Case Study: Jacky Clarke
DOG handler Jacky Clarke left the police to set up her own Bowen therapy clinic, caring for animals (including a snake on one occasion) as well as people. Many of our students have also chosen to leave their job after qualifying to follow a more rewarding career path.
For Jacky, the catalyst was being treated with Bowen for a chronic back problem. As a police dog handler for 12 years, wearing a heavy utility belt and driving for hours at a time to reach a crime scene, the resulting painful hip and back problems were impacting her quality of life.
Having failed to find relief from a variety of therapies, and faced with major surgery, almost as a last resort she tried Bowen, and was amazed at the results. “By the fourth session Bowen had made a real difference; I cancelled the operation and today I enjoy Bowen to keep me in good shape,” she told us.
Knowing her deep love of animals, Jacky’s therapist told her about Bowen for horses (Equine Muscle Release Technique) and in 2002 she embarked upon an intensive two-year training course with the Equus College of Learning. The programme requires students to also train in human Bowen, a massive commitment alongside her day job with the police. She qualified with Bowen Training UK.
Fast forward 20 years and today Jacky runs a thriving Bowen practice covering Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire caring for people and animals. “Leaving my job was a risk but setting up my business was exciting, initially people and horses, which generated a lot of interest.” Jacky is also qualified in cat and canine Bowen and has been known to treat other animals too… on one occasion being presented with a pet snake that had a kink in the spine.
What did she do? “With assistance from the owner, I turned the snake upside down and used the stomach to work out where to make the necessary moves, which relaxed the fascia and seemed to correct the spinal imbalance,” she explained. “It was a bit awkward as obviously we couldn’t put it down flat or it would have slithered away!”
Looking back on her time as a police officer, Jacky compares the two careers. “Policing is also a caring profession albeit in a different way. It’s about protecting and looking after people, but my work now is so much more satisfying; there have been times when my treatment has even helped to save an animal’s life.”
FOOTNOTE: Jacky provides a Bowen therapy service free of charge to a local dog rescue charity… well done!