Victoria. The commission discovered that Tom Bowen was treating an incredible 13000 patients per year, with 85% requiring only one or two visits to resolve their condition.
In 1974 Bowen met Oswald Rentsch, a Victorian osteopath and Naturopath and taught him his technique. Bowen subsequently gave Rentsch the onerous task of documenting his work and after three weeks he nearly gave up. The osteopathic procedures that Rentsch was used to were so far away from the light touch of Tom Bowen, that he could not understand how such incredible results were possible. It wasn’t long before Rentsch became a convert and after Tom Bowen’s untimely death in 1982 went on to teach the technique all over the world with his wife Elaine.
Julian Baker met Ossie and Elaine Rentsch whilst living in Australia and on his return to the UK started spreading the word. Under the banner of the Rentsch organisation, he has been responsible for setting up The Bowen Technique in Europe and has taught over 1000 people the fundamentals. His link to the Rentsches is very close and Ossie and Elaine have been thrilled with the growth of the technique in the UK.
The Technique
The Bowen Technique consists of a series of specific moves across tendons, muscles and fascia throughout the body. The therapist uses thumbs and fingers to make the moves and applies what is termed, “Eyeball pressure”, i.e. that pressure which can be comfortably applied to the eyeball. This pressure will, however, vary according to the patient but could not be described as heavy or invasive. The moves are rolling type moves which aim to disturb the muscles and the energy within the body. The work can be done through light clothing and no oils are used, making it a favoured tool for working with elderly or disabled patients.
To the patient it seems that very little is being done, mainly because very little is being done. In between each set of moves the therapist leaves the room for a short period, to allow the body a chance to process the information just given. This, together with the gentleness of the treatment on the therapist as well as the patient, is what makes Bowen so different from many other therapies and what appeals to many practitioners.
How does it work?
There are many theories abounding about exactly how the treatment works, but as yet no definitive medical reasoning behind the astounding results of Bowen. Even Mr Bowen himself did not explain how it worked preferring to let the treatment speak for itself.
One idea is that Bowen simply connects the parts of the body with the brain, using the many receptors scattered throughout the body. The minimal moves push the brain into a simple form of holistic examination, information is then exchanged and structural integrity restored. Another theory comes from the concept of cellular communication as explained in the book, Dark Side of the Brain, by Roger Coghill and Harry Oldfield. This puts forward the theory that each cell of the body is a kind of wireless transmitter tuned to the specific frequency of that individual. Where certain areas are out of tune, injury, illness or disease are the result. By gently touching and moving certain parts of the body, a re-tuning takes place and the body is able to heal itself.
The important aspect to focus on, is that the body heals itself and that the input from the therapist is in the form of a communication. As with any form of communication the individual has a choice as to whether he or she listens! Until current research is complete, all we will be left with is results rather than explanations.
What makes Bowen different from other therapies?
Many other therapies inflict the will of the therapist on to the patient. In osteopathy, chiropractic and physiotherapy for instance, a diagnosis is made and treatment is given accordingly. On the face of it this may seem okay, but Bowen doesn’t work like that. The important thing about Bowen is that it allows the body the space to decide what is wrong and how to go about fixing it. Many conditions will respond that the therapist was not even aware of, simply because the body has made the decision to restore lines of communication to that area. A Bowen therapist will realise that the body is capable of doing absolutely anything and that therefore any treatment should not be conditional.
Diagnosis therefore is not generally an area that a pure Bowen therapist will enter. Rather he or she will offer the work to the body and allow it to decide what, when and where it will use the treatment. There are obviously certain moves for certain symptoms and conditions but in many cases, a basic balancing of the body is enough to clear many long standing problems without need for specifics.
Bowen’s critics will say that much may be missed by choosing not to diagnose in any way and this may be the case. But with the best will in the world, diagnosis is generally a fairly hit and miss affair even by highly trained practitioners. Bowen is not a substitute for medical advice but rather a chance for the patient’s body to choose, rather than a set of symptoms being thrust upon it.
