Tummy rumbles and sleepy doggos

So you’re on the treatment table, feeling all relaxed and suddenly your tummy starts to growl like it’s never growled before. But I only had lunch an hour ago, you think to yourself.

Believe it or not, this tummy rumbling is a common reaction during a Bowen therapy treatment and it’s a wonderful way of knowing that your body is switching over from a stressful state to a relaxed one. 

The stomach growling is called peristalsis and it’s the sound of muscles contracting in the digestive tract to push food through. This digestive response is a sign that the body is activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s 'rest and digest' response when the body is relaxed. It undoes the work of the sympathetic nervous system (which slows our digestion) after a stressful situation which is known as the ‘fight or flight’ response.

Digestion is slowed when the sympathetic nervous system is activated because it’s involved in preparing the body for stress-related activities (such as escaping a threatening situation) - so it slows bodily processes that are less important in emergencies, such as digestion. It also increases alertness and heart rate in preparation for us to respond to a stressful situation.  

The problem is in our modern world that instead of our ‘fight or flight’ response being activated in response to a specific situation when we are in danger (like running from a sabre-tooth tiger back in the day, for instance), we are constantly ‘switched on’ and stressed and so our bodies can be locked into that stressful state. This becomes an issue as it can then affect our overall health and negatively impact our quality of sleep, strength of our immune system and the capacity for our body to work on healing itself. So the presence of tummy rumbles indicate that digestion is being kick-started, which is reflective of a relaxed and healing state.

Tapping into the parasympathetic nervous system (a relaxed state) can also be seen during Bowen therapy treatments for cats and dogs. Although I don’t often hear a tummy rumble from our furry friends, they do show other signs of feeling relaxed, such as falling asleep during or immediately after the treatment or giving a big sigh or yawn as their breathing starts to slow (which is very often the case for people too). For dogs who are nervous Nellies and who may be more alert, they can be observed to grow calmer during the course of the treatment and will often have a good long nap once they get home. And sometimes there’s the occasional farting towards the end of a treatment too - almost always the silent but deadly kind!

So please don’t apologise the next time your tummy lets out a growl or you drift off to sleep on the treatment table as it’s a great sign your body and mind are starting to relax...in fact, it’s probably the biggest compliment a Bowen therapist can receive!