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Mental health and depression is an ongoing issue within the UK with 1 in 4 people experiencing a mental health problem in any given year. Not only are adults being greatly impacted by mental health, but 1 in 10 children and young people aged 5-16 suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder, with nearly 80,000 children and young people suffering from severe depression.

The Samaritans was founded by a vicar called Chad Varah in London, 1953, to offer support and guidance to those who needed it after originally setting out as a ‘999 for suicidal,’ where he described himself as ‘a man willing to listen, with a base and an emergency telephone.’

The initial structure behind Samaritans was that volunteers would sit with their callers while waiting for their appointments, offering the caller someone to talk to. It was then made immediate that the customer opened up to their volunteers knowing that someone was there to listen while offering non judgemental support. With the company growing, the service has now expanded from phone calls to one to one meetings, and has now 201 branches across the UK and Republic of Ireland. As the Samaritans go from strength to strength, Chad’s guiding principles of confidential, non-judgemental support is still carried on; paying more attention on the Samaritans awareness day this month (24th July 2016).

‘Sometimes hearing a supportive voice can give you that little bit of strength to keep going.’

Like CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) which is commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, the Samaritans can also offer great positive emotional support and release. However, in some cases where this doesn’t work, to cope with depression, most sufferers are advised to take antidepressants to stabilise the chemical imbalances in the brain which are causing the symptoms of depression. Yet the original cause of why the chemicals become imbalanced is not known. That’s why we advise to treat your symptoms of depression with an additional therapy such as Bowen Therapy to relieve the deeper stress that has triggered the chemical imbalances.

Bowen Therapy is a non-invasive, drug-free, holistic therapy that consists of a Bowen practitioner making small rolling movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue at specific focus points on the body. Bowen Therapy encourages the body to recognise the problem itself, rather than “forcing” it to change.

Most people find that Bowen Therapy is a gentle and relaxing experience. The sessions generally last around 30 – 60 minutes. Only 1 – 3 sessions may be necessary to see and feel a result, however, depending on the severity and extent of a person’s depression can require more. While Bowen does not necessarily fix specific problems it helps the body to reach a more harmonious state.

Bowen Therapy can help you through the tough times and stand there smiling with you at the end of the year.

Bowen Therapy and Samaritans both value similar morals of recognising the problem rather than hiding away from it. Bowen Therapy is incredibly beneficial for emotional relaxation along with anxiety and stress release.

If you or somebody you know suffers with depression and is interested in how Bowen Therapy can help you, please visit http://www.bowentherapy.org.uk to find a Bowen therapist near you or call 0844 561 7173.

Also check out http://www.samaritans.org for their service and how they can help you. #Samaritans

 

Eating Disorders Awareness Week

Every day, hundreds of thousands of people are dealing with an eating disorder. This week it’s Eating Disorders Awareness Week; a week in which various charities seek to raise awareness of the various forms of eating disorders and just how debilitating these mental health conditions can be on women, men and children alike.

A few common eating disorders are as follows:
Anorexia Nervosa: An emotional disorder characterised by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat.

Bulimia: A disorder characterised by frequent episodes of grossly excessive food intake followed by self-induced vomiting to avert weight gain.

Muscle dysmorphic disorder: A disorder that primarily affects men. Characterised by infatuation  with achieving a muscular physique, resulting in excessive physical training and obsession with special diets and supplements.

Emotional Overeating: Characterized by consuming large amount of food (regardless of hunger) in response to feeling negative emotions.

The BTPA know just how harmful an eating disorder can be. It harms you physically and emotionally, and it also hurts those close to you. At worst, an eating disorder can even result in death. Bowen therapy is incredibly beneficial for emotional relaxation and stress release – this can help with eating disorders also.

Bowen Therapy is a non-invasive, drug-free, holistic therapy that consists of a Bowen practitioner making small rolling movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue at specific focus points on the body. Bowen Therapy encourages the body to recognise the problem itself, rather than “forcing” it to change.