The other area that Bowen differs from many other therapies is the speed at which it works. Most sport or work related injuries or problems will respond to Bowen within two to three treatments a week apart. Even long term conditions can respond very quickly irrespective as to whether other treatments have been used.
What conditions can respond to The Bowen Technique?
There is no person that can not be treated safely using Bowen, from the youngest to the very old. Midwives use Bowen with tremendous success on both labouring women and the new-born. At the other end of the scale, geriatric staff and hospice workers report consistently good results with people in their care.
Back pain would be one of the most common presentations and one that tends to respond very quickly. Other conditions that are consistently resolved include: frozen shoulder, asthma, tennis elbow, ME, migraine, hayfever, carpal tunnel, RSI, painful or lumpy breasts and whiplash. The list is exhaustive and there is no condition that would exclude a treatment. The reason for this is that a Bowen therapist does not treat the condition, but rather treats the patient. The work is offered to the body and is given a choice. If it accepts the work and responds, then the condition is addressed. If the body chooses not to accept, then no harm can be done.
Who can learn The Bowen Technique?
The technique is taught over four days mainly to people already involved in the field of complementary health care although anyone can learn. The basics can be picked up in this time, but extensive practise ensures proficiency. Further one or two day courses are held culminating in a two accreditation course held by Ossie and Elaine Rentsch. Accredited therapists are then invited to join the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia which operates a world wide referral list and further training opportunities. There are therapists from a whole range of disciplines currently using The Bowen Technique, including, GPs, sports therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, consultants, nurses and massage therapists. Aston Villa football club has recently discovered the Technique, and Jim Walker the Villa physio’ is excited by the potential of The Bowen Technique within premiership football.
Russell Dick, an osteopath for 20 years and former Dean of Studies at the Northern Counties School of Osteopathy, discovered Bowen in February of this year. He says “There are things in life which pass in front of you that must be grabbed with both hands. Bowen has turned my practice on its head, with 80% of my patients being given Bowen as a first choice.” Malcolm Stemp, an osteopath and lecturer at Oxford University and homeopath of 40 years’ standing, calls the technique, “A great truth. It answers all the laws of natural medicine namely that the body be treated as a whole without reference to named disease.”
http://www.positivehealth.com/permit/Articles/Bowen/baker18.htm
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The Amazing Story
Of The Bowen Technique
Gerri Shapiro, MS Ed.
Copyright 2002, All rights reserved
Dedication
This handbook is dedicated to Thomas Bowen, the gifted healer who developed the original Bowen Technique which has helped thousands of people all over the world relieve stress and pain.
What is pain?
The Chinese consider good health to be a state of energy balance within the body. They believe that pain and illness are caused by an imbalance which blocks the flow of energy. What often happens is that problems accumulate and our self-healing process becomes overloaded.
What is healing?
Healing is not something that just “happens.” It is a continuous movement toward harmony and balance. The body has a great ability to heal itself, but sometimes it needs assistance to remove
the blocks getting in the way of the healing process.
Pain Goes When Energy Flows
When energy flows freely, all our body functions improve by the release of tension.
The Amazing Tom Bowen
Tom Bowen was a gifted natural healer from Australia. Late in life he discovered he had an unusual gift that allowed him to intuitively know what was ailing people and how to help them relieve their pain. His healing technique is unique in that it was developed without him having had any previous medical or healthcare training.
He claimed he could feel tiny vibrations in people’s muscles that helped him find the exact location to work on. He spoke of his skill with great humility and frequently stated that his
work was “simply a gift from God.”
Tom had the capacity to quickly assess what was wrong with someone and where they were out of balance. He could look into a room full of people, glance at them for about 20 seconds, and know what their problems were. Although he never advertised, it was estimated that he treated over 13,000 people in the course of one year, and he claimed a success rate of about 88%!
“He was an incredibly generous man,” says Kevin Ryan, an osteopath who trained in the technique under Tom Bowen. “He had an amazing energy and passion for his work. He ran
a free clinic one Saturday morning per month devoted entirely to children with disabilities, and every Saturday night he opened his clinic to injured football players,” he said.
