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Catherine Ford Bowen Technique Practitioner

 
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Every Body Feels Better with Bowen.

Bowen allows the body to reset and heal itself holistically, and may be used for a myriad of conditions from muscular skeletal problems to many other illnesses and conditions. Please see website for further details.


CONTACT INFORMATION  
   
Contact NameCatherine Ford
AddressFulham
South West London SW6 4DH
Phone
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Website http://www.feelbetterwithbowen.co.uk



What is The Bowen Technique?


The Bowen Technique is a very gentle, deeply-relaxing, non-invasive technique which comprises sequences of precise rolling moves on the body. It is neither massage nor manipulation. It can be done on bare skin or through light clothing. The gentle moves stimulate energy flow allowing the body to re-set itself holistically. Results can be remarkable, even from the first session; often only a few sessions are needed to address the presenting problem.

There are frequent but very essential pauses throughout the session when the practitioner will leave the room or distance him or herself from the client so that the body is left in peace to respond and start the healing process. The practitioner can target a specific problem or address the body as a whole.

The Bowen Technique brings relief to almost any condition and is effective in treating anxiety and stress, arthritis, asthma and other respiratory conditions, children’s problems (colic, bedwetting, dyslexia & dyspraxia etc.), chronic fatigue, digestive problems, hormonal imbalance, muscular-skeletal conditions, pre and post surgery, and many other conditions. It is important to note that Bowen treats the person as a whole, not the condition. That said the practitioner knows which series of moves (known as a procedure) are likely to influence certain areas of the body.


Who can Bowen help?



Bowen is considered appropriate for anyone from pregnant women and newborn babies to the frail and elderly. There is even a separate modality of Bowen for treating animals! It can assist recovery from many conditions from traumatic injury to chronic illness, depending on each individual’s capacity to heal. A client occasionally may feel slightly uncomfortable for a day or so after a treatment while the body realigns and detoxifies, but no adverse side effects have been reported in the 60 years of the Bowen Technique being used.

Clients often report major or total improvement in seemingly unrelated problems that they may have forgotten to mention to the practitioner. Improved energy levels, sleep and general well-being are also often noted. Whilst not absolutely everyone will respond to a treatment, the Bowen Technique will help in a large proportion of cases.

A Bowen session initiates many beneficial changes that continue for several days. It is therefore recommended that other manipulative therapies should not be applied between sessions as it can interrupt the process and undermine the overall effectiveness of the Bowen work. The optimum time between sessions is 6-10 days.


How does Bowen work?



The Bowen ‘move’ comprises a gentle challenge to the muscle (or in some cases tendon or nerve bundles) which is held for a couple of seconds, followed a gentle rolling move. This creates a piezoelectrical charge which is transmitted to the brain via the liquid crystals contained in the collagen fibres of the muscle fascia. The liquid crystals hold a memory which, after the Bowen move release held tissue memory patterns, allowing the body to re-set itself to a memory of a previously healthy state. It seems to act upon the body’s autonomic, or self-governing nervous system to enable it to achieve homeostasis (balance) at a cellular level and to regain its own natural balance


How did Bowen originate?


Thomas Ambrose Bowen (1916-1982) developed his therapy in Australia during the 1950’s and 60’s. He was not medically trained but was fascinated by people’s different postures and had an amazing ability to ‘read’ a body noting where there were blockages or how this related to their ill health. A natural healer and a very religious man, Tom Bowen referred to his work as a ‘ Gift from God’. He was extremely hardworking and it is documented that at in 1975 he was recorded as having treated 13,000 people in the year. He did not teach his technique and allowed only a few therapists to observe him work. One such was therapist was Oswald Rentsch who spent many years working with Tom and documenting the procedures, and it is his interpretation of Tom Bowen’s work which is widely taught today as the Bowen Technique or Bowtech, first taught in Australia, 4 years after Tom’s death. Since then more than 12,000 Bowen practitioners have been trained worldwide.


