What does holistic eating recovery mean? And why I chose this as my business name.

The beginning

I thought long and hard about what I would call this business when I renamed it in 2022.

I actually began my private practice back in 2015 under the name Mind to Nourish. That name was born from a genuine desire to help people change the way they eat by addressing their thoughts and attitudes around food. In many ways, it captured where I was at the time.

However, I often received calls asking if I was a psychologist, which, made sense! Mind to Nourish does sound like psychology.

When I began brainstorming a new name, I wanted clarity. I wanted it to reflect what I actually do, without needing explanation. And I’ve always loved a good acronym. HER (Holistic Eating Recovery) clinic was born.

At its heart, holistic recovery is about supporting the whole person, recognising that an Eating Disorder doesn’t exist in isolation. It develops within a body, a nervous system, and a life. It is shaped by temperament, relationships, experiences, stress, and meaning. Food