In this episode of The BowenBuzz, Chris talks with Larina Paoletti from Newmarket, New Hampshire (USA), a highly experienced physical therapist (physiotherapist) who has successfully integrated Bowenwork into a mainstream hospital outpatient setting.
Larina began her formal training in 2014, completing certification over about two and a half years while working full-time, raising three children as a single mum, and caring for her father. Early on, she worked for the Visiting Nurses Association (VNA), travelling house-to-house providing physical therapy. That environment forced creativity: many clients weren’t mobile enough for table work, so Larina rapidly learned how to adapt Bowen in seated and home-based settings, and she began noticing meaningful shifts, even with complex pain and mobility-limited patients.
“People think of Bowen as a last resort… but results are quicker when I see them sooner.”
A pivotal moment came when a nurse encouraged her to apply for the hospital’s Patient Innovation Incentive Award. Larina submitted two case studies in March 2019 and won unanimously. The prize required a short video and a presentation to senior hospital leadership (including executives and clinical decision makers). Despite nerves, Larina delivered and the first question from the audience was: “Where do I sign up?” That single moment became the seed of a hospital-based Bowen-informed program.
Her transition into outpatient care coincided with COVID shutdowns, delaying education and rollout. But Larina persisted starting with staff and complex patients, then expanding through outcomes and word-of-mouth. Her early focus group included fibromyalgia, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), and chronic pain, and she soon gained a key advocate: a rheumatologist who began referring directly because he was excited to offer something beyond medication, injections, or surgery.
Larina also became part of the hospital’s concussion team, sharing how Bowen sessions can help some patients regulate early, sometimes before they can tolerate vestibular work. She blends Bowen with physiotherapy principles: Bowen may come first for capacity and symptom reduction, then therapeutic exercise builds function once patients can tolerate more.
The episode also honours Ainsley Farrington’s legacy, including her community impact through a free monthly community clinic. Larina’s message is simple and strong: keep sharing Bowen, keep documenting outcomes, and keep opening doors because this work has enormous potential, and its next leap forward will come from clinicians willing to champion it.
Sponsored by the Business of Bowen (BoB) Supporting an engaged and passionate circle of Bowen therapists committed to learning and growth
