change

Shining A Light

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One of the first post qualifying courses I did was with Howard Plummer from Cardiff. His amazing work with children and his Fascia Bowen technique was transformative in the way I now work with people. On top of his “Sedately, Mary sedately”  his recommendation of Duane Juhan’s wonderful book of how touch heals helped form the principles of my working holistically “with” someone, not trying to “fix” the person or the condition. I thought I would share this quote with you.

“It is not the bodyworker who is ‘fixing’ the client. The bodyworker is not attacking a localised problem with specialised tool, confident of achieving certain results.

Instead, she is carefully generating a flow of sensory information to the mind of the client, information that is not being generated by the client’s own limited repertoire of movements – new information that the mind can use to fill in the gaps and missing links in its appraisal of the body’s tissues and physiological processes…

The bodyworker is not an interventionist; she is a facilitator, a diplomatic intermediary between a physiological processes that have lost track of one another’s proper functions and goals, between a mind that has forgotten .

Touch ( administered through Bowen & Emmett moves)  is not like pharmaceuticals or scalpels. They are like flashlights in a darkened room.

The medicine administered  is self awareness. And for many of our painful conditions, this is the aid that is most urgently needed.”

— Deane Juhan in his book, Job’s Body.

Bowen & Emmett Techniques – How effective are they?

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Bowen & Emmett Techniques –  How effective are they?

That’s the question I was asked at a recent business networking event. That made me think!

Being asked the question made me realise – I know they work, I know they are effective and many people who have had Bowen or Emmett know they are effective and will tell you so. And some people will tell you they have not changed as a result of treatment. YET  I was unable to say “YES”,  what I do IS effective. I’m still in practice after 5 years because they are effective and people come back to see me for regular sessions.

So that got me thinking. How can I tell someone how effective the Bowen & Emmett Techniques are before they have tried it?  Well the short answer is I can’t.  I can say “I believe they are effective”.      I can say “I believe I can help you change”.  I can say “Go ask so & so because they have had it or google it”. There are also various studies I can direct you to. You can watch the video at the end of this blog.

I want to use an example to illustrate something. If you go to the doctor with an infection and she gives you antibiotics, how effective would you expect them to be? VERY, you would hope. However, there is no guarantee that the antibiotics you are prescribed will get rid of the particular infection you have. The number of pills per day, how you take them and the number of days you have been prescribed them for are all factors in your treatment.  The key here is the right tool for the job. If it’s the wrong antibiotic for the type of infection you have, then treatment will not be effective.  You have a responsibility and it is expected  you to take the pills regularly, to not forget to take your pills on time, take them for the duration of the full course and prevent re-infection too. Of course you have to be willing to take the pills in the first place!

So there you have it.    Change in you happens when you participate, are willing to change and choose the right  treatment.  YES Bowen & Emmett are effective, if you are willing to work with me, we can bring about changes, particularly over a course of treatment of several sessions.  AND there may even be a few surprises along the way.

3minute video TMJ change    Thanks for your visit.

LOVETT BROTHER RELATIONSHIP OF THE SPINE

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LOVETT BROTHER RELATIONSHIP

Used clinically for decades by many body workers including Bowen Therapists,  Chiropractors & Osteopaths,  I was fortunate enough to attend workshops in the last few years with some wonderful Australian expert teachers and learn the theory of the Lovatt Brothers and more ways to bring changes to the body. The main theory is that if there is dysfunction at one end of the spine, it will reciprocate with problems at the other end, as per the diagram.
In the most simplest of explanations when there is a rotation in L5 there will always be a rotation in C1, its ‘Lovett Partner’, even in the absence of symptoms of pain or lack of function at C1. With all the listings they can work both ways. For example, a  dysfunction at L5 can cause a C1 dysfunction and a C1 dysfunction can cause an L5 dysfunction. When one is out of neutral so will its partner. Often it is necessary to address the Lovett Partner as well to get a lasting or even successful correction. Remembering that the joint above and below at the dysfuction is also likely to be affected you can see the cascade of musculoskeletal problems that can arise. This is why treating TMJ and sacrum/coccyx together in some people is so important.  Anything that disrupts the mechanics of the sacrum and the coccyx can create adverse mechanical tension in the central nervous system leading to all sorts of musculoskeletal, neurological, visceral and hormonal problems that seem very confusing and hard to figure out.  Early treatment before a problem becomes chronic is paramount. Always consult your doctor for medical assessment and diagnosis.  https://boweninlothian.co.uk/contact-me/

lovatt brother relationship

Diagram and content courtesy of John Garfield

Emmett&Bowen Techniques-Tools for Pain Management

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Gentle touch big change

Hippocrates held the belief that the body must be treated as a whole and not just a series of parts. A belief  I hold dear when treating those in pain.  I treat the whole person using  Emmett or Bowen working with people who are often at the end of their patience, having tried everything. Symptoms such as headaches, knee, back or neck pain, frozen shoulder, bladder problems can all respond very quickly to treatment.

Earlier this year I received my certification as an Advanced Emmett Practitioner to EP2 level, bringing a whole new perspective in using the EMMETT Technique for effective pain management.

What affects on the body does Emmett have? While using Emmett moves  I have felt muscles relax, pelvis shift, seen posture change,  limb mobility increase. All wonderful effects of Emmett. The knock on effect is increased energy as the body is better balanced and moving easier. Ultimately the more balanced the body is the more autonomic functions like circulation and breathing improve and a sense of wellbeing is restored.

Gentle touch big change
Easy muscle management with Emmett Technique

“Overwhelming feedback from Bowen Therapists is that the Emmett Technique has transformed their practice; in particular the speed with which they can bring changes to clients, dramatically improving client outcomes. The Emmett Technique is applied with either light touch at 2 holding points simultaneously or a one directional moves over specific locations on the body which affects . Emmett & Bowen Techniques can correct body alignment problems quickly, with minimal client pain and therapist effort. It isn’t physiotherapy or massage. Advanced practitioners are trained in assessment skills and how to tailor treatments precisely to their clients’ individual needs”.

I now use both Emmett & Bowen Techniques while working in clinics, depending on the clients need at that time, to greater and often quicker affect.  As always, long term problems need more sessions, like peeling an onion, to come back to the source of feeling well. Three or four sessions usually brings relief and repair.

Watch these videos of Ross Emmett demonstrating posture and function changes. Seeing is believing  http://www.emmett-uk.com/demo_videos