What convinced me that Bowen therapy was for animals too

…which I know reads like the start of a bad joke (or an even worse movie). For me, however, it heralded the decision to finally start learning animal Bowen therapy. I had been treating people with Bowen therapy for a few years when I found myself giving the occasional absentminded ‘Bowen twang’ when patting any animals that crossed my path. I didn’t yet know how to conduct a proper treatment with dogs and cats but because I was familiar with treating people, it was easy for me to feel for the tight muscles and do a little Bowen move over them.

Mostly it was just family and friends’ cats and dogs but it wasn’t until I did some Bowen moves on a goat and then a chicken that it prompted me to look into enrolling in an animal Bowen therapy course.

I happened to be staying at a farm homestead during a weekend away and one day we wandered over to the next paddock to see the goats being fed. I reached across the fence to the nearest goat and did a few quick Bowen moves. He stopped eating, stayed perfectly still, closed his eyes and…let out an almighty big wee right then and there (thankfully I was well out of splash range!) The farmer feeding the goats was surprised and said that that was a sign of relaxation (that the goat was letting his guard down and becoming relaxed), so I took it as a bit of an unusual sign that the Bowen therapy was having some impact.

A few months later I was at a child’s birthday party, where some small farmyard animals had been hired as a petting zoo. I had Henrietta (pictured) on my lap and did a few little Bowen moves around her neck, which felt a little tight (perhaps from all the pecking she’d been doing!) She fell asleep on my lap (you can see her sleeping in the photo with her head bowed) and the owner, who hadn’t seen the Bowen twangs, was perplexed and stated that she was normally a fairly alert/anxious bird.

I really enjoyed my animal Bowen therapy course, which ran over the course of a year or so. The positive effects of the treatment could be seen immediately in most cases, with dogs and cats appearing less stiff and more relaxed, often having a little snooze after their treatment (which is a common post-treatment reaction with people too). One of our practice dogs during the course arrived on day one and was extremely snappy around other dogs (but fine with people) and had to be separated from the rest of the canine group. We started learning how to treat the lower back on the first day and it was clear that these moves were a little tight/tender for him - which surprised his owner as he had never seemed to be in pain and had never walked with a limp etc. By the second day of the course, he was just the happiest dog - playing with all the other dogs like he was a puppy again. For me, it was another demonstration of how amazing Bowen therapy is as a modality and an effective way to treat pain or discomfort - even when it’s not known to the Bowen therapist!

We don’t often stop to think if the cats and dogs in our life are in pain unless it gets to the more extreme end when their mobility is being severely affected or they’re in need of surgery. But just as we can develop stiff joints or a sore lower back as we age, so can they. Just as we can get tight muscles and feel pain after an injury, so too can they. There are a few ways in which dogs and cats can show that they’re in pain or discomfort by the way they move, and I’ve listed them in the animal section of my website.

What I love most about animal Bowen therapy is being able to give a voice to the voiceless. Dogs and cats are generally so resilient and can’t often express pain or discomfort (at least not in the way that we can). It is so rewarding to be able to treat dogs and cats and see them walk out of the clinic happier and moving better than they were when they first came in. I am convinced that they know that the treatment is doing them good, because even when I’m working into more tender spots, they will generally stay very still - I pretty much always get a little lick afterwards and if they fall asleep after the treatment, it’s usually right next to me. The difference between the reactions from the first treatment (where some cats and dogs have a quizzical look on their face like they’re thinking, ‘well this is a bit different...’) and the more enthusiastic response when they bound in for their second treatment ('yay, this thing again!’) also convinces me that they instinctively know that Bowen therapy is doing them good, just by the way it makes them feel.

Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions about how Bowen therapy can help your furry friend. I hope to provide a few animal case studies and examples in subsequent posts, along with all things Bowen therapy (for peeps) and energy healing too!

Take care,

Karin