Articles and News
"MY BOWEN TREATMENT with JEANIE BLACKALL
When it comes to alternative treatments I’m afraid that I am quite sceptical and so it was with a little trepidation that I booked myself in for my first Bowen treatment. About 5 years ago I began to have real problems with my neck starting with mild stiffness and progressing to severe pain, especially when reversing my car or trying to sleep in my usual sleeping position. My GP recommended physio and painkillers after six sessions with the physio I was signed off, nothing could be done. I tried Osteopathy - no change. I tried Bowen treatment, and believe it or not after the very first treatment by Jeanie I could reverse my car again, and the inevitable headaches that accompanied my bad neck started to subside.
So what happens during the treatment? - to be truthful not a lot, at least as far as I could tell - I laid down and was swathed in towels, gentle music filled the room and the very calming voice of Jeanie immediately relaxed me - she made some very small movements over various parts of my body, not just my neck, and after a small set of gentle movements she left the room (how can this help my neck I thought, just before I drifted off). During the treatment Jeanie returned to the room on a number of occasions, making slight movements over different areas, and after each sequence again left the room. I roused sufficiently to turn over and again the treatment continued. Jeanie’s voice entered into my dreaming and I slowly came back to some sort of reality, quite a rose coloured reality and a curious sense of well being. So that was it beautifully relaxing but .. Within about an hour of the treatment despite those tiny movements and me thinking that nothing was happening I was stiff all over, every bone and muscle ached as though I had been gardening all weekend. As advised I drank plenty of water and within a day I felt fine, and in all honesty I have not suffered in my neck or from headaches (apart from the monthly type!) ever since. I can reverse my car again, something my husband is quite pleased about. Since the initial treatment I have had several follow up’s, simply because I enjoyed the experience so much and if it stops my bad neck returning all the better.
Jeanie also taught me a very simple technique in order to help my breathing ( I am slightly asthmatic) when I have a cold and my asthma flares up, just a few set moves and my breathing is easier. I still use that technique when ever I need to, certainly cuts down on the inhalers that I have to use during a cold.
Despite the success of Bowen treatment I am still quite sceptical about alternative treatments, but that doesn’t really matter now, because I have found an alternative treatment that suits me and I shall be sticking to it."
Dawn L
| PRESS RELEASE 26 April 2007 |
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GENTLE THERAPY HELPS TOUGH GUY BEAR Intrepid adventurer Bear Grylls has a rather surprising ally in his efforts to stay at peak physical performance – the gentle complementary therapy called the Bowen Technique. Bear is Channel 4’s ‘Born Survivor’ who is dropped into hostile locations and has to make his own way back to civilisation. His everyday life consists of jumping out of planes, diving into icy water, walking for days through the desert and climbing mountains. Apart from a penknife, his body is his only help. Whenever he returns from his exploits in hostile environments around the world, Bear has regular treatments with Sussex based Bowen therapist Sarah Yearsley, and now regards these as an essential part of his preparation and recovery. “Bowen has helped keep my body together despite the continual bashing it takes,” he explains: “It’s a vital support in putting right a whole range of new aches and pains, making sure that old injuries don’t cause me problems, and helping me fight stress and fatigue.” Recently, Bowen has helped Bear through his current dramatic series of adventures which finishes on Channel 4 this month. He’s now having further treatments as he gears up for his role as spearhead of the GKN Mission Everest Challenge, an attempt to soar over the summit of the world’s highest mountain using only powered paragliders. The Bowen Technique is a natural, non-invasive therapy with a very broad spectrum of application including chronic back pain, frozen shoulder, sports injuries, whiplash, migraine and asthma. It is suitable for all age groups. The Bowen therapist, using only thumbs and fingers, makes gentle rolling movements over muscles and tendons at precise points. The process releases energy, sending impulses to the brain to trigger the body’s own healing systems. It is particularly effective in correcting muscular and skeletal imbalances. Bear has made enormous demands on his body during the filming of every episode of his current Channel 4 series “Born Survivor”. They include freefall parachuting into extreme terrain -- including landing in trees, glaciers, and sand dunes -- back flips from a helicopter into a lake, abseiling down sheer cliffs and a range of other acrobatic activities. He has also been under great stress from the many different environments -- including jungle, desert, mountains in winter and summer, open sea -- and has had to tolerate extreme heat, cold, dehydration and fatigue. He usually has only a few days to recover from each episode, while the pressure is increased still further by a very demanding travel schedule. Bear not only has to deal with injuries and pains caused during specific episodes. He also carries the legacy of a number of problems caused by old injuries. Ten years ago, Bear broke his back in a parachuting accident and three years ago sustained a bad foot injury in a motorcycle accident. Bear learned about Bowen therapy from his wife Shara, who herself contacted therapist Sarah Yearsley after hearing about its positive effects in treating chronic back pain. Sarah has since also given occasional treatments to the couple's children, 5 year old Jesse and baby Marmaduke. The specific conditions Sarah has helped Bear to overcome include a rotated pelvis, tight and shallow breathing, a strained calf muscle, extreme exhaustion and stress, and a toe injury. “Bear provides a perfect illustration of the amazing versatility of Bowen,” she comments; “It helps him across a full range of conditions – not only alleviating pain but boosting his immune system and helping minimise fatigue. Of course, he isn’t a typical patient, but most of his problems are no different from those I treat in people with normal lifestyles.” A Bowen treatment normally takes between 45 minutes to an hour, and includes periods when the therapist stops to allow the treatment to take full effect. Therapists in the UK are regulated by the Bowen Therapists European Register (www.bter.org), which helps ensure high standards of practice and a code of conduct. The Register’s helpline is 07986 008384.
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