Thomas Bowen’s fascination with people’s different postures and how it related to their ill-health inspired him to develop the Bowen technique.
The original Bowen technique, also known as Bowenwork® (USA) and Bowtech® (other countries) was developed by the late Thomas Bowen (1916-1982) in Geelong, Australia. He began developing the technique in the 1950’s because of his fascination with people’s different postures and how it related to their ill-health. He had an uncanny ability to observe how people walked, sat and moved and was remarkably accurate in his conclusions as to the root cause of their pain. During the development of his technique, he noticed that doing certain moves on the body had particular effects. According to a 1975 survey of alternative health practitioners performed by the Victorian Government, Thomas Bowen was doing 13,000 treatments a year. In 85% of his cases, the problems for which the individuals had sought treatment were completely resolved. Considering treatments were 7 days apart and most of the people needed 1-3 treatments, an amazing number of people benefited from his gift.
He only allowed a few individuals to observe his work. Ossie Rentsch was one of those individuals and with Thomas Bowen’s approval he allowed him to document his work. With the help of Thomas Bowen’s secretary Rene Horwood, Ossie was able to document a true representation of the original technique. Honoring Mr. Bowen’s request to make his work known after his death worldwide, Ossie and Elaine Rentsch founded the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia in 1987. Currently, the original Bowen technique is being taught in over 25 countries.