We recently connected with Kathryn Jul and have shared our conversation below.

Kathryn, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

When I was 24, I received a letter of acceptance to Chesapeake College’s Associates Massage program. This was odd because I had not applied to the Associates Massage program, nor had I ever considered massage as a career. Since I didn’t have much else going on at the time I decided to proceed with the course. During my second summer term, we had a class that was an introduction to various alternative modalities. This included Reiki, Shiatsu, and Bowenwork. I had never heard of Bowenwork before, but something about it resonated with me. I was intrigued listening to the presenter, and had high hopes going into the demonstration. However, as I lay on the table, I was rolling my eyes. It felt as if she wasn’t doing anything. She was doing extremely gentle, brief movements on my low back and glutes, then walking away for several minutes. It was only 8 small moves total. Sitting up after the “treatment”, I didn’t have much in the way of expectations. When I stood up, my life trajectory changed.

A few years prior, I had micro torn some muscles in my low back, and had been dealing with pain ever since. I couldn’t stand up straight, I had to change position every 15-30 minutes to alleviate the discomfort, and had been on steroids multiple times to help with inflammation. Getting off the table after that brief, gentle demonstration, I stood up straight and without pain for the first time since I’d hurt my back. I was amazed. How could such minimal work result in such fantastic results? Then and there I decided that when I obtained my massage license, I would take the training to become a Bowenwork Practitioner. Within a month from becoming a Licensed Massage Therapist, I was on my way to New Hampshire for the first 2 of 8 modules involved in fulfilling this dream.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been the owner and sole operator of Body Aware Bowenwork since April of 2009. Since then, my practice has expanded from the Eastern Shore of Maryland to central Ohio. I provide Bowenwork treatments to clients of all ages and ailments.

Bowenwork is a gentle, Australian bodywork that has existed since the 1950s, but most people have never heard of it. It is comprised of a series of light pressure, rolling, almost vibrational movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerve pathways, and lymphatic vessels. This movement triggers an internal healing response in the body. It results in:

– increased blood and lymphatic flow
– adjusting of resting muscle tone and length
– resetting neuromuscular junctions
– softening or release of adhesion and scar tissue

While it certainly affects the body physiologically, it also provides neurological benefits. As I personally experienced, Bowenwork can significantly affect neurological function. Some examples are:

– decreased depression and anxiety
– calming and increased focus for children and adults with ADD / ADHD
– increased eye contact and verbalization from clients on the Autism spectrum
– positive changes in temperament

These results are achieved by calming the Autonomic Nervous System, which allows the body to move out of fight-or-flight response and into rest-and-digest. Oftentimes clients experience increased calming and quieting of the mind, better quality and deeper sleep, and increased digestion and bowel function. I hear gurgling of tummies on my table frequently.

The incredible results that can occur with a single or series of treatments are attributed to the gentle nature of the work. Because we as practitioners are giving minimal input, the client’s body is able to respond within its current ability. A healing process is initiated at the pace and bandwidth available, allowing for fantastic changes to occur. Whenever a client tells me, “You’re amazing!”, I respond, “It’s your body that’s amazing!” Our bodies have an almost limitless potential for healing. Bowenwork is a means to initiate that healing process.

When I started my training in Bowenwork, it had been about 8 months since that first introduction. Health wise, my back pain was still gone almost all of the time, but I had been experiencing chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, depression, and anxiety for about 8 years. I was on several medications just to get up in the morning, medications I couldn’t function without. As I began my 4-day workshop, I was excited to learn more about this awesome modality that had helped my back pain, but didn’t have much in the way of expectations beyond that. Over the course of the long weekend, I learned technique, practiced on my peers, and received lots of treatment myself. By the end of that initial training, I felt like a different person, as if a fog had been lifted. Colors seemed brighter, noises clearer, my brain felt different, and my body lighter than it had in years. Within a week from getting home, I started forgetting to take medications that I previously couldn’t function without. In that weekend I fell in love with Bowenwork, a love that has only grown throughout the remainder of my training, and last 15 years of practice. It’s my dream to become an instructor, and help make Bowenwork a household name.

If you can’t tell, I am truly passionate about this astounding modality, and could talk for hours about the amazing results I have experienced within myself and with clients over the years. If you have found this interesting, I wholly encourage you to check out the website for the American Bowen Academy, americanbowen.academy. There are great resources for locating local practitioners, articles and information about the modality and upcoming trainings. We only have about 600 practitioners in the Unites States, and most are on the coasts. There are so many populations that could benefit from Bowenwork, I am thankful for the opportunity to bring it to your awareness.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

I think research and professionalism lending to credibility is absolutely the most important thing for not only Bowenwork, but the massage field in general. For most of our country’s history massage has been considered a luxury. When someone strains a muscle or tweaks their shoulder, they might call their chiropractor or go get physical therapy, but massage is not at the top of most people’s list for injury treatment or prevention. Recently there has a been a big push for increased licensure requirements in the massage field, to develop our credibility. I am a Licensed Massage Therapist, and consider myself an Allied Health Professional. Ireceive referrals from Physical Therapists, physicians, nurses, and Chiropractors, among others. At Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH, there are many massage therapists on staff who work with patients per their doctors’ recommendation. We are starting to see more research done showing positive response to massage treatments in conjunction with other health modalities. While Bowenwork hasn’t seen much research in the United States, there has been some in some European countries and its home country of Australia. In fact, there is a research facility in New Zealand that focuses on Bowenwork and other treatments for Parkinson’s. Case studies showing improved recovery time for concussions, among others, are available to read through the American Bowen Academy’s website.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bodyaware.abmp.com/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/BodyAwareBowenwork