Like Palmer (Chiropractic), Rolf, (Rolfing), Feldenkrais (Feldenkrais Technique) and Usui (Reiki), Tom Bowen had a unique talent. He dedicated his life to turning his gift into a practical application that has proven to be of great benefit to thousands of people all over the world.
A Unique Technique
The Bowen Technique is quite unique. There are several features that set it apart from other modalities.
Gentle
It is so gentle that you hardly notice you’re being touched. People usually become very relaxed right away, and even fall asleep during a session.
Fast
Rapid pain relief is common. Most pain and injury will respond within two or three sessions.
Long-Lasting Relief
People often experience a deep and long-lasting relief. Two to three sessions spaced one week apart are usually enough to achieve lasting relief, even from long-standing pain or injury.
Safe
There is no one who cannot be treated safely with Bowen. It is so gentle, it can be used on babies, pregnant women, the elderly and the disabled. It is not dangerous to those suffering from chronic illness and it is ideal for treating children because it is non-invasive and non-threatening.
Two Minute Pauses
It is a unique feature of the Bowen Technique that there are two minute breaks in which the practitioner actually leaves the room. These pauses are crucial as they allow the body time to absorb the “messages” presented by the moves.
No Diagnosing
No diagnostic procedures or exams are used to choose a specific treatment for each ailment.
No “Fixing”
No special attention is given to “fix” the area that is in pain: the technique addresses the entire body.
Painless
There is no cracking, no force and no needles. There is little discomfort or pain involved because there is no heavy pressure or hard probing into sensitive muscles or joints.
Less Is More
The practitioner does the minimum needed to bring about a healing response in the body. The more acute the pain, the less they do. The less they do, the more profound the effect
on the body.
Great First Aid Tool
When you apply the Bowen Technique right after a fall, injury or accident, the release of tension acts in a preventive way to help correct any imbalance before it can adversely affect the body.
Easy To Learn
The technique is easy to learn. There is only one basic move.
A Bowen Session
A session lasts about 45 minutes. Treatment can be done through clothing or directly on the skin. The practitioner "rolls" over the muscles with her fingers, which causes the muscles to relax. The moves are done in groups. Between sets, the practitioner leaves the room for at least two minutes to allow the body to relax.
During a session the contracted muscles relax so that the surrounding areas are freed from constriction. People may feel relaxed or energized. The moves send out signals which help:
* stimulate energy flow;
* facilitate lymphatic drainage of toxins and waste;
* promote good circulation;
* release tension;
* increase mobility;
* encourage the body to relax, realign and heal itself.
The healing process begins once your body is relaxed. You may feel shifts in your body during and after a session. The technique promotes the removal of waste products. Once the “garbage” has been cleared out, your body can start to function properly again.
Move The Pain Out of Your Body
Until recently, heavy lifting was thought to be the main cause of back pain, but studies now indicate that SITTING causes the most problems. Sitting puts a lot of strain on our lower back. The longer we sit, the more it hurts. That's because 40 percent more weight is placed on the lower spine when we are sitting. Our body, particularly our spine, was not designed to sit in chairs for hours on end.
Movement is actually “medicine”, according to Carol and Mitchell Krucoff, M.D., authors of Healing Moves: How to Cure, Relieve and Prevent Common Ailments with Exercise. Walking is the best natural health remedy for many kinds of conditions, disorders and symptoms. (1) It can help speed your recovery process and has many other benefits as well: (2)
* helps ease back pain;
* goes easy on your joints;
* can be done in short spurts;
* strengthens your bones;
* costs you nothing.
The 3 W's
1. Walk
Right after your Bowen session, you should take a 15 or 20 minute walk to start moving the pain out of your body. Do not sit for more than 30 minutes at a time the first day.
For the rest of the week take a 15-20 minute walk each day... or a few short 5-10 minute walks. This will help “turn on your body pumps” and move the toxins out of your body.
