Nicky Fitzwilliam Wellness Therapies

24/12/2025

Wishing all my clients a peaceful Christmas 🎁⛄
See you all in January

03/10/2025

Read this interesting article by one of the college of Bowen tutors...

Why Every Finger Matters: Understanding Touch Receptors and the Gentle Power of Bowen
paula8883
Aug 25
3 min read

We often overlook the extraordinary intelligence in our own hands. Each finger—yes, even your little pinky—houses a symphony of sensory and mechanoreceptors. These are not just passive sensors; they are active navigators, constantly reading, adapting, and feeding back vital information about the world around us. As a therapist, and especially as a Bowen practitioner, I find this sensory wisdom profoundly important. Let’s explore why.

A quick ,map of skin receptors.

A quick ,map of skin receptors.

Finger by Finger: A Tour of Sensory Sophistication

Each digit—thumb included—is embedded with a unique distribution of receptors that help us perceive pressure, texture, vibration, and stretch. Let’s meet the key players:

1. Merkel Discs (Slow-Adapting, Type I)

These sit close to the skin’s surface and are concentrated in the fingertips. They give us our incredible sense of fine detail—like reading Braille or distinguishing between silk and cotton.

Used for:– Discriminating edges, shapes, and textures– Holding delicate objects– Coordinating gentle grip

2. Meissner’s Corpuscles (Fast-Adapting, Type I)
Found just beneath the skin in glabrous (non-hairy) areas like fingertips. These are sensitive to light touch and changes in texture.

Used for:– Detecting slip when holding objects– Adjusting grip pressure– Responding to light surface stimulation (like Bowen touch)

3. Ruffini Endings (Slow-Adapting, Type II)

Deeper in the dermis and more prevalent in the skin surrounding each digit. These respond to sustained pressure and skin stretch.

Used for:– Joint position awareness– Finger posture and coordination– Maintaining grip during movement

4. Pacinian Corpuscles (Fast-Adapting, Type II)

Buried deep in the hand, especially near joints and the base of the fingers. These detect vibration and deep pressure.

Used for:– Sensing impact or object vibration– Communicating sudden movement or tool use– Guiding fast or protective reflexes

What Makes the Thumb Special?

The thumb is biomechanically and neurologically distinct. It has a larger cortical representation in the brain than any other finger. It combines input from all receptor types and adds stability, rotation, and power to grasp. It is deeply involved in both strength and precision.

Why this matters:In Bowen, the subtle stimulation of the thumb (giving or receiving) influences proprioceptive feedback loops. You’re not just ‘touching’—you’re communicating with the brain’s representation of the body.

Why Does This Matter in Bowen Therapy?

Here’s where science meets subtlety.

The Bowen Technique uses gentle, rolling movements over soft tissue, with specific pauses between sequences. These pauses are not empty—they give the nervous system time to integrate the sensory information. Because Bowen operates within the skin’s most sensitive receptor range—particularly activating Meissner and Merkel receptors—it taps directly into the body’s regulatory systems.

Gentle Touch, Profound Impact
When a Bowen move is delivered across muscle or fascia, the receptors in that region send a “status update” to the brain. But it’s not just a mechanical message—because of the precise pressure and pace, the brain does not mount a defensive response. Instead, it listens. The result? A shift in tension, improved circulation, nervous system recalibration, and often, a quiet sense of reorganisation.

Finger by Finger: Sensory Recalibration
Bowen doesn’t overpower the system. It collaborates with it. Here’s how a Bowen-informed view of the hand might look:

Index finger: Guides, senses direction, fine detail. Bowen touch here enhances attention and discrimination.

Middle finger: Anchor of pressure, strength in movement. Responds well to proprioceptive resetting.

Ring finger: Assists with balance and coordination; often neglected but rich in Ruffini endings.

Little finger: Subtle stabiliser, key for grip synergy. Influences ulnar side tension and communication.

Thumb: Integration, leadership, and feedback control. A primary messenger in soft tissue recalibration.

Intelligence in the Hands

Every Bowen move is a conversation with the body's innate intelligence—and the hands are fluent speakers. By understanding how each finger gathers, transmits, and influences sensory information, we can appreciate why gentle techniques like Bowen are not “less” than deep work—they are simply more refined.

In a world that often rewards force, Bowen chooses finesse. And sometimes, it’s the quietest voice that makes the greatest shift to silencing pain in the body.

— Paula Esson | Bowen Therapist | Educator | Advocate of Soft Power

17/09/2025

Gentle doesn’t mean ineffective… it means intelligent.

The Bowen Technique is one of the gentlest bodywork therapies you’ll come across - but don’t let that fool you. It works deeply with the body’s own healing systems to ease pain, reduce tension, and restore balance.

🍃 No force.
🍃 No cracking or manipulation.
🍃 Just light, precise moves over muscles, tendons, and fascia - followed by short, purposeful pauses that allow the body to respond.

This gentle approach makes Bowen ideal for:
✅ People in acute or chronic pain
✅ Those recovering from injury or surgery
✅ Clients with neurological or autoimmune conditions
✅ Babies, the elderly, and those sensitive to touch

It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing just enough - and letting the body do the rest.
Why not try some Bowen Therapy!

09/12/2024

When you receive such lovely client feedback...it just makes my job so worthwhile..its priceless!

14/11/2024

This is what Bowen is so good at!! ❤️

🧠Depression is complex - but stimulating the vagus nerve can help.

📚In people with severe depression, the HPA-axis is seen as being in overdrive.
Cortisol feeding back to the hypothalamus as a “check point” is inhibited, leading to the oversecretion of cytokines.
It has been shown that oversecretion of cytokines can lead to depression. (Felger/Lotrich 2013)

From this example, depression can be an immune issue due to cytokine involvement.
Patients with depression have elevated plasma and cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of proinflammmatory cytokines.

✅Stimulating the vagus nerve has been shown to help regulate and inhibit the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and stimulate anti-inflammatory cytokines.

✅A change in secretion of CRH, preventing an overactivation of the HPA (stress) axis has been noted with vagus stimulation.

✅Stimulating the vagus also inhibits the production of a protein called TNF which increases in clinical depression.
(Koopman/Chavan 2016)

24/09/2024

My reflection for today!

21/05/2024

Absolutely thrilled to read this recent email...all the hard work well invested

Dear Nicola,

The EMDR UK Accreditation Committee has considered your application to become accredited as an EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner. I am pleased to be able to let you know that the Accreditation Committee supported your application and recommended ratification to the EMDR UK Board. This has now been agreed and formally accepted.

Many congratulations. From this date, you are now an EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner. Please note that this is for a period of five years.

Next step to work on Children & Adolescent EMDR Accreditation now!

06/12/2023