A Bowen patient who suffered with an eating disorder gave the following testimonial: “Bowen, although a physical therapy has helped me more in an emotional way, to cope with my Eating Disorder. I am learning to see life as more of a series of challenges rather than problems, and I try to applaud myself for trying something even if it doesn’t work out, rather than feeling a constant failure. I am happier to ask for help if I need it rather than feeling that that is another admission of failure and most of all, I can love and respect myself. I no longer have an Eating Disorder dominating my life. Yes – it is still there ‘waiting in the wings’ but I am in control of it. It is safe to be ME without hiding behind it. It is safe to slowly let it out of my life and to allow myself to be happy and live a fulfilling life with fun, laughter and enjoyment.”

If you or somebody you know suffers with an eating disorder and is interested in how Bowen Therapy can help you, please visit http://www.bowen-therapy.co to find a Bowen therapist near you or call 0844 561 7173.

Beat your New Year’s Resolutions

Year in and year out we make lists upon lists upon lists of the many things we’ll either give up, cut down on, or refrain from and every year we’ve crossed out everything we’ve written on the lists in a matter of days. Not this year though, no, 2016 will be your year to grab your New Year’s resolutions by the horns and be sitting here proudly at the end of the year with a big smile on your face knowing you’ve conquered the New Year’s bogeyman.

We all know that the resolutions we make aren’t always the easiest to complete, and that’s why we at the Bowen Therapy Professional Association – BTPA for short – provide you with the very best qualified Bowen Technique therapists to guide you through your journey to completing those lists you’ve been writing for all these years.

 

The Bowen Technique is a simple yet effective drug-free, non-invasive remedial technique that is administered by one of our many trained professional therapists. The technique itself applies a finger and thumb rolling movement to your muscle ligaments, tendons and fascia, allowing yourboddy to release stress from a very deep, intimate level therefore encouraging your body to repair, heal, and grow naturally.

No matter what your resolution is, Bowen can work wonders for you. Whether you’re looking to quit that smoking habit you’ve picked up, or cut down on all the stress that’s been sneaking your way, or to simply get yourself into shape for the summer – we all want that summer body, don’t we? – Bowen Therapy can help you through the tough times and stand there smiling with you at the end of the year.

If you’re interested in beating your New Year’s resolutions with the help of Bowen, please visit http://www.bowen-therapy.org.uk or call 0844 561 7173.

What is ‘SAD’?

‘SAD’ stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder; a type of depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern. Typically SAD mirrors the weather in that it’s more likely to flare up in the colder months of the year: December, January and February.

The severity of SAD changes from person to person; from a mere nagging feeling of unhappiness to a severe depression that can highly impact on a persons daily life.

Some of the symptoms of SAD are:

• Feeling despair, guilt and worthlessness
• Being irritable
• Persistently having a low mood
• Being lethargic
• Sleeping more
• Reduced sex drive
• Loss of pleasure in life
• Tearfulness
• Struggling to wake up
• Weight gain
• Difficulty concentrating

Many of SAD’s symptoms can make everyday life a challenge. Unfortunately experts don’t fully understand what exactly it is that causes SAD, the most common ideology is that it can be triggered by a lack of sunlight – which of course is unavoidable during Winter. It is said that this can cause a part of the brain, the hypothalamus, to stop working properly, in turn this can effect the production of melatonin, serotonin and your body’s internal clock.

Bowen therapy is a great way to aid depression, and SAD is no different. Bowen Therapy is a holistic and drug-free approach that seeks to  release stress from deep inside the body. This is done by the practitioner making a series of rolling movements over precise muscles, tendons and

Bowen therapy encourages the body to restore its natural hormonal and physiological balance, which ultimately helps to reduce the symptoms of SAD.

If you or somebody you know suffers with symptoms of SAD and would like to try Bowen, find a qualified Bowen practitioner near to you by visiting http://www.bowen-therapy.co/ calling 0844 561 7173.

Anorexia and Bowen Therapy

There has been quite a bit of buzz online recently surrounding the “Anna Rexia” Halloween costume. The costume is a tight-fitted skeleton dress complete with a measuring tape belt.

Perhaps the worst thing about this costume is the fact that it’s sold out. The fact that there are people who can find humour in this costume is concerning; anorexia is a severe mental health disorder and certainly not something to make light of.