2. Water
According to F. Batmanghelidj, MD., most pain is due to chronic dehydration. He says that we hurt because our bodies are thirsty. (3)
Drink at least 8 glasses of water each day. This helps:
* relieve pain all over your body;
* relieve congestion;
* flush out toxins;
* lubricate your joints;
* keep your body in balance.
3. Wait
After a Bowen session, you must wait at least one week before having any other kind of bodywork, massage or chiropractic so you don’t interrupt the healing process.
The Bowen moves send electrical signals to your muscles, nervous system and brain, which help realign and balance your body. The effects of the treatment will actually continue to work during the rest of the week, and possibly longer.
Foods That Help Relieve Pain
apples apricots avocados bananas
beans beets berries broccoli
cabbage cantaloupe carrots cauliflower
celery chard cherries cucumber
currants dates figs garlic
ginger grapes kale lettuce
mangoes melons mushrooms olives
papaya parsley peaches pears
peppers potatoes pumpkin radish
raisins soybeans spinach squash
sweet potatoes turnips
According to Neal Barnard, M.D., author of several books on the healing properties of foods, certain foods, particularly most vegetables and fruits, are excellent painkillers. They work against pain in four ways:
1. they can reduce damage at the site of an injury;
2. they cool your body’s inflammatory response;
3. they provide analgesia on pain nerves themselves; and
4. they work within the brain to reduce pain sensitivity. (4)
You Can Help Your Friends and Family
There is nothing to compare with the feeling of knowing that you yourself can help relieve the suffering of someone you love - using only the power of touch. The Bowen Technique is easy to learn, yet powerfully effective. The Miracle Pain Relief Video, based on the Bowen Technique, is designed to teach you step-by-step how to use the basic Bowen moves to help your family and friends relieve their pain quickly and painlessly.
Disclaimer
We make no medical claims as to the benefits of Miracle Pain Relief or the Bowen Technique to improve medical
conditions. This handbook is for informational purposes only so that you may make better informed decisions.
References
1. Krucoff, Carol and Mitchell Krucoff, M.D., Healing Moves: How To Cure, Relieve and Prevent
Common Ailments with Exercise, Harmony Books, 2000.
2. Bowman, Sherry and Randy Rodman, Walk Yourself Well: Eliminate Back, Shoulder, Knee,
Hip and Other Structural Pain Forever Without Surgery or Drugs, Hyperian, 1999.
3. Batmanghelidj. F., MD., Your Body’s Many Cries For Water, Global Health Solutions, 1997.
4. Barnard, Neal, MD., Foods That Fight Pain, Harmony Books, 1998.
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There are many stories told about Tom Bowen, and they have varying degrees of truth and fancy to them. Mr. Bowen was not a very talkative person, especially about himself and his life, and some of what he did share was altered in the translation. It was popularly reported as fact, for example, that he was born in 1904, had served in the military [as a medic, thus the interest in healing arts], returned to university afterwards in study of chemistry, and was working as a chemical engineer at the time of his entry into manipulative practice. All untrue.
Ironically, his true story is plenty interesting enough. Born in 1916, with an eighth grade education, Tom Bowen was working at a series of skilled and semiskilled jobs, finally employed as a general hand at the Geelong Cement Works. Here, there are reports of an (apocryphal) incident that convinced him he had "healing hands" and needed to consider pursuing another career. There is some strong likelihood that Tom's interest in sports, coaching young players and helping with their injuries, was pivotal in his development of manual techniques.
Although such words as “magical” and “miraculous” are often applied to Tom Bowen's methods, and his personal results, he worked very hard for his miracles. He read voraciously in any books he could find to improve his technique, and to help with difficult patients' cases. His favorite sources were osteopathic texts. He may also have “appropriated” things his students learned in their chiropractic, osteopathic, and massage training and experience.
