ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the concept of new developments within reflexology practice, in which experienced practitioners have incorporated new techniques based on the theoretical principles of other complementary therapies. In this chapter we offer three examples: foot-applied Bowen technique (Jill Norfolk), Precision reflexology (Jan Williamson) and Structural reflex zone therapy (Denise Tiran). There are other developments which are not included in this book, but readers are also referred toChapter 11, in which Gunnell Berry discusses Adapted Reflextherapy, an adaptation which is based on physiotherapy and musculoskeletal function.
Introduction
Experienced complementary practitioners are constantly developing and refining their practice and expanding their skills in order to increase their repertoire of tools for treatment. An established practitioner comes to appreciate that no single approach, or even one single modality, can be effective for everyone. Some clients respond better to one form of treatment than another, and the needs of each individual can change from session to session. The client–practitioner relationship is significant in determining how well the client will respond to treatment, but the reflexologist may then consider it appropriate to combine the primary method of treatment with different reflexology approaches, or even to incorporate a second therapy, according to the client’s overall condition and personal preferences. Each practitioner will use professional knowledge and experience in order to decide which approach to treatment is appropriate for the client. Any changes to existing treatment regimens depend on the establishment of a relationship of mutual trust and respect so that both the client and the therapist feel confident with any adaptations to the treatment intervention. The reflexologist should always involve the client in the process by giving reasons for adopting a new approach, obtaining his or her informed consent to try something new and facilitating the client to evaluate the treatment afterwards.
A combined approach provides additional tools for clinical effectiveness and extra choices for clients. It enables treatment to be client-focused, rather than therapy-focused, a concept which has been discussed in respect of treating pregnant women (Tiran, 2009a and Tiran, 2009b, see also Ch. 9). In clinical practice, particularly that based in NHS institutions or GP practices, clients present with the symptoms inherent in their medical conditions. Unless they have chosen to pay for private reflexology treatment (or other complementary therapy), they have not usually selected that particular therapy, in the same way as a patient does not normally present to the doctor specifically for surgery or medication. What clients/patients require is a resolution to their aches and pains and, although complementary medicine is far more focused on the client–practitioner partnership, which allows clients some autonomy and choice, clients put their trust in the practitioner to decide what is most appropriate for their needs. If this requires a combination of different treatments and the options are explained in full to them, clients will react favourably to receiving therapies which aim to resolve their discomforts.
Utilising several therapies together, or combining aspects of one therapy into the primary choice of treatment modality, also enables a synergistic effect in which the outcome of treatment may be more productive than using a single modality. However, it is essential that practitioners who intend to develop the skills in combining therapies, or introducing new techniques into their general reflexology practice, have consolidated their initial learning and have undertaken appropriate professional education to do so (see Ch. 3). Reflexologists must be experienced enough to understand the effects of their generic reflexology treatment on clients before incorporating new techniques which may cause unanticipated or different effects which could potentially go unrecognised in inexperienced hands. They must also have sound theoretical background knowledge of both the principal style of reflexology and the new techniques they wish to use. In addition, there is a need for evidence to be collated on these new techniques, and on the integrated – or combined – approach to treatment and care.
Foot-applied bowen treatment
The Bowen technique is an individual modality, created from interpretations of the work of Australian Thomas Ambrose Bowen (1916–1982). The basic Bowen move is completely unique and is key to the success of the treatment. Bowen moves are performed over the tendons, connective tissue and the edges of muscles. Bowen technique is non-diagnostic: the client’s body is considered to be the ultimate diagnostic machine, perpetually striving to restore and maintain a harmony within itself from the cellular to the whole. Each part of the body already knows its precise function and its relationship to all other parts of the body within the holistic harmonious structure. Bowen technique is a gentle ‘baton’, which the practitioner uses like a conductor to harmonise and tune the complicated orchestra of the body to allow it to play the symphony of life for which it was created. Bowen practitioners develop an acute sensitivity to soft tissue tension which assists them in making the precise moves with the grace, rhythm, accuracy and gentleness that is the very essence of the Bowen technique.
