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International Bowen Conference


European Trip and speaking at the International Bowen Conference United Kingdom, April 2010

I have just returned from 10 weeks in Europe, England and Singapore - a little bit too long in saying that it was a fantastic time. I had one of the most memorable times in England, and would like to thank Debbie and Sue for their time and friendship during this experience. It had to be one of the best seminars I have attended with good therapists, great practice sessions & brilliant results.

I also had the opportunity to visit an incredible centre in Austria where Helmut runs his success rehabilitation and physiotherapy business. There will be more about this centre later.

The other highlight of the trip was the opportunity to speak at a Bowen Conference in Warwick, England. Attending the conference presented a mix of difficult times with restrictive moments. First there were restrictions on my presentation, as I could only speak of Bowen therapy and not mention my own technique. I had to supply a copy of my speech before attending and I had to assure that I would not change from my submitted papers or promote my own seminars. This I agreed to but later, I heard a lot of disappointment from many who had trained with me.

We also had a volcanic ash cloud that kept us in doubt right until the second last day, but the most discomfort came from a severe flu that left me quite ill on the day. I had many offers of help on the day and I believe by the time I had to speak I was a walking cocktail of pills, potions and good wishes, which left my head ready to explode and with no memory of my talk. To this day I still have very little recall of the weekend. I do remember that I met some great people and heard many explanations to Bowen therapy. When I hear the story of Tom Bowen's technique today, I am reminded of a time when I attended a seminar on hypnotherapy.

As students we had just watched a video of Milton Erickson, a highly regarded hypnotherapist, working his magic on two clients at once. At the end of the video the lecturer invited all of us to relay what we had seen and heard. There were 20 people present and I was surprised to hear the replies. Each person put forward his or her insight into Milton's treatment as each person searched for a deeper explanation than the previous speaker.

Every sniff, every grunt and scratch was considered as part of the therapy. I became aware that no one had taken into account the human frailty of a 75-year-old man who may just have had a nasal drip or a simple itch. Out of Milton's simply beautiful treatment, I was hearing a complicated quagmire of explanations.

I believe the magic of Tom's work was in its simplicity and I now find it interesting how many others have added their explanations without considering the human element that may have been involved. All that said, Bowen Therapy in the raw form without the over-kill is a great base for many techniques, mine being one of them. I enjoy the principles with which Tom worked and was pleased to be given a chance to speak at the conference. My thanks to the committee who organised the conference & facilitated my attendance.