Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68174
BOWENWORK flexibility in scheduling multiple clients at one time. After the initial session, clients are encouraged to reschedule a week later for a follow up and then continue weekly until symptoms resolve. Many clients respond within the first two sessions and then return on an as-needed basis for "tune ups." VALUE OF BODYWORK Due to its ability to create a sense of deep relaxation in the body, Bowenwork is a great modality for supporting clients who wish to stay well and who are proactive in addressing their health conditions. Many clients call my office for tune-up sessions. They are not suffering from any particular ailment or injury as such, but are aware that they are feeling a little more tired or tense than usual, or their sleep patterns have changed. Perhaps an old twinge or ache is starting to return due to their work or postural habits, or they just want to feel more energetic. As a naturopath and nurse who promotes wellness, I encourage my clients to come in and see me before any health concerns deteriorate and develop into "conditions." Bowenwork is being used in clinical health-care settings, sports facilities, corporate offices, and anywhere people need relief from tension, aches, and pains. It is safe for pregnant women, newborn babies, children, the chronically ill, and aged people, and there is also a specialized form of Bowenwork for animals. Many of my clients find Bowenwork helpful for transitioning major life changes, emotional distress, hormonal changes, recurrent stress, headaches, and physical injuries. Bowenwork "resets" their muscles and nervous The forearm procedure can address carpal tunnel problems. system and resonates with the innate ability of the body to heal and function optimally. As Bowen himself used to say: "It reminds the body that the emergency is over." Bowenwork may be done with the client seated, as seen with the shoulder procedure. in intensive care nursing until 2001. She received her nursing degree from the James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, and attended the Cairns College of Natural Therapies (Australia) to become a naturopathic practitioner. An accredited Bowenwork practitioner since 1991, Gustafson has been teaching the work since 1994. She now works in a medical and alternative therapies practice of integrative neurology and uses Bowenwork to support her clients. Actively involved in establishing the Bowenwork Academy USA, Gustafson presented this work to the integrative health faculty at Mayo Clinic in 2005 and many other medical and health support groups. Contact her at sandragustafson@bowenworkforlife. com or www.bowenworkforlife.com. Sandra Gustafson, BSN, RN, specialized NOTES 1. E. R. Kandel, J. H. Schwartz, and T. M. Jessell, Principles of Neural Science, 4th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000), 385. 2. Ibid., 432–440. 3. Ibid., 432–440. 4. Ibid., 432–440. 5. Ibid., 431. 6. Thomas Myers, Anatomy Trains (PA: Churchill- Livingstone/Elsevier Limited, 2004), 33. 7. Ibid., 15–18. 8. Ibid., 15. 9. Kandel, Principles of Neural Science, 473. 10. R. Kusunose, "Strain and Counterstrain," in: Rational Manual Therapies (Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1993), 323–325. connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 63