Episode 5 : A Binge Urge is Your Body Shouting for Your Attention

In this episode of Beneath the Binge, somatic practitioner Alex Bottomley reframes the urges to binge as urgent body-based communications from the survival nervous system rather than a problem to fight.

She explains that urges feel overwhelming because they arise as physical sensations and activation that demand immediate resolution — fighting, distracting, analyzing, using willpower, or immediately giving in can intensify urges or reinforce food as the only path to relief, embedding an automatic loop in the nervous system.

Alex suggests creating small pauses to relate to your urges with compassionate curiosity by noticing where and how they appear in the body (shape, color, movement) which builds capacity to be present with discomfort and supports nervous-system and emotional regulation.

She also notes that some feelings may be too big to hold alone and recommends support from a practitioner with her self-study course Foundations of Food Freedom and a six-month group program Find Your Freedom starting on April 29th. Alex also invites your questions and closes with a body check-in.

For more information, visit www.thefoodfreedomtherapist.com or @thefoodfreedomtherapist.