One area where Mr. Bowen didn't seem to need much help was in diagnosis. While most osteopaths have extensive theory and testing to determine which areas need work, Tom Bowen knew in an instant. He would advise his students to look at the set of the patient's jaw, as that told the whole story. To some degree or other they were able to, but never to the quick and comprehensive degree that Tom could.
Even with this highly developed visual sense, Tom always emphasized fine-tuning one's palpation skills. He was very interested in the nervous system, claiming to be able to feel nerve vibrations. At one point early in his career, Tom had volunteered for a year or so at a hospital clinic, massaging polio patients. Perhaps this was part of the proving ground to developing his techniques. By observing and working with people whose nervous systems were systematically failing, he could get a better sense of how they were meant to function in the first place.
Once Mr. Bowen went into serious practice, his reputation grew quickly. In 1975, the government of Victoria was investigating alternative practitioners in order to standardize licensing. Officials were stunned to find that this untrained manipulative therapist was treating some 13,000 patients per year (averaging 60 - 100 patients per day at his peak). After an extensive interview (that reads more like an interrogation), he was invited, as were other unlicensed practitioners, to take a grandfathering test to be qualified as an osteopath.
Tom failed the test. Some say it was purely politics and professional jealousy. But what's perhaps more interesting than the fact of his failing is the way he failed. He did exceptionally well on the practical testing, but not on the orals. When required to parrot textbook answers to hypothetical cases he balked, virtually refusing to answer. "Bring them in, and I'll show you what I'll do," was his basic response. He knew from his practice that there was no one solution to a problem, but that it depended on many other interweaving factors — depended on the individuality of the patient rather than his named symptoms or disease. This points to Tom's position with the naturalistic, homeopathic, "Eastern" philosophical end of the medical spectrum1
1 There are rumors that he studied for a period of time with a Chinese doctor in a neighboring town.
Given a diagnosis of arthritis, for example, a doctor in a standard Western medical practice will be likely to prescribe an anti-arthritis medication. In other words, the arthritis is considered to be "the problem," and eliminating it, the solution. A more holistic approach would be to examine and treat any and all of the person's systems that could be out of balance, causing among other things, arthritis. It was Tom's honesty and thoroughness, rather than any degree of incompetence, that prevented him from being licensed as an osteopath. This didn't prevent people from coming to see him, and it wasn't his ego that was harmed But it did prevent him from taking national medical insurance from those who were low on means, and that bothered Tom quite a bit.
By most accounts, Tom had six serious, long-term students. At various times in his career there would be one or two working with him, each one day per week. Interestingly, they were not encouraged to share technique with each other. And after Tom's death, those who did compare notes were astonished by how differently they were taught, though common threads certainly ran through each's practice.
Tom's range of technique was enormous, with some procedures used only once a year or so. His brightest students, who were observing and working with him for years, were politely informed on occasion that they had about 10 - 15% of what he knew. A disconcerting thing to hear, to be sure. But he also reassured them that when they needed it, the rest would come. What's truly amazing is that fourth and fifth generation versions of the work, comprising smaller and smaller slices of slices of the original, are still so effective. But it is true — even the smallest dash of Bowen's technology will spice up any therapeutic stew to which it's added. In true holographic measure, the smallest fraction still brings results.
Tom's students were taught by classical apprenticeship, long periods of observation, interspersed with occasional testing to make sure they were up to what he was presenting. Nowadays, due to the practicalities of spreading this work to a worldwide therapeutic population, considerable short cutting of the process has been deemed necessary. Whether or not this has become condensed to a fault is open to speculation. In the words of Albert Einstein, "Things should be made as simple as possible . . . . but no simpler than that."
After having extensively assimilated the offerings of two of the largest Bowen institutes, consulted with three of Tom's original students, and experimented with the work for a decade, we are proud to present to you this technique. It is comprised of Tom's moves and patterning, other osteopathic-based subtle techniques, and a constant focus on curiosity, attentiveness and openness to new and better ways to treat the human being. We trust that you will continue in this "living legacy," truly making the work your own and adding to the overall body of knowledge and effectiveness in the healing arts.
http://www.usbowen.com/
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