Bowen vs massage - what is the difference?

Massage is the most common and widely accepted manual body therapy to help with muscles aches and pains, supporting the lymphatic and immune systems and to bring about a sense of relaxation.  But did you know that Bowen Therapy can help with all the same issues, only thing is, the treatment itself looks very different to a massage.

First up, lets cover off the similarities.  Bowen Therapy is performed on a massage table; however, treatments can be adapted to the needs of the client.  Receiving Bowen whilst seated in a chair is quite common for those with ongoing or even just acute mobility issues.

Keep your gear on!  Bowen Therapy unlike massage can be performed through light clothing and there is no oil used at all. This is very beneficial for those who suffer with anxiety, children needing treatment or for those times when your pain is that great that even getting in and out of clothing triggers your pain.

Soft touch rather than pain inducing- That old saying you catch more flies with honey than vinegar comes to mind here.  Bowen Therapy is very gentle and as a result is a suitable treatment for infants right through to the elderly.  During a Bowen session the therapist makes moves across the muscle fibres and usually only once.  Where a remedial therapist goes with the direction of the muscles tissue and works the area until releases.  Whilst this can sometimes feel nice, often it can feel unpleasant if the pressure being used is too firm.  When the remedial therapist imposes the correction in this way the results can sometimes be short lived, with the muscle tissue going back to the undesirable positioning in the days after treatment.  Bowen treatment doesn’t always produce that instant relief, instead it provides stimuli for the body to make its own corrections in the days after the treatment.  Some relief is usually felt on the day with most of the positive changes occurring within a 3-5 day window post session.  For some people with physical and or emotional trauma in their past, firmer more painful treatments can be triggering and rather than relaxing the nervous system firm pressure has the opposite effect.  Part of the strategy of Bowen is that “less is best” allowing for an easy transition for the nervous system from one of being in flight or fight to rest and digest.  Bowen moves are performed approximately every 2 mins.  Therefore, you are only experiencing between 2 and 4 moves on the body with a rest in-between.  This gives those areas of the body where moves have been performed time to relax and respond before further moves are performed.  

Whole body treatment rather than issue area treatment

A Bowen Therapy treatment is focused around positively influencing the connective tissue of the body.  Our connective tissue is what encases all of our muscle tissue, bones, cells and internal organs.  Some of our fascia runs the length of the body from the feet to the head, therefore in Bowen we focus on treating the whole body not just the presenting area of pain.  During a remedial massage however, the client can direct the therapist as to what areas they would like focused on and also they can indicate how long the massage will go for.  Bowen sessions generally last between 40 and 60 min for adults and much less for children.  Bowen Therapists will discern based on feedback they receive from the body and from client’s verbal feedback if the body has received enough work for the day and can alter the treatment duration as the treatment progresses.

So next time you feel a niggle or are looking to get in some relaxation maybe consider trying Bowen Therapy instead of a traditional massage.