Bowen therapy may help heal old injuries

We all want to feel better in 2018, whether it be by eliminating back pain or an old injury from an accident, or maybe wanting to feel less tired all of the time. Well, there may be a brighter side to some of these ailments. It’s called Bowen therapy. Sarah Nelson has been using Bowen therapy as a way to heal her body for the last six months. She visits local Bowen practitioner, Kasia Voorhies. “When I first started seeing Kasia I had a hard time swallowing which seems kind of strange,” Nelson explained. “I always felt like I had something stuck in my throat and that was one of my initial issues because I’ve had whiplash twice and that was kind of where we were starting,” she said. “I would go to the chiropractor once a month but it was something where I would live with chronic pain and that was normal for me,” she added. Once Nelson began using Bowen she immediately noticed a difference. “Right away I noticed a difference, like I came in and thought I’ve done different massage stuff and I’ve gone to the chiropractor so I thought she was going to be really hard and intense on my body but I laid on the table and got off of it and felt so relaxed and at peace and it was the most gentle thing ever … but I went home and things just started to happen,” she said. Nelson said the changes have been significant. “The biggest significant change for me was, I used to have a lift in my shoe, a little insert in my shoe because one legs was shorter than the other and after my second visit my legs were even,” she explained. By now you may be wondering what Bowen therapy is. “It’s a soft tissue therapy approach to the whole body. It’s a holistic modality, that stimulates your body to heal itself. “We work through the nervous system. We deliver information through the rolling movements, the muscles, tendons, ligaments, sometimes the nerves themselves and those particular movements send information to the brain about location, tension, what’s going on.” The relatively new practice originated in Australia and is only about 50-years-old. Voorhies works on all ages from infants to children to pregnant ladies, the elderly and athletes. “It is not a massage, however we do touch body but we work through the clothing,” Voorhies said. “It’s not chiropractic because there is no harsh manipulation,” she added. Voorhies said that even if you have injuries more than five-years-old Bowen therapy can help. “Bowen just really does allow your body to heal,” Nelson believes. Sessions can last anywhere from five minutes to one hour. “I have to emphasize, the results are based on individuals ability to heal,” Voorhies said. Neurologists and the University of Arizona are currently conducting a study on Bowen therapy with the results coming out later this year. “My kids love Bowen therapy … I actually took Kasia’s class so I could learn a few moves and do it at bedtime and now they sleep so much better,” Nelson said. Voorhies describes Bowen work as a way to unwind previous traumas like a car accident injury. She also treats people with Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia and many types of athletic injuries. “I think everyone should at least try it,” Nelson said. For more information on Bowen therapy, Voorhies will be hosting the “Exploring the Bowen Technique for Healing” at 10:30 a.m. at the Foothills Library on January 23.