Therapist • Trainer • Speaker
Helen’s journey of discovery
Healing hands… from the beginning: when Helen started using her hands for therapeutic effect, initially through massage, she was told by clients that she had a knack of finding the sore muscles and easing them effectively. Helen often felt tingling in her hands as she moved over certain areas, knowing in some intuitive way where to place them and what pressure to apply, whether deeply or lightly.
Moving into reflexology, she began to experience more physical feelings of heat and coolness, together with varying depths of a tingling sensation regardless of whether her hands were touching the client. These feelings appeared to be two-way, radiating outwards from the client as well as moving from Helen’s hands to the client. Her reflexology teacher was not surprised and explained the condition was called ‘healing hands’ or the gift of healing. Later, with the Bowen technique, Helen was able to energetically sense the personal energy field when certain muscles and connective tissue were touched or moved to assist in further procedures.
Helen was always sensitive to outside experience not only physically, but on other levels too, accepting thoughts, visions and situations as some kind of clue for herself and others. She trusted what must be true for her client and waited for instinct, guidance or common sense to present itself to know what was needed in a therapy session. She always worked, and continues to do so, to the best of her ability and in the best interests of the client.
Using reflexology helped fine tune her sense of touch on a minute scale compared to massage, as the whole body is mirrored in the feet. Practitioners believe that areas on the feet called ‘reflexes’ correspond to organs and other parts of the body and that by pressing over these areas as a treatment can help restore good health. Helen instinctively knew that when she touched the reflex point with her fingers or thumb, she was experiencing the subtle vibration conveyed by that body part. She found that the healing energy from her hands was successful for many clients’ ailments. She could also enhance the vibration therapy further through use of colour, natural crystals, flower essences and use of sound.
During this time of discovery, Helen had moved overseas to Australia and was living in the Outback with her husband. Having worked in the UK with the consent of GPs and consultants, she was sponsored by the matron at two local hospitals and allowed to offer complementary therapies to some of their patients. These clinics were serviced weekly by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) for the indigenous Aboriginals and other local residents. Word spread and Helen quickly became busy using reflexology and massage. She worked alongside the physiotherapist and soon embarked on further personal development by training as a Bowen therapist to help more with serious injuries and conditions.
Bowtech (the original Bowen Technique) is a gentle non-invasive therapy named after Tom Bowen who developed his unique method in Australia during the Fifties. With no previous formal training in any modality or discipline, he was a visionary who developed the treatment after becoming interested in ways to alleviate pain. Helen found that the Bowen technique helped with a wide range of complaints from jaw problems, mobility, sciatica and frozen shoulder to assisting with colic in babies and arthritis in the elderly. Alongside the Bowen technique she used specialist Bowtech products that assisted with swollen or painful joints.
Helen making a long toning sound with a reflexology client
Wishing to share her experience, she started teaching reflexology to the locals, including Aboriginals, where she gained valuable insight into their view of the world in relation to healing. This period played an integral part in Helen later devising her own technique which she calls Intuition and Sound Reflexology. She was accepted by the entire community and was an invaluable asset to the RFDS clinics, injured patients often being flown in specifically for her expertise. Her professionalism and passion for her work provided an oasis of calm and nurturing for all ages.
During her practice, Helen has treated many yoga enthusiasts, both teachers and pupils who have found the Bowtech Bowen therapy helpful for strained, stiff or tired muscles. It is helpful for ongoing complaints such as back ache and other joint pain as the technique is so gentle in guiding muscles groups back into place. Those that have enjoyed reflexology have found it physically helpful for improving mobility and the circulation of feet and hands, thus allowing better placement of both in stance or weight-bearing positions.
Many believe that reflexology complements the benefits of yoga practice by promoting the energy fields. Traditional medicine systems such as Ayurveda and Chinese have words for this energy called ‘Prana‘ and ‘Chi’. This energy is believed to travel along pathways in the body called meridians and have points that start and end at the toes or fingers. Stimulating or sedating these points alongside the reflex areas is thought to assist in removing any blockages that impede energy flow along the courses. There is more recent scientific research into how the fascia and tissue of the body connect all the organs and body parts together. This would extend all over the body just beneath the skin. It is possible that reflexology ‘taps’ into this delicate structure as well as the Bowen technique movements.
Helen finds that in her experience either treatment can be relaxing both for body and mind, so necessary in today’s busy world. She believes that taking an hour out of the usual routine to switch off the mind, can allow much needed personal space or meditation to help bring about change and provide health benefits. A reflexology or Bowen therapy session aims to assist the client’s own healing ability to achieve harmony with their situation, whatever that may be.
In her spare time, Helen enjoys art, music, Tai Chi and has practiced Ashtanga Yoga. She continues today working as a reflexologist and a Bowtech Bowen therapist while teaching in the UK and Australia. For more information go to www.helenperkins.com and www.bowtechease.com