Bowen Technique Plus Training
Please note that Mark has discontinued teaching Bowen technique for the forseable future, and the following material should be regarded as archival in nature. It may be useful for those seeking information about the somewhat different approach to training and practising the technique employed by Mark.
Announcement: As of July 2003, the Bowen Technique Plus course is affiliated to the Institute for Complimentary Medicine. Successful participants may apply for membership of The British Register of Complimentary Practitioners.
Qualification
Participants will receive a Bowen Technique Plus 'Basic training' certificate for an initial 4 day course. Those continuing from a previous course receive a Bowen Technique Plus 'Intermediate training' certificate, and those returning for a third course will receive an 'Advanced training' certificate. These 12 days complete the hands on training part of the course. Each stage costs £295.
After completing the third course, participants may reach full qualification by submitting 15 case histories, sit a short written examination, and participate in a practical assessment in order to gain full qualification. There is no charge for the examination, assessment or marking of case histories.
Qualified Bowen technique practitioners are only required to attend two Bowen Plus courses (8 days training) if they wish to qualify and are not required to sit the written examination or submit case histories. However they do need to pass the practical assessment.
How is Bowen Technique Plus different?
When I was first taught the Bowen technique in 1994, I was taught the following:-
"Don't bother to use Bowen if you use any other modality on the same day. Don't bother to use Bowen if you massage before or after on the same day. Don't bother to use Bowen if you manipulate, adjust, lay on your hands or stay by the patient between moves; your other work whatever it is cancels Bowen…adding extra moves and your own personal input shows a lack of confidence in Bowen, in your ability; it even demonstrates an inferiority complex." (Bowen’s hands - December 1994).
Though the technique as I was taught it did get good results, this approach never felt right to me and struck me as rather rigid. I found it hard to believe that Tom Bowen, being such a brilliant pioneer and innovator, was as rigid as this in his own practise.
However it was not until August 2002 that I received an email from Kevin Ryan, the last person taught by Tom Bowen before his death in 1982 who confirmed my suspicion. Kevin stated the exact opposite of what I had originally been taught and what you just read above. He stated that "Every one of us who comes in contact with his (Tom Bowen’s) approach, has the opportunity to continue its development as we consciously or inadvertently incorporate it into what we already do, or vice versa. One of the wonderful things about Toms' approach, is that it does integrate well with many if not all other body therapies."
These words sounded much closer to the truth to me. My current approach to teaching and practicing this technique has been strongly influenced by these words. Consequently, I present a less rigid approach to the work as I was originally taught it, allowing room for the practitioner to use their own intuition and to couple it with their existing knowledge if they are already trained therapists. It is still based on the original training I received, but it has been influenced by other approaches to Bowen’s work which I have come across, Kevin Ryan's letters to me, and of course my own experience and consequent development of the technique, after treating several thousand people in my clinic. For this reason I call the course "Bowen Technique Plus" as it delves deeper, and is more flexible than the training I received in 1994. It combines Bowen with NST, VHT and many ideas and procedures I have developed (based on the Bowen 'move').
Bowen Technique Plus is practiced by Mark G. Lester at:
The Finchley Clinic,
26 Wentworth Avenue,
London N3 1YL
+44 (0) 20 8349 4730 |
