Bowen Therapy in a Philippines Orphanage

Mother Teresa’s Orphanage in Delpan

Poverty is a harsh fact of life for many in the Philippines, and it is not just the ones with sickness or disease that need Bowen Therapy. The orphanages are full of little children that have been given up or left in the care of the Sisters because life has become too hard on the streets for them with parents no longer able to give them the care they need. It is a temporary shelter for sick, malnourished, neglected or abandoned children.        

The orphanage has a system whereby they can leave their child for a few months and then return for them when their circumstances have improved. Some parents visit each week but many do not return. By law a child left unvisited for 6 months is considered abandoned.

                                                                                                                         

The separation is emotionally unsettling for children. They sit in their cots too weak to spend energy crying and just retreat into themselves. A child knows she has a mother. When their mother doesn't visit very often they become withdrawn.

Their apprehensions and longings affect their development. Using Bowen therapy to treat the trauma of the separation is about the only thing, apart from the occasional cuddle of a kindly carer or visitor that these children will receive. They are given basic food, clothing and shelter, and medical supplies are so scarce they are only used in an extreme situation. With so many children requiring attention it is often the ones suffering the most, who are left alone. These little children sit quietly and are too traumatised to be a problem.

When I first went to Manila it was to Mother Teresa’s Orphanage in Delpan that I first volunteered. I would go each week with a group of women (British Women’s Assoc) who had different skills to share. They would supply 'merianda', a morning tea, cuddle and hug the babies and play games with the older children. The meal consisted of a small bun, a half of a banana or sausage and half a cup of cordial.

The BWA supplies some medicines, baby needs and special high protein milk for malnourished children. I volunteered in the infirmary with the sick, or children with disabilities, using Bowen.

The first time I walked around all the cots and just did emergency moves.

At the time, all were suffering from carbuncles on various parts of their bodies and in extreme pain. Some slept standing up in their cots with their tiny arms hooked over the sides so as not to fall down and put pressure on their bodies. On the first day some received only upper body and neck moves, some just lower back stoppers, others upper respiratory and TMJ.

At the time treatments were disjointed and back to front, and moves were not text book correct due to conditions but the results were wonderful. Remarkably every child’s boils and carbuncles began to settle within a few days. Children's little bodies began to straighten out while some children began to smile or interact for the first time with others.

It was like a switch had been turned on and they became aware of what was going on around them. All had shown signs of emotional distress as well as physical pain but in a very short time the smiles started to become more ready and their eyes more alert. Their little bodies were becoming more balanced, and while their diets were still basic and poor, their bodies were working at their best and were able to correct the muscle firing patterns.

This in turn corrected the chemical imbalances which allowed for balance of the immune system and faster healing of their sores and wounds. With the power of Bowen, life is much kinder to the many that don't have access to the food and health care systems many of us take for granted.

There are so many areas one can use Bowen Therapy to advantage in the Philippines.