Why Eating Disorder Recovery Needs to Consider Neurodiversity

What if some of the characteristics we associate with eating disorders are actually linked to underlying neurodivergence? A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology (26 October 2026) has explored the relationship between autism, cognitive flexibility and eating disorder symptoms in women.

Hanne Arts in a Nutshell — My Recovery Story, Coaching, & What Led Me Here

Hi, I'm Hanne Arts. Eating disorder recovery coach, author, YouTuber... and fully recovered from anorexia myself.

For the last nine years, I've been helping others do the same. That's the work I love most, so the title of coach is the one I take the most pride in.

I'm a psychology graduate (BSc Hons, UoB), with training in eating disorders (NEDC), Mental Health First Aid (MHFA England), and safeguarding, self-harm, and suicide prevention. But before any of that, I was the girl who desperately needed to believe recovery was possible. And that's where my passion for this work was born.

My eating disorder story (in a nutshell)

In January 2010, I was diagnosed with anorexia. A month later, I was hospitalized. For nearly six years, my mind was consumed. I'd weigh myself daily, negotiate every meal, and filter every decision through the narrowing lens of the eating disorder. 

I became smaller while the eating disorder became bigger.

My parents watched it happen, helpless, like so many other parents who watch their children struggle in silence. And they did what many parents would do: they forced me to eat. They threatened me with hospitals. They fought for me when I couldn't fight for myself. 

I hated them for it. 

I went through treatments — many of them — to get them off my back. And it wasn't until a major relapse in 2015, when I realized I wasn't actually in control at all, that I felt scared for the first time. And I knew things had to change.

What I believe about recovery

Recovery isn't just about eating enough. It's not about going through the motions, and it's not about weight. 

Recovery is about exploring your why, and fighting for it even when darker thoughts obscure it entirely. 

Recovery is about getting to the point where food isn't the loudest thing in your head. Where a restaurant menu doesn't spiral into a panic attack, and where your body's needs aren't something you spend every waking moment fighting.

No, I'm not talking about quasi-recovery, or getting better at following your own rules. Been there, done that, wouldn't recommend it. 

I'm talking about full recovery. Freedom. 

The life I've been living for the past decade. 

The life you deserve, too. 

The life I help others reclaim for themselves.

From dreaming about recovery to living it

Knowing why the eating disorder does what it does is useful. But knowing what to actually do in the moments it gets loud — standing at the fridge, staring at a fear food, panicking after a meal — that's where recovery starts to feel real. 

That's where my work lives. 

We work through the things that keep most people stuck — the fear foods, the guilt, the body changes — using evidence-informed tools and a great deal of stubborn persistence to get you from dreaming about recovery to actually living it. 

I know what it feels like to believe you'll never get better, and I know that belief can be wrong. 

I used to wake up disappointed that I'd made it through the night. But today, when the sun wakes me, I barely recognize the old life. 

I now have the life the eating disorder told me I could never have. And if you're reading this from the middle of your own journey: you don't have to keep fighting for the rest of your life either.

If you're ready to start, my door's always open → https://hannearts.co.uk

Books

Just Perfect (2014) — fictional memoir about anorexia, bullying and recovery.

Red Ribbons (2017) — sequel to Just Perfect.

The Recovery Letters (2017) — contributor to this anthology of recovery letters. 

Podcast

The ED Recovery Messages — conversations on eating disorder recovery. 

Media & press

BBC News — radio feature on my recovery journey.

Beat — "Hanne's Story": my recovery story for the UK's eating disorder charity.

Love What Matters — my recovery journey.

Het Laatste Nieuws (2015) — feature in Belgium's leading newspaper.

Where to find me

Instagram — I share daily recovery thoughts, wins, and behind-the-scenes 

YouTube — the longer conversations live on my channel

Newsletter — weekly-ish recovery insights and chats 

Work with me — private or group recovery coaching

What Actually Happens Inside the Recovery Community

Last week on a group coaching call, one of the women said something that stuck with everyone:  "I wish my day was not like a jigsaw puzzle that needs to fit together in this specific way."

Why You Shouldn't Sign Up to Reset & Recover (Yet)

For 6 years, I ruined Christmas. For 6 years, I'd hold back in the weeks leading up to December 25th, telling myself that if I ate less now, I could enjoy the festive food more freely later.

One of the Most Dangerous Things I Hear from Clients...

One of the most dangerous things I hear from clients: "I don't think I'm sick enough to deserve recovery."

It's one of the eating disorder's BIGGEST lies.

When the Food Guilt Feels Crippling

The guilt that shows up after eating is one of the most exhausting parts of recovery. You know intellectually that food is allowed, necessary, neutral... and yet it feels like you've broken the law.

An Eating Disorder at Christmas: When the "Most Wonderful Time of Year" Feels the Hardest

If you're struggling with an eating disorder at Christmas, you already know something the festive adverts never show: December can be HEAVY. It's not all mince pies and cosy nights in.

How to Externalize the Eating Disorder Voice When It Gets Loud

The eating disorder voice often gets loudest at the exact moments you're trying hardest to recover. You might know intellectually that it isn't you, while simultaneously feeling unable to tell where you end and it begins.