Relationship with movement presented by Rebecca Gawler, physiotherapist
Facilitating more positive relationships with movement and exercise
Let’s explore the idea of being in relationship with movement and consider how we can best support our clients in this relationship. Physiotherapist Bec Gawler invites clinicians to reflect on their own experiences and potential biases around exercise. She introduces a spectrum of movement—ranging from dysfunctional exercise to intuitive movement—highlighting the complexity and individuality of each person’s experience. Exercise is framed as a relational and biopsychosocial concept, influenced by culture, trauma, neurodiversity, and overall health.
Learn about:
• The characteristics of both dysfunctional exercise and intuitive movement
• How neurodiversity, trauma, and chronic illness intersect with movement patterns
• Strategies for clinicians to support healthy movement without reinforcing body-based or compulsive narratives
The presentation covers:
• The spectrum from dysfunctional exercise to healthy, intuitive movement
• Reflecting on our own biases and relationship with movement as clinicians
• Clinician skills around language, communication and other strategies to encourage and facilitate a positive relationship with movement
• Where to from here? – next steps, more skill building, supervision and more.
Rebecca Gawler is a physiotherapist with a strong passion for supporting individuals with eating disorders. This includes helping people navigate and improve their relationship with movement and address the physical consequences of eating disorders, including bone density concerns, stress fractures and pain/tightness. She also has a special interest in working with those who are faced with the challenges of chronic illness and chronic pain.
Bec currently works at Eat Love Live and is passionate about providing physiotherapy care that is trauma-informed, compassionate and inclusive of all body shapes and sizes, gender and sexual orientation.