Bowen Therapy

Well, it was totally different to what I expected. I'm trained to massage as therapy and I imagined it would be something rather similar. Not at all, it was very gentle without much movement. Not much was done at all.

It seemed to have two effects on me. After the first two times she touched and slightly moved a muscle in my back both my feet became quite hot. I thought it might be because both my feet were off the bed I was lying on, but after a while they went back to their usual temperature, so I guess not.

A bit later on, without her doing all that much, my breathing changed quite dramatically. She was still touching and gently manipulating muscles in my back. My breathing changed after she had left the room. This is all in the treatment. There is this very gentle muscle manipulation, it's something to do with the body's connective tissue, and then you're left alone for a few minutes.

My breathing changed while she was out of the room. It just got deeper and stronger and started affecting and moving muscles in my upper body. I guess this carried on for about ten minutes. She was back doing more while it was going on. After a while it returned to a normal breathing pattern.

I asked her later if this generally happened. She said it had but not very often. I'd been told by the person who recommended it that I probably wouldn't notice anything happening straight away and that it was a very gentle process. It's said to continue working through the body for about a week after treatment which is why they recommend that you only have one treatment a week.

I was very relaxed when the treatment took place. I wasn't nervous at all about going, felt quite relaxed about it before I left here. I knew a little bit about her and other people who she had trained with or trained. Had talked to another person who'd been at her house when I phoned and it just generally all seemed fine. When I got there, she was out gardening and I went around to the back of the house and walked down a little path through the garden. There was something about the garden and the path that seemed relaxing too, it had some kind of effect on my senses in a kind of medative way. Though that doesn't describe it at all really. Just that there were no nerves or disquiet or unease or anything.

We talked for a near enough a couple of hours before the actual treatment began. This isn't usual, she'd just come back off holiday and I was a late afternoon appointment, and we just kind of got on and talked quite a bit. I think that this must have relaxed me a lot too, because there were no nerves or apprehension or anything. I just kind of relaxed out of it, even when my feet were heating up I still felt physically and mentally relaxed. The thought of being anything else never entered my mind. I was a bit surprized by the change in my breathing later on, it was rather dramatic, but didn't get uptight about it or anything.

I think if it hadn't been for all the talking I might have had a few blocks up, maybe not though, but just feeling so at ease and relaxed would possibly have made it easier for any treatment to have an effect I guess. My muscles are not in a good state at the moment, though even with the cold I've got, they are still continuing to move and slowly relax. There has been a slight burning sensation sometimes when they've moved a little. I imagine it's going to be a slow and at times not a very comfortable process if it continues. I'm not having any trouble with the left foot either, the one I got the infection in and which generally stiffens up when I get a cold, one of the toes was slightly painful when I went out today but the pain soon went.

I have a cold at the moment which hasn't been that pleasant as it's a kind of gastric one, had a bit of trouble with it last night, but apart from feeling a bit tender, I guess isn't causing any trouble now. I just rested to make up for being awake for quite a bit of the night this morning and didn't feel uncomfortable about it. Got up around one in the afternoon feeling pleased that I felt a bit better. And didn't think anything about the time. Just kind of went with the flow to do what seemed would be best.

Anyway, I've another appointment in a few days and we'll see how that goes.