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Home What's involved? What can be treated? How does it work? Origins Articles Testimonials Angelika Breukers Locations/Contact Links Download Leaflet See our Video |
Click on a blue Symptom to read a testimonial
Symptoms: Back Pain | Restless Legs | Dystonia | Neck Problems | Insomnia | Peak Health | Abdominal Pain | Infertility | Frozen Shoulder | Chronic Back Pain | Tetraplegic Letters of recommendation following the treatment of The Bowen Technique
When Angelika Breukers had a bad back a friend treated her with the Bowen Technique. She was so impressed she decided to train as a therapist in this relatively new therapy which is winning fans across the South West because it is a gentle technique that can help a wide range of conditions. In particular women are catching on to the benefits of Bowen for all kinds of problems and for treating babies and young children too. Because Bowen uses movements over the muscles, tendons, and ligaments with minimal pressure it is suitable for everyone from newborns to the elderly. There is no manipulation or adjustment and no force is used or needed. ‘It is not massage,’ explained Angelika. ‘I make very gentle, rolling movements with my thumbs and fingers on specific parts of the body. These stimulate blood circulation and the lymphatic system. The movements connect via the nervous system, stimulating the body’s natural healing responses and achieving longlasting results,’ she added. One of the unique aspects of Bowen is that during treatment the therapist leaves the room for a few minutes while the patient remains relaxing. The break gives the body a chance to respond to the movements. As one expert, Dr Richard Hale, points out: ‘A Bowen therapist acts like a householder returning home on a winter’s night. By touching the right switches the house may be flooded with light and warmth.’ The Bowen technique works on a wide range of conditions from chronic back and neck pain, knee and hip problems, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, allergies, hayfever, menstrual problems, migraine, hayfever, tension-based stress and fatigue and asthma. It has also proven powerful in helping general aches and pains. It is with women and babies that Angelika has found her work most rewarding. One client, Sarah Frost from Swindon, has just given birth and believes Bowen helped her to become pregnant after she failed to conceive naturally. When she booked her first session with Angelika in a bid to sort her neck problem she had not had a period for more than a year and her concerns about infertility were increasing. But within three months she was pain free – and pregnant. ‘I was delighted that I was able to help Sarah. Because Bowen treats the whole being it helps with things like stress and fatigue which can hinder conception. It works primarily through the nervous system and stimulates precise points on the body. Clients find it tremendously relaxing,’ said Angelika who has clinics in Portishead, Wroughton, Wantage and Wootton Bassett. Another client found Bowen helped her new born baby’s colic. ‘Her baby had very bad colic. After the first treatment he slept for five hours. By the second treatment his colic had lessened and after the third it was gone,’ said Angelika. Others find regular sessions help keep general aches and pains at bay as well as helping to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. A client suffering from Parkinson’s disease has also responded well to Bowen. ‘There was a result after his first treatment and after four weeks he went for a walk and forgot his stick. His Parkinson symptoms eased and he looked better as well as feeling better. He was even able to cut his garden hedge, something he had not been able to do for years,’ added Angelika, who lives in Swindon. The Bowen technique is a relatively new therapy in Britain and we have the Australian’s to thank. It was developed by Thomas Bowen from Geelong in the 1950s to help treat sports injuries but he treated people for all different ailments. Today it is regarded as not just helping with problems but as a technique that can actually enhance sports performance. Its effects are backed up by research. A study by the European Register of Bowen Therapists found that out of 39 chronic migraine sufferers treated with Bowen, 79% experienced a positive change in the frequency and severity of attacks in just six weeks. Persistent Neck and Shoulder Pain / Infertility SARAH Frost turned to the Bowen technique for help with persistent neck and shoulder pain and ended up finding the solution to what had become a much more worrying health concern – infertility. When Sarah, 35, who lives in Swindon with husband Simon, booked her first session with Bowen practitioner, Angelika Bruekers, in a bid to sort her neck problem she had not had a period for more than a year and her concerns about her fertility were increasing. But within three months she was pain free – and pregnant. In January she gave birth to her daughter Freya. ‘We are absolutely delighted. Freya is a very contented baby; she feeds and sleeps really well. Once we are in a routine I will be booking some more Bowen sessions,’ she added. “I had suffered recurring neck and shoulder pain for a long time when I went to see Angelika,” Sarah recalled. “My GP prescribed painkillers, which were helping reduce the pain, but I realised they were not solving the problem. “My sister-in-law saw Angelika’s advert in the local village newsletter and I thought it was worth trying. However, because the therapy is about treating the whole person, it came out during my first consultation that I was having problems conceiving and had not had a single period since coming off the pill more than 12 months before. “After a couple of treatments I had a period and a couple of months later learned that I was expecting. I was absolutely overjoyed and amazed. I have no doubts that it was the treatment that enabled me to get pregnant.” On Angelika’s advice, Sarah began with weekly 45-minute treatment sessions, reducing to fortnightly and then monthly. “I didn’t have a clue what to