The concept of combining the principles of reflexology and the procedures of the Bowen technique has not yet been generally accepted, since Bowen technique practitioners consider it to be a stand-alone modality which should never be combined with other work. However, the suggestion to perform Bowen sessions via the reflex points on the feet was triggered by the case of a client who had successfully been receiving regular Bowen sessions for her asthmatic condition, but who then had a car accident which left her with broken ribs. As a result, she was unable to position herself face down on the massage table, and even sitting upright for any length of time was uncomfortable. She was therefore offered the opportunity to recline in a comfortable chair and to receive reflexology treatment instead. However, the client trusted and felt most comfortable with the Bowen work, so the practitioner (the author) made an intuitive and conscious decision that, instead of reflexology treatment, she would apply Bowen moves to the respiratory tract reflex points on the feet. The response was instantaneous: the patient felt a degree of relief from her painful ribs and breathed more easily.
This first experience used a combination of reflexology treatment and Bowen technique, but its success motivated the author to chart the moves of the Bowen procedures on the foot reflex zones, and more recently on the hand reflex zones. The complete Bowen procedure transferred very neatly onto the foot reflex zones, with tiny Bowen moves able to be applied to tendons, muscles and connective tissues of the feet, and treatment achieving a full body-balancing effect. This was then documented so that the findings could be disseminated to other practitioners and taught as a treatment modality in its own right, or as an adjunct to full-body Bowen technique sessions.
It was seen that clients appeared to respond better to this combination treatment than to either of the therapies applied in isolation. Clients with conditions which would normally respond positively to reflexology seemed to respond more rapidly and more positively when Bowen procedures on the feet were applied in place of regular reflexology techniques. Successful outcomes have been achieved for several conditions including frozen shoulder, blocked sinuses which caused headaches, asthma, temporomandibular joint problems, various digestive tract problems, severe heartburn, constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.
Potential factors behind the success of foot-applied bowen technique
There are several factors which may contribute to the success of this modality, possibly making it superior to traditional Bowen techniques for certain conditions. In common with reflexology, sitting face to face with the client means that even the slightest reactions to the Bowen procedures can be detected immediately, and emotional issues frequently surface. This is particularly noticeable with clients who have been treated with Bowen therapy over a prolonged period of time. For some clients it is easier to position themselves in the chair than to attempt to get onto a massage table, for example clients with musculoskeletal disorders, or women who are pregnant. The treatment effects seem to work at a deeper level than Bowen technique alone, accessing all around the muscles, even those not normally accessible on the body’s surface, particularly spinal muscles such as the erector spinae, which can visibly relax after the treatment. The glands and endocrine tissues are more accessible via the foot reflex zones, and proportionally they have much more prominence on the feet than via the gross anatomy, and hence hormonal imbalances and digestion issues seem to respond very quickly. Also, many systemic conditions, for example allergic reactions such as headaches, blocked sinuses, etc., are relieved rapidly. Clients who have previously received conventional reflexology have reported that foot-applied Bowen technique feels completely different – more powerful and focused. Many people can correctly identify which part of the body is being working on through its reflex area. Every client, without exception, has reported a deep feeling of relaxation at the end of the session, some even fall into a deep sleep during it.
Precautions to foot-applied bowen treatment
All the existing contraindications and precautions that apply to reflexology are applicable to the foot-applied Bowen (FAB) method, such as for patients with diabetes, although treatment of the endocrine glands, the lymphatic system and the kidney reflex zones using FAB have proved highly beneficial. When working on a particularly sensitive client, it may be appropriate to leave 2-minute gaps between some of the sequences of moves, as with regular Bowen technique, to determine the extent of the treatment and the level of the client’s tolerance to treatment. In particular, the duration of treatment for pregnant women should be reduced as a matter of course, in keeping with reflex zone therapy during pregnancy (see Ch. 9). However, the 2-minute gaps between procedures are not universally needed, perhaps because Bowen work is received by the body remotely, via the reflex zones, and the body is capable of responding appropriately in the same way as with both Bowen therapy and reflexology. In this way, some FAB method applied to the feet or hands at the end of a Bowen session on the body can give some extra emphasis to certain regions and serves as a further trigger to the body’s own self-healing capacities.
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