Here at the BTPA we want to stress just how harmful anorexia can be. It can tear families apart, severely impact your health and in the worst case scenario can result in death.

Bowen is known for helping aid physical problems, but did you know that Bowen can be extremely beneficial emotionally too? A Bowen practitioner makes small rolling movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue as specific focus points on the body. These movements are done with only the amount of pressure the specific individual requires. There is no hard-tissue manipulation or force used. The Bowen Technique typically lasts between 30 to 60 minutes for a treatment, during this treatment the body is ‘asked’ to change rather than forced to

A Bowen patient who suffered with an eating disorder gave the following testimonial: “Bowen, although a physical therapy has helped me more in an emotional way, to cope with my Eating Disorder. I am learning to see life as more of a series of challenges rather than problems, and I try to applaud myself for trying something even if it doesn’t work out, rather than feeling a constant failure. I am happier to ask for help if I need it rather than feeling that that is another admission of failure and most of all, I can love and respect myself. I no longer have an Eating Disorder dominating my life. Yes – it is still there ‘waiting in the wings’ but I am in control of it. It is safe to be ME without hiding behind it. It is safe to slowly let it out of my life and to allow myself to be happy and live a fulfilling life with fun, laughter and enjoyment.”

If you or somebody you know suffers with an eating disorder and is interested in how Bowen Therapy can help you, please visit http://www.bowen-therapy.co to find a Bowen therapist near you or call 0844 561 7173.

Can Bowen Help Aid Mental Health Disorders?

Every day millions of people are living with depression, bipolar, anxiety, eating disorders and more. This week sees the arrival of ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’ bringing a spotlight onto the various mental health disorders humankind are burdened with.

Although this week may seek to raise awareness, it provides little comfort to those whose battles are persistently ongoing. They have to cope with their illness each and every day; sometimes with little optimism of it getting better. The knowledge that many mental health disorders are lifelong illnesses can make those who have them hesitant to talk about it, and consequently those who don’t have them are uninformed.

Mental Health Awareness Week is an important reminder to the public that there is still a strong negative stigma towards those who do have mental health illnesses. Although slowly we as a nation are becoming more open-minded and tolerant, there is still a long way to go.

Did you know Bowen Therapy can actually help to ease symptoms of many mental health disorders?

Bowen Therapy is a technique that sees gentle and precise soft tissue manipulation, performed by subtle rolling manoeuvres of the fingers and thumbs. Instead of forcing the body to change, Bowen aims to guide the body into making these changes itself. Bowen does not try to fix specific health problems, but rather to help the body reach a more harmonious state in which it can better cure itself. Short-term benefits are said to include a sense of relaxation. Longer-term effects may include better overall well-being or improvements in disease states.

Here is a testimonial example of how Bowen could help you if you suffer with depression:
“A 30 year old lady is off work due to bad depression. She can barely get out of bed and is not eating properly. Before the first treatment she has stiff shoulders, bad headaches, depression which is getting worse. She is taking anti-depressants and feels so ill she can’t get out of bed till about 3 in the afternoon. Before the third treatment two weeks later she is now waking up at 6am, up and making coffee and buzzing about. The depression gradually cleared over several months. She started walking every day, and taking Omega 3 oil. It is interesting to note that this lady had been told when she was 13 that she would probably never be able to have children due to damage to her ovaries. She had been married and had not conceived. Several months after the Bowen treatment she started to ovulate for the first time in her life and was shocked to find out she was pregnant! A year later she is pregnant again.”

Here is a testimonial example of how Bowen could help you if you suffer with an eating disorder:
“Bowen, although a physical therapy has helped me more in an emotional way, to cope with my Eating Disorder. I am learning to see life as more of a series of challenges rather than problems, and I try to applaud myself for trying something even if it doesn’t work out, rather than feeling a constant failure. I am happier to ask for help if I need it rather than feeling that that is another admission of failure and most of all, I can love and respect myself. I no longer have an Eating Disorder dominating my life. Yes – it is still there ‘waiting in the wings’ but I am in control of it. It is safe to be ME without hiding behind it. It is safe to slowly let it out of my life and to allow myself to be happy and live a fulfilling life with fun, laughter and enjoyment.”

