Bowen therapy, also called Bowenwork or Bowtech, is a form of bodywork or touch therapy. It involves gently stretching the fascia — the soft tissue that covers all your muscles and organs — to promote pain relief and relaxation.
A Bowen therapist uses precise and gentle, rolling hand movements. The motions focus on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments, along with the fascia and skin around them. The idea is to reduce pain by stimulating the nervous system.
Bowen therapy was created by Thomas Ambrose Bowen (1916–1982) in Australia. Though Bowen wasn’t a medical practitioner, he claimed that the therapy could reset the body’s pain response.
According to therapists who practice Bowenwork, this type of therapy acts on the autonomic nervous system. They believe it inhibits the sympathetic nervous system (your fight-or-flight stress response) and activates the parasympathetic nervous system (your rest-and-digest response).
However, no research has yet confirmed this or other mechanisms of action.
Some people refer to Bowen therapy as a type of therapeutic massage. It isn’t a medical treatment, though. There’s minimal scientific research on its effectiveness, and its purported benefits are mainly anecdotal.
Yet, people around the world continue to seek Bowen therapy for a wide range of conditions.
Bowen therapy is a type of myofascial release. It’s typically done to relieve pain and increase mobility, and it’s done as a complementary or alternative treatment.
Conditions commonly addressed by Bowen therapy include:
Some people may use Bowen therapy to manage pain due to:
- respiratory conditions, like asthma
- gastrointestinal disorders, like irritable bowel syndrome
- cancer treatment side effects
Additionally, some people may also seek Bowen therapy for managing:
- stress
- fatigue
- depression
- anxiety
- high blood pressure
- stiffness and reduced range of motion
Bowen therapy hasn’t been widely researched, but some people have reported benefits from it.
The existing evidence comes mainly from short-term studies with significant limitations, such as small and nondiverse samples. More research is needed to confirm Bowen therapy’s health benefits.
A 2024 controlled trial with 132 participants with fibromyalgia syndrome compared the effects of Bowen therapy, standard exercise program, craniosacral therapy, and static touch therapy over 12 weeks of treatment.
Researchers found that Bowen therapy was effective at improving the quality of sleep and pressure pain threshold (how much manual pressure someone needs before they feel pain). Participants still reported these improvements 24 weeks post-treatment.
A
Researchers found that Bowen therapy was significantly more effective at reducing pain and increasing function over time than the tennis ball technique. The latter is a self-applied method in which the patient places a tennis ball between their back and a wall or floor and presses on and off against it around the painful spots.
Another
The study indicated that the 45 people who received Bowen therapy reported significant improvements compared to the control group in areas like neck range of motion, anxiety levels, depression symptoms, perception of how much neck pain interferes with daily life, and pressure pain threshold. Participants still reported these benefits after 24 weeks.
Even though these studies suggest the benefits of Bowen therapy may stand for a while after treatment, other research has indicated that the effects on chronic pain may be short-lived.
A small
Participants in the Bowen therapy group reported lower pain scores at the 1-week follow-up compared to the placebo group, but no differences were reported at 6 weeks. The researchers concluded that Bowen therapy may help with short-term pain reduction but may not be a long-term management option.
More research on the long-term effects of Bowen therapy is needed, particularly with different age groups, communities, and conditions.
Bowen therapists need a license in most U.S. states. This usually includes a massage therapy or other healthcare license that regulates the manual manipulation of tissues.
A Bowen therapy session usually lasts between 30 minutes and 1 hour. Protocols may slightly vary per practitioner but, generally, this is what you can expect:
- You’ll be asked to wear light, loose-fitting clothing. You may be asked to partially disrobe to expose the problem areas.
- The therapist will have you lie or sit down, depending on the problem areas.
- The therapist will use their fingers to apply gentle, rolling movements on specific areas of your body, like your neck and back. They’ll mainly use a rolling motion by grabbing skin, fascia, and muscle tissue between their thumbs and index fingers.
- The therapist will slightly stretch and move the tissue. The pressure will vary, and you can provide immediate feedback if something is bothering you.
- Throughout the session, the therapist will regularly leave the room to let your body respond and adjust. They’ll return after 2 to 5 minutes and continue rolling your tissue.
- The therapist will repeat the movements as necessary.
- You may experience a mix of soreness and pain or muscle tension release as they roll your tissue.
- Bowen therapy does not involve massage strokes, tapping, or similar traditional movements.
After your session, the therapist may provide self-care instructions and lifestyle recommendations, like drinking water more frequently. Your symptoms may change during the treatment, after the session, or several days later.
The total number of sessions you need will depend on various factors, including:
- your symptoms
- their severity
- your response to the therapy
- our overall health status
Limited research exists on the benefits, long-term effects, and risks of Bowen therapy. Some research suggests that it may help with pain and mobility, but more studies are needed to generalize results to all age groups and populations.
If you decide to have a session of Bowen therapy, it’s important to seek a licensed therapist and ask about potential side effects of the treatment.