expect the first time I went,” Sarah said. “I was a bit sceptical as I had tried other complimentary therapies which didn’t really work for me. And I must admit that the treatment took me by surprise – it was so gentle it didn’t feel like much was being done. I suppose I thought it was going to be more like a massage but the movements were much more gentle, so light and subtle. “It did feel very relaxing though and afterwards I felt very strange – in a good way. In fact, after the first few sessions I was left with a bit of a headache and feeling quite drained and used to go home, drink loads of water and then go to bed. “Later you feel so good – really energised and cleansed. It’s a fabulous feeling – very hard to describe.” Sarah did not need Bowen during her pregnancy but plans to start again after the birth. “It is so deeply relaxing and makes you feel so great. I have never fallen asleep during a treatment but I have got very close. I can’t wait to go again.” And Sarah will be taking baby along too. “I know the therapy is great for any problems with newborns, like colic and sleep problems. I will certainly be taking the little one along very soon after the birth.” Sarah says that even her very sceptical husband is coming around to the idea that the therapy played a big part in solving the fertility problem. “My husband was extremely sceptical about it all – as men are,” said Sarah. “But he has recently had a similar therapy for a bad back and it has really opened his eyes,” she said. Now Sarah has recommended Bowen to her sister-in-law who is having problems conceiving. “Angelika has a lot to live up to,” she said. Severe Abdominal Pain PLAGUED by severe abdominal pain, Veronica Bye has been popping painkillers on and off for nearly thirty years. Despite endless hospital tests and trips back and forth to doctors, the medical profession has never been able to give a clear diagnosis on what causes the pain which has blighted her life. “I started getting severe abdominal pains on and off in my 20s. It flared up again in my 30s and last year it was the worst I have ever had. It comes and goes, but when I get a bad bout, it is unbearable,” said Veronica, who is now 50 and lives with her husband Malcolm in Wotton Bassett, near Swindon. “I have had lots of tests done, but no one has ever really got to the bottom of it. Some have thought it could be a gynaecological problem, others a rumbling appendix, but nothing has ever been confirmed. GPs just prescribe painkillers for when it gets really bad.” Last year, Veronica, who works in an accounts office, had to be signed off for six weeks, it was so severe. “I could hardly walk, the pain was so bad,” she said. So when she saw a stand at a natural health exhibition all about the Bowen technique, Veronica was very open to trying something different. The day after the first session of Bowen therapy Veronica’s pain felt a bit worse but, reassured by her practitioner Angelika Bruekers, she continued with the treatment. And it’s just as well. After just eight weeks, she had reduced the painkillers and two months later she was off the pills altogether. “I don’t know how it’s working, but it seems to be doing the trick,” said Veronica. “Angelika talks about how the treatment releases something in the body which helps the body to heal itself. I don’t fully understand it, but it doesn’t really matter – it is just so great to be free of pain and no longer relying on painkillers.” At the same time, Veronica is enjoying her first winter in a very long time free of crippling back pain. “For about the last 10 years, I have suffered with my back every winter when the cold weather really sets in. Since I have had Bowen therapy, this has gone too.” Veronica started off having weekly sessions, reducing to fortnightly and then around one a month. And, along with other patients, she finds the treatment very enjoyable and relaxing. “It always really relaxes me. In fact, after one session I was so relaxed I went home and had a sleep for an hour,” she said. “I have never felt any pain – it is very gentle. I can usually feel a bit of tingling and heat in my body when hands are being laid on me.” But she does recall something very strange happening during the first ever session and wonders if this has a major significance. “As Angelika was finishing her manipulation around my neck area I felt a very unusual sensation – like something rushed from my head, through my body and out through my feet. I know it sounds odd and it’s hard to describe in words, but it was really strong. I was quite surprised by it at the time.” Veronica is determined to carry on enjoying a return to normality in her life and will be keeping up with occasional Bowen sessions to ensure that the pain is kept at bay. Frozen Shoulder When I first went to Angelika I was suffering with a frozen shoulder that I had suffered for nearly two years, but to top of that also injured my shoulder. This resulted in me having to have a quartazone injection into the shoulder, which in the short term did relive the pain, but I found the pain gradually returning again. I was recommended by a friend to try the Bowen Technique and found that Angelika actually lived local. So I contacted Angelika and made an appointment. After my first treatment I did feel very relaxed and did not feel too bad. During the week following my treatment, I did gradually feel some relief and after my second treatment I was pleasantly surprised by how much more movement I had back in my shoulder and arm. I made the third appointment and after this treatment I could not believe that I had almost full movement in my shoulder and arm.
I thoroughly recommend the technique, which is not painful, and is a quite gentle movement. My only regret is that I had not tried this treatment earlier, instead off suffering for nearly two years.
History:
Brigid Hewer Swindon Back Problems
After 14 months of continusous pain in the whole of my body following a hip operation, just one session of the Bowen Treatment and the pain almost disappeared, after a further treatment e I am feeling like a different person and life is worth living again.