Here at the BTPA, we understand how much of a burden a mental health disorder can feel like. We want to reassure you that having a mental health disorder can happen to any of us and it is not something to be ashamed of.

To learn more about how Bowen therapy can help with mental health disorders, or to find a Bowen therapist near you, http://www.bowen-therapy.co or call 0844 561 7173.

Here’s one for the teachers! Beat the stress with Bowen Therapy

It’s the half term holidays, Phew! It might be a dreaded time for parents but at least teachers can have a little time to relax.

Relaxing is an important part of everyday life yet it is a rarity for those who work in the education sector. Long days consist of marking, lesson planning, observations and parent’s evenings. Not to mention teachers downtime is overshadowed by a to-do list as long as your arm!

Take a minute and think about how you have felt the past term? Does feeling stressed come to mind? If so, you’re not the only one!

According to research published by Teacher Assurance; 70% of 735 respondents rated their stress level between reasonably stressed to unbearably stressed due to their teaching profession. In the same research, it was found that 76% of respondents felt that their stress levels are having repercussions on their health or lifestyle!

Have a think about how you’ve felt over this last term. Have you felt stressed or can relate to any of the symptoms of stress listed below?

Here are the top 5 signs of stress:

• Insomnia
• Anxiety issues
• Depression
• An increase/decrease in appetite
• Headaches, tension and muscle pains

Bowen Therapy can help to relieve you of the symptoms of stress you have been suffering as a result of your teaching profession. Make this half term holiday about you and give yourself some ‘me time’!

How Bowen Therapy works

The Bowen Technique is a finger thumb rolling movement which applied to specific points of the body. The gentle movements are rolled over muscles ligaments, tendons and fascias. Bowen Therapy is a drug free, non invasive holistic treatment which stimulates the body to realign and restore its physiological equilibrium.

By targeting specific points of the body, the Bowen Technique can release deep stress and tension which results in the relief of pain. Bowen Therapy sessions last between 30 – 60 minutes and you are required to have a number of sessions in order for body to respond and react to the therapy.

What does Bowen Therapy help with?

Due to Bowen Therapy being a holistic remedial technique it can help to relieve the symptoms of a number of health problems and wellbeing concerns. Bowen Therapy has been reported to relieve the symptoms of:

• Depression
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Back Pain
• Migraines
• Insomnia
• Menstrual Problems

To see a full list of testimonials visit the BTPA testimonials page here.

Who can benefit from Bowen Therapy?

Bowen Therapy is suitable for people of all ages, from babies to the elderly. The Bowen Technique is a gentle movement that is generally relaxing to receive. No force or muscle manipulation is used; the Bowen Technique is simply asking the body to recognise these movements and change accordingly. The client’s comfort is always the Bowen Therapists main concern; therefore the client can receive Bowen Therapy whilst wearing light clothing, whilst sitting, standing or lying down.

For more information on Bowen Therapy, visit the Bowen Therapy Professional Association website here. To find a BTPA certified therapist click here.

Clearing out the Medicine Cabinet for 2015

Firstly, Happy New Year from us at the BTPA! For most, January is the start of a health kick as part of their new year’s resolutions. With a general focus on a better wellbeing; dieting, quitting smoking and drinking less alcohol are some of the more popular New Year’s resolutions the UK strives for.

As part of your New Year’s detox, it might be beneficial for you to consider what prescribed medicines you consume day to day and see if you can convert to a healthier, alternative remedy or therapy.

A report conducted by the Health and Social Care Information Centre has found that nearly 50% of the adult population are taking prescription drugs to combat a range of illnesses and health issues. More than a fifth of men and nearly a quarter of women are taking at least three prescriptions. Obviously there are illnesses which are recommended to be treated with prescribed medicines but there are also health problems which can be treated with alternative, therapies and natural remedial techniques.

Pain relief and antidepressants were amongst the most prescribed medicines. 1 in 10 women are reported to be taking antidepressants, double the amount compared to men. Certain types of pain can be relieved and mental health issues can be aided through the use of alternative and remedial therapies.

