BOWEN THERAPY
History | Typical Session | Literature
Neuro-Fascial Massage™

Tom Bowen allowed several other Australian practitioners to work with him and observe his methods over the span of 30 years:

• 2 Chiropractors
• 3 Massage Therapists
• 1 Osteopath

Each left Tom with different interpretations of his work.

One of the massage therapists that worked with Tom, Ossie Rentsch, later became licensed in Australia as an osteopath. Mr. Rentsch developed sets of therapeutic protocols based on his observations of Tom at work.

After Tom's death, Ossie began teaching his protocols to others, founded the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia (BTAA) in 1987, and was the first to start a "Bowen Therapy" training organization. According to the BTAA:

"[Tom] called himself an osteopath, since that was his philosophical and practical approach to healing. In the early 1970s, however, the [Australian government healthcare] regulations were changed: osteopaths, chiropractors, and naturopathic doctors were also required to be licensed and to register with the government. Bowen applied for registration as an osteopath. He passed the practical requirements with flying colours but was denied on other grounds: not having a diploma from a registered academy and refusing to answer abstract questions -- saying instead that he had to see and touch clients in order to know which moves would be appropriate in each particular case. After being denied recognition as an osteopath, he changed his title from osteopath to manual therapist."

The BTAA now offers courses throughout the world and teaches the interpretation of Bowen Therapy known as BOWTECH®. The BTAA basically teaches BOWTECH® as a stand-alone therapy.

Dr. Kevin Ryan, the osteopath that worked with Tom, represents the last practitioner to work with Mr. Bowen before his death. He offers a different perspective on Tom's work:

"The Technique integrates with almost all other applied osteopathic techniques."

Dr. Ryan worked with Tom until his death and benefited from his most advanced work. He still practices today in his own clinic, the Geelong Natural Healing Center, located in Australia.

Russell Sturgess, a chiropractor that worked with Mr. Bowen, also began teaching classes based on the soft tissue philosophy of Mr. Tom Bowen. He named his interpretation of the work Fascial Kinetics.

Julian Baker initially learned of Bowen Therapy from the BTAA and brought the technique to his home in Europe. He began teaching as an instructor for the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia, but later founded the European College of Bowen Studies (ECBS).

Michael Nixon-Levy, an Applied Physiologist from Australian, initially learned of Bowen Therapy from the BTAA and then developed his own interpretation known as Neurostructural Integration Technique (NST). Michael brought NST to southern France in 1996.

When I first learned of Bowen Therapy, very few on the east coast of the United States knew of the technique. Most practitioners resided on the west coast and in Canada. NST had spread to other European countries, the Middle East and the USA. Two BOWTECH® instructors held practices on the east coast.

Milton J. Albrecht was the first Bowen therapist certified outside of Australia. He sponsored the first Bowen Therapy seminar held in the U.S. during 1989.

He founded Bowen Therapy International in 1997, a Bowen Therapy organization based in the U.S.

Gene Dobkin began teaching Bowen Therapy through the BTAA in 1994. He taught classes in the U.S. and the Middle East.

In 1998, Gene left the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia and began working through the International Institute of Applied Health Services teaching Neurostructural Technique (NST) with founder Michael Nixon-Livy.

Gene now teaches his own interpretation of Bowen Therapy known as Neural Touch.

From Bowen Therapy International:

"According to our research in Australia, Tom Bowen never stopped developing procedures and examining his philosophy of how the body works. Maybe he realized others would learn his technique and through client contact, continue its maturation process. But whatever he had in mind, his philosophy speaks for itself."

One question I frequently get from my own NFM Bowen Therapy students is:

"Do I have to follow the protocols?"

My answer: "No".

Instead, I prefer to teach the protocols that I have learned and personally developed as "sample routines", providing my own beliefs and insights into why I think they work.