Dear Angelika I found the sessions relaxing and more than beneficial in keeping me tuned up for the marathon.
I wish you luck in developing you business and will be in touch when I am next " crocked" !
When I first went to see Angelika, I had been suffering from chronic back pain for 1 year. The pain was more or less constant but was especially uncomfortable when sitting or standing still. I am a keen cyclist and use my bike to get to work, but this too was uncomfortable. I was recommended a chiropractor by a friend and went for fortnightly sessions for 3 months. However I found that the treatment was expensive and did very little to relieve the pain I was suffering. Yoga or the Alexander technique sounded like they might be my best options, but home and work commitments made it difficult for me to attend any class. A colleague at work had also been to visit Angelika a few times suggested I read up on the Bowen technique to see what it was all about. After doing a little research I was intrigued and decided to give it a go. At the first session Angelika gave me an overview of the Bowen technique and explained what she was going to do. I was very intrigued to see how the technique worked and did my best to stay awake throughout the session. But the treatment was so gentle and the environment so relaxed that I fell asleep after a few minutes and didn't wake up until Angelika had finished. I left feeling relaxed both physically and mentally and was pleased to notice a slight but definite improvement in my back. My condition continued to improve with each session and I continued to see Angelika for about five weeks. After which time the pain had gone. It has been two months since my last visit and apart from a very occasional twinge; I have had no trouble with my back what so ever.
Angelika is accommodating, professional and able to make one feel completely at ease. I cannot recommend Angelika or the Bowen Technique highly enough. What more can I say - the treatment works I am walking, pain free proof of that.
I first came to Angelika 3 months pregnant, following a scan, which had pushed my baby onto my spine and aggravated an existing back condition. With sharp pains down my legs and across my lower back, walking was very painful. My doctor and midwife were unable to offer anything other than pain killers, which I didn't want to take. Their view was that this was to be expected over the months until our baby was born. After my first treatment, of therapeutic movements my back and pains were really eased and improved enough over a few subsequent visits to negate further treatment until the later stage of my pregnancy. When months later, my back seized again, this rendering me immobile and in real agony. Relief came again from Angelika and I was back on my feet yet again, right from my first treatment. I am now continuing treatment, until our baby is born and beyond, so that I will stay on my feet and recover more quickly from giving birth.
Our baby too will soon benefit from Bowen's recovery properties following birth and then following whenever our little one has a need. As I would recommend anyone else to try Bowen Therapy and see if it can help them as much as it has me.
Tetraplegic In January 2003 I dislocated my spine in a skydiving accident and spent over 13 months in hospital. I was discharged from the spinal unit in Salisbury as a tetraplegic (C4/C5 complete) in February 2004. The physio reports and discharge letter from my consultant stated that I had very little movement and that my condition was not expected to improve. I was introduced to the Bowen technique by Angelika, a therapist from Swindon. She started giving me treatment on a weekly basis in May 2004 which we changed to twice a week in August. After four months the results so far have been very encouraging. I now have very good use of my left arm (I can even feed myself with the aid of the wrist splint) and the right arm has begun to start working. My posture has improved dramatically with several of the big muscles in the back and shoulder starting to function again. All of the upper body is considerably less painful than it was when leaving hospital and much more flexible. On a more general basis my health has been good, skin tone has improved and sensation in many parts of the body is much better. Of course it is impossible to say for certain that it is the Bowen technique that is responsible for these improvements but I feel that it has, at the very least, played a significant part in my ongoing recovery. I would recommend this treatment to others and will certainly be continuing it myself. Restless Legs/Insomnia I have suffered with painful restless legs and insomnia. Also low back pain on and off for 40 year. After one treatment with Angelika I am sleepign and my legs and back are painless. The Bowen Technique is amazing and works. Dystonia
I have a condition called Dystonia, which causes severe muscle spasms in my neck. Following an operation in 1986 I have had regular injections to alleviate the spasms and ease the pain. A few months ago I started seeing Angelika for Bowen. I must admit to having been a little sceptical with this technique at first as the movements were so gentle, I didn't see how they could possibly work. However I persevered and after just a couple of sessions I noticed I had more mobility in my neck than I have had for years and after a few more sessions the pain had eased considerably. This therapy appears to work well alongside conventional treatment, and I will certainly be continuing to have a 'top up' every so often. Thank you Angelika. Peak Health
I was up to my ears in work that had to be done... Being far removed from what I was about to experience! Angelika warmly welcomed me as I entered the serene ambience of her treatment room. The soft music and glow of lighted candles was in contrast to the traffic-jams I had just come from. As soon as her healing touch was at work, I could feel my body ease up, letting go of all my tensions. A tingling warmth enveloped me and she seemed to know exactly what areas to work on. It is likened to being fine-tuned and balanced. Most unusual experience for me, and reminded me that we do that to our cars regularly, so why not for our bodies? I made a mental note to ensure Angelika works on my body's nervous system and muscles again to release pain and tension enabling me to be at optimum, peak health. I felt great the following week. |
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