Bowen Therapy is an example of a complementary remedial technique which can be used to relieve a variety of health problems and wellbeing concerns. Bowen Therapy is a drug free, holistic remedy meaning the whole body is considered through the therapy and the whole body is responsive to the technique.

The Bowen Technique applies a finger, thumb rolling movement to the client’s muscle ligaments, tendons and fascias, allowing the body to release stress from a very deep level, therefore encouraging the body to repair and heal naturally.

Due to the relief of deep stress and tension on the body through muscle stimulation, Bowen Therapy is an ideal holistic remedy to relieve pain. Specific areas of the body can be targeted such as the lower back or shoulder pain however; you may find that Bowen Therapy also relieves pain from other areas across the body.

Those who suffer from mental health problems may find that Bowen Therapy can help relieve them of the symptoms of their conditions. The Bowen Technique aims to release stress from deep inside the body, encouraging the body to restore its natural hormonal and physiological balance. This may in turn help reduce some of the symptoms of mild depression, anxiety and stress.

Bowen Therapy is generally pleasant to receive, with a session lasting between 30 – 60 minutes depending on the age of the client and the nature of their symptoms. This treatment requires a break of 5 – 10 days between sessions to allow the muscles to process the subtle changes and to adapt to therapy. Bowen therapy is suitable for all ages.

To find out more about which heath problems and wellbeing concerns Bowen Therapy can help with, visit the BTPA testimonials page here. To locate a Bowen Therapist near you click here.

BTPA Recognises the British Military’s Service and their Sacrifices. Lest we Forget.

To commemorate the contribution of the British Military, society came together to remember their war efforts and the loss of loved ones on Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day. Thinking of the past and present we remember the veterans of the World Wars and recognise those service men and women, who have supported the country in more recent conflicts.

Millions of people across the UK took two minutes out of their day to silently pay their respects on Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day. Falling on the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” Armistice Day marks nearly a century since the official agreement was signed between the Allies and Germany to end the conflict that comprised the First World War.

The Tower of London was the showpiece of the remembrance days where millions of visitors and residents flooded to pay their respects in front of the 888, 246 ceramic poppies, each representing a British Military fatality during the First World War. Today the poppies are being dismantled and collected by 8,000 volunteers and are shortly being sold off for £25 each which collectively will raise over £15m for 6 British Military service charities.

Local residents across the UK took it upon themselves to take time out of their day show their respects. Anthony Lawrence, a Birmingham based Bus Driver explained how he took time out of his working day safely to pull his bus over and get off to show his respects; “It was a nice touch that people got off the bus after switching off the engine to pay their respects with me”.

We should remember not only how the British Military have served our country to ensure we live in safety but acknowledge how themselves and their families have been affected by the conflicts.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder caused by traumatic and distressing events which many military service men and woman often suffer from after serving in the Armed Forces.

The time length when someone suffers from PTSD can vary massively. It can occur straight after a traumatic incident or can be triggered years later.  Someone who is suffering from PTSD often relives the incident through nightmares or flashbacks triggered by everyday situations. The symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can vary depending on the individual’s experience.

Symptoms may include:

• Re-experiencing

When the individual relives the traumatic event resulting in physical changes such as erratic behaviour, pain or trembling.

• Avoidance and emotional numbing

Avoiding certain people, places or objects which remind the PTSD sufferer of the traumatic incident. They might also avoid discussing the event completely.

• Feeling on edge
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Headaches

Between 2005 and 2014, 1,390 claims were awarded under the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme for mental disorders, including PTSD. With the Armed Forces withdrawing from Afghanistan and Iraq, it is likely that these stats will unfortunately increase.

Bowen Therapy can help to relieve the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as it relieves stress from deep inside the body which can help reduce the symptoms of PTSD and can encourage the individual to regain a normal life.

The Bowen Technique is a finger and thumb rolling movement which is applied to specific points of the body. It is performed on muscles, ligaments and soft tissue using only the amount of pressure appropriate for that person. No hard manipulation or force is needed or used. The Bowen Technique encourages the whole body to restore its natural hormonal and physiological balance, resulting in a release of deep stress from the individual’s body.

Bowen Therapy is not forcing the body to change, but asking the body to recognise the treatment and make the make the improvements accordingly.

People normally find that Bowen Therapy is a gentle and relaxing experience. The sessions generally last around 30 – 60 minutes. Only 1 – 3 sessions may be necessary to see and feel a result, however, depending on the severity of the PTSD the individual is suffering, they may require more.

If you think you suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or know somebody that does, we recommend that you visit your local GP for a full diagnosis and then choose to receive Bowen Therapy post diagnosis.

Click here to locate a Bowen Therapist near you.

To find out more about how the Bowen Therapy Professional Association can help you, click here.

The Royal British Legion supports serving members of the Armed Forces, ex-Service men and women and their families. To donate to The Royal British Legion click here.

Don’t Let Your Image Get You Down. Be Body Confident!

Body confidence is a lot more than having the odd bad hair day. Don’t get us wrong, bad hair days are traumatic in their own right but there is a deeper issue affecting almost 10 million women in the UK.

Research coinciding with the launch of Body Confidence Week has shown that almost 10 million women in the UK are depressed because of their body image; that’s a huge 35.1% of the female population (according to the 2011 consensus stats).

The stats are truly shocking; 1 in 4 women have found that their body image has held them back from having a relationship. Again, a quarter of women surveyed believe that their body image anxiety has stopped them going for a job that they wanted! Finally, over 10 million women have admitted the reason they don’t exercise is because of their image.

Recently Buzzfeed.com published an interesting article based on the perception of beauty. Journalist, Esther Honig sent Photoshop freelancers around the globe an unedited image of herself and requested the editors to simply ‘make her beautiful’. The images that came back really emphasise that beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Each country sent back a different image, providing a multitude of perceptions of what “beautiful” looks like.

Take a look at the article here.

Our impression of beauty is essentially based on the images we are exposed to through the media we consume. The media is saturated with edited images of women and men, primarily through advertising.  Adverts and media are the key factors which influence our own perceptions of what “beauty” looks like.

However, it needs to stressed that depression from suffering from image anxiety not only affects women, men also suffer the same problem, if anything it’s harder for men to cope with. There is such a stigma that exists surrounding men talking openly about their image concerns. Men are expected to have a lean, muscular body whilst women are accepted and praised for being curvy.

It is presumed that men don’t feel the same anxiety as women do about their body. For example; ‘Moobs’, ‘beer belly’ and ‘receding hairline’ are all comments that are thrown around without any question of offence to the individual. It should be noted that men’s appearances in the media are as aspirational as the women’s appearances; therefore it’s completely understandable that men will feel the same image anxiety and depression as women do!

The Be Real Campaign is national movement set up to unite individuals, schools, businesses and public bodies who are campaigning to change attitudes and behaviours towards body image and put health, well-being and confidence first!

Body image anxiety clearly affects individuals physically and mentally; stopping individuals from living a happy life and achieving all they could. The areas of focus within the Be Real Campaign are; real education, real health and real diversity.

The Be Real Campaign “wants to ensure children and young people are educated about body confidence from an early age, to promote healthy living and well-being over weight loss and appearance, and to encourage the media, business and advertisers to recognise diversity and positively reflect what we really look like.”

If you feel can relate to this article and feel depressed about your body image, Bowen Therapy can help you cope with your anxiety and depression.

Bowen Therapy is an ideal holistic remedy to help with mild depression, stress and anxiety. The whole body is considered when undergoing treatment and the technique used by Bowen therapists aims to release stress from deep inside the body, encouraging the body to restore its natural hormonal and physiological balance. This may in turn help reduce some of the symptoms of depression.

Bowen Therapy, also known as the Bowen Technique, works by applying rolling movements with finger and thumbs at precise points on the body. It is performed on muscles, ligaments and soft tissue using only the amount of pressure appropriate for that person. No hard manipulation or force is needed or used. Bowen Therapy is not forcing the body to change, but asking the body to recognise the treatment and make the make the improvements accordingly.

People normally find that Bowen Therapy is a gentle and relaxing experience. The sessions generally last around 30 – 60 minutes. Only 1 – 3 sessions may be necessary to see and feel a result, however, depending on the severity and extent of your depression, you may require more.

To locate a Bowen Therapist near you, click here.