Testimonials


”I have been aware of Bowen for many years but it was not until I met Catherine that I actually experienced it. I am a massage therapist and have had many, many different kinds of treatments over the 27 years I have been working. Bowen was totally different, very simple and very effective.
At first it was odd that Catherine only seemed to do a very few Bowen moves on me and then leave the room, to return a few minutes later to do another few moves. This process goes on throughout the session. What I came to realise and very much appreciate was that the healing happens in my own body when the therapist is not in the room - unlike any other treatment I have received. Once I got used to this idea I totally loved it. Something very profound happens and my body is able to correct, balance and heal in the way it needs to. It is unbelievably relaxing – so deep as to feel like coming home, like having had 10 hours sleep, like feeling totally supported and held in a way that is perfect just for me.

I came to Catherine with chronic neck and lower back pain. Within three sessions the neck pain has totally gone and my lower back pain (which I have had for 30 odd years) very rarely troubles me now. I would highly recommend Catherine and Bowen to anyone with pain or exhaustion. “


Deirdre G.

“My knee problem is no longer a problem! What ever it was that you did made super difference.”

Tanja L.

“I went to see Catherine with a frozen shoulder. I could barely move my arm. Catherine was very warm, sympathetic, professional and thorough in her treatment. I noticed an immediate improvement after our first session. Previously physiotherapy had failed me but Catherine’s gentle and precise treatment unlocked my arm. She suggested some exercises which proved to be very effective. I have no hesitation in recommending her.”

Barbara O

“Due to a deteriorating arthritic hip I suffered considerable back pain. I was recommended to go to Catherine Ford for some sessions of Bowen and she treated me for about 6 months. The Technique enabled me to be much more comfortable and prepared me for the eventual surgery. I have now had my hip successfully resurfaced. I strongly recommend the Bowen Technique for the help it has given me and Catherine Ford as a practitioner thereof.”

Nigel R

“I came to Catherine Ford after having been recommended to Bowen Therapy by friends, one of whom knew Catherine. I had been having a great deal of trouble with aching legs and some mild arthritis in my knees. I received five sessions of Bowen with her and after each one I felt much better – more balanced, relaxed and in less pain. A further benefit of the therapy was that after a session, detoxification occurred and I was better able to eliminate waste. My legs are now back to normal and walking is no longer painful. I would recommend Bowen Therapy and Catherine for anyone with similar symptoms.”

Sara T

“I went to see Catherine Ford in the hope that the Bowen Technique could help alleviate the pain & stiffness in my shoulders caused by years of arthritis. I had read that Bowen was very effective for treating “frozen shoulder” so thought it was worth trying. I had also been feeling very “muddle-headed” and struggled to concentrate and remember things. After only a few treatments with Catherine, my shoulders regained their full range of movement for the first time in years and they were no longer painful & stiff. And my “fuggy head” disappeared, my concentration improved dramatically and I no longer felt tired and sluggish. Catherine is an excellent practitioner who inspires confidence in her patients. And Bowen is an amazing technique which has worked wonders for me. “

Sarah H.


About Catherine Ford


Having benefitted enormously from three sessions of The Bowen Technique for long-standing sciatica in 2002/03 and then again for a knee injury in 2004, Catherine decided to train as a Bowen Practitioner, completing her training in November 2005.

Since then she has been practicing from her home in Fulham, treating clients for:

  • anxiety and stress
  • musculo-skeletal problems
  • post-viral and chronic fatigue syndrome
  • headaches & migraines
  • pre- and post-surgery balancing and recovery
  • respiratory conditions including asthma
  • baby and childhood problems
Since completing the basic training, Continued Professional Development has taken the form of Practitioner courses to hone basic skills, Back Care, Mind Body Bowen and Advanced Bowen 1 Certification in October 2009. Catherine has also attended seminars and conferences increasing her knowledge of other areas of Bowen work, such as asthma care and working with children and babies. Catherine has qualified as an Emmett Technique Practitioner which is a stand alone therapy but which also integrates very well with Bowen.


Qualifications


Member of the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia, Bowen Association UK and Bowen Therapy Professional Association, as well as being registered with the Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)


Service Categories
Bowen Therapy, Remedial Therapies, Sports Injury Therapy, Womens Health

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