History of Bowtech - the Original Bowen Technique

Thomas A Bowen

Thomas Ambrose Bowen (1916-1982), from Geelong, Australia, began developing his unique soft-tissue therapeutic technique that is now known as " The Bowen Technique". He continued to develop and refine the technique throughout his lifetime with the help of his friend and secretary, Rene Horwood.

Mr. Tom Bowen did not advertise his work but relied instead on word-of-mouth recommendations. Nevertheless, patients often queued up in the front yard until 3 o'clock in the morning waiting to be treated. Mr. Bowen was extremely busy in his Geelong clinic, performing about 13,000 ^* treatments a year. Mr. Bowen also held free clinics for children, people with disabilities, and community service workers.

In 1974, while attending a national health conference in Adelaide, Australia, Oswald Rentsch met Mr. Bowen for the first time. Although he knew nothing of Mr. Bowen's work, Ossie (Oswald) spontaneously asked if he could learn from him. For the next two and a half years Ossie studied Mr. Bowen's technique, ultimately being authorized by him to document the work. Mr. Bowen had no notes, charts or manuals, but with the help of Rene Horwood, Ossie produced a true representation of Mr. Bowen's original technique.

Honoring Mr. Bowen's request to teach the work after his death, Ossie and Elaine named it "The Bowen Technique" and held their first seminar in Perth, Australia in 1986. By 1990, Ossie and Elaine were teaching full time throughout Australia.

Elaine and Ossie

Dedicated to preserving the technique and ensuring it was taught in its original form, they founded the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia in 1987, eventually naming the technique " Bowtech -The Bowen Technique ". Since then, Ossie and Elaine have introduced Bowtech to many countries , honoring the promise Ossie made to Mr. Bowen on his deathbed, to spread his work throughout the world. They are now supported in this teaching by a large faculty of dedicated instructors who are accredited by, and registered with, the Academy. Because this technique is so effective, it has been widely embraced by a broad spectrum of people. Health professionals are impressed by the effectiveness of the Bowen technique and the diversity of problems addressed by it.

* This was verified by the 1975 Victorian government inquiry into alternative health care professionals. Considering treatments were seven days apart and most people needed only one to three treatments, an amazing number of clients passed through the clinic and benefited from his gift.