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Case Study: James Following oxygen deprivation at birth, James was diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy. The prognosis was bleak. He would never walk, talk or feed himself, his visual systems had been damaged to the extent that he would have no useful sight. After months of conventional physiotherapy James' high tone had all but disappeared, but it had yielded few other results. It was at this point I heard about the Bowen clinic, another couple whose son also had cerebral palsy were delighted by their son's progress and passed on the details with glowing recommendations. Initially I dared not hope for any improvement on James' abilities but I leapt at the chance of attending one clinic. After 2 sessions the changes to James were obvious. His digestion had improved and he had started drinking cow's milk for the first time. He gained weight at a faster pace and he ate a wider variety of food. After 3 sessions his speech therapist commented on the rapid development of his chewing action and increased maturity in his tongue action. Previously James would sometimes grip an object if placed in his hand. After 2 sessions he was holding a spoon for the duration of a meal, bringing his hand to mouth to feed himself if was given a biscuit or a crisp. After three sessions he actively seeks objects with his hands. James' physiotherapist who has been involved almost since birth noted a dramatic change in his sitting posture, increased weight bearing on his feet and attempts at stepping. Both the physiotherapist and a home advisory worker commented on the increased activity in James' arms and hands and improvement in bringing his hand to midline and to his mouth. Previously James would not tolerate his pushchair or car seat for a period of 30 minutes and would not go to sleep without being cuddled until he was asleep. He slept fitfully and needed to be repositioned through the night. After 2 sessions James will tolerate his car seat and pushchair for a few hours or simply fall asleep whilst in them. James can now be placed in his cot and left to fall asleep by himself. He sleeps soundly and following the third session I've yet to be woken one night to reposition James as he is now able to do it for himself. James has been making clumsy efforts to crawl but his technique is noticeably improved since his sessions at the Bowen clinic and is propelling himself short distances. While James has always been quite active and a happy child his activity levels have soared and he is always on the verge of laughter. His enjoyment of life is only too obvious. He is more responsive to people, his toys and environment and has developed a greater ability to vocalize and communicate his pleasure, displeasure and a wide range of emotions. The biggest improvement however has, undoubtedly, been to his eyesight. Despite one prediction that James would never have any useful vision, James' visual impairment worker has been able to use baby eye tests to demonstrate that James already has useful sight which although is immature to his age has been [able] to develop further. Family life with James is so much easier and enjoyable, not only for him, but also for us as parents. Howard Plummer and his assistants have helped James so much in just three sessions, we have seen results not expected in James lifetime. My only regret is that I was not aware of the Bowen technique and clinic earlier. The technique may not bring such rapid, obvious results for every child but every child should have the opportunity of attending such a clinic. I cannot articulate enough superlatives to describe the difference made to James and his family. Tom On 20th February 2004 I was teaching in my therapy room when the door bell rang. I thought this was unusual as I didn't have any appointments while the class was in progress. I opened the door to see a pretty young girl who just handed a baby over to me. The only words she said were "can you help my baby?" I took the baby into the room and asked my student if it was OK to break for a few minutes. Baby Tom is 15 months old and diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. His mother thinks he was damaged at birth. He was completely rag-doll-like. The only movement he had ever managed was a little bit in each arm. His eyes wandered and couldn't focus on anything. His mother told me that he fits two or three times a day. I booked an appointment for the following Tuesday. When we put Tom on the bed I tested his ability to move, which was almost nil. His head flopped. His arms moved very slightly and his legs were thin and lay floppy, knees pointing outwards. If I lifted his arms or legs they felt almost lifeless, very weak. I did the stoppers and picked a few of the 1, 2, 3 moves out. I then went to Tom's head and used the fascia moves that Howard Plummer had taught me at his workshop, over the face and skull. The following week Tom came for his appointment. His mother had brought her friend. They were in a giddy mood as they informed me that Tom had lifted his right leg three times during that last week. She was thrilled, as I was. I worked on Tom's little body again, this time doing a few more moves, part of pelvic, 9-12 etc. As I worked on him he started to raise both legs and at one point he actually caught hold of his foot and smiled. It felt to us all as though his body had just awoken. We were all near to tears. The following week, Tom's mother came in smiling and happy. She put Tom on the bed to show me what she said he had been doing for about an hour each night. Lying on his tummy, he was pushing himself up, trying to hold his head up, but mostly his little legs were pushing away in an attempt to crawl. He could almost get on one knee. She told me he had started to 'grunt' in frustration after he has been doing it for a while, as if he knows he can do more. His eyes had started to focus, he could look at you for a few seconds; when he did this he had a big smile on his face. I have treated Tom a further twice up to now and he continues to improve. He attempts to roll over, both ways now and almost succeeds, he giggles if he is tickled. He fits just once a week now. Tom is just one case, although probably the most amazing, of some of the children we are treating here at Inglewood Healing centre, mostly with CP or Autism. They are all doing really well. How do we let everyone out there with special needs children know that Bowen can do this for them? I know we all have these experiences with Bowen, we just need to make it known. Reference:
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