Somatic Healing, ADHD & Eating Disorder Recovery with Beverley Atkins

In this episode of Fly to Freedom, I’m joined by Beverley Atkins, a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner and founder of Pauseture, a somatic movement platform helping people reconnect with their bodies through gentle, guided movement.This conversation feels especially important for anyone navigating anorexia recovery, eating disorder recovery, compulsive exercise, body mistrust, or nervous system dysregulation.Many people in eating disorder recovery spend years trying to think their way to healing.Trying to understand more.Trying to control more.Trying to get recovery “right”.And yet the body can still feel unsafe, uncomfortable, noisy, or impossible to trust.What if healing does not always begin with thinking harder?What if healing can begin by learning to notice the body differently?Beverley shares her own deeply personal story of growing up in a larger body, beginning dieting as a child, and spending decades trapped in yo-yo dieting and all-or-nothing patterns around food.In her 30s, that shifted into extreme exercise.She completed three marathons in 18 months, countless triathlons, and eventually Ironman Hawaii in 2009.Looking back, Beverley now understands how undiagnosed ADHD shaped much of her experience.The food noise.The hyperfocus.The perfectionism.The all-or-nothing patterns.The nervous system dysregulation.Everything made more sense through that lens.In 2014, while working at Facebook in a high-pressure environment, her body forced a stop when her back gave out completely.That crisis led her to Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement — a gentle, audio-guided somatic practice she initially tried for pain relief.What she found was something much deeper.This work gradually transformed her relationship with:Her bodyFoodExerciseEmotional regulationSafetySelf-awarenessIn this conversation, we explore:How eating disorders disconnect us from the bodyWhy compulsive exercise often becomes a coping strategyThe link between ADHD and disordered eating patternsWhy meditation can feel unbearable for dysregulated nervous systemsHow somatic movement offers a gentler doorway into healingWhy curiosity is one of recovery’s most powerful toolsThe difference between body judgement and body awarenessHow the brain rewires through novelty, attention, and safe explorationOne of the most powerful parts of this conversation is Beverley’s perspective on body image.She explains that healing did not begin with loving her body.It began with something much simpler.Paying attention without judgement.Not fixing.Not forcing.Not criticising.Just noticing.And sometimes that neutral attention is where healing begins.This episode is especially for you if:You feel disconnected from your bodyRest feels uncomfortable or frighteningStillness makes you anxiousYou struggle with compulsive movement or exercise addictionRecovery feels stuck in overthinkingYou long to feel safer in your bodyRecovery does not always require more force.Sometimes it asks for less.Less fighting.Less judgement.Less performance.And more curiosity.Instagram: @pausetureFacebook: Pauseture on FacebookWebsite: PausetureIf this episode helped you, please share it with someone who may need it.For deeper support in recovery, come and explore The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle, my recovery membership offering expert guidance, practical tools, courses, workshops, and compassionate community support.You can also find me at Julia Trehane CoachingThank you for listening.With love,Julia xConnect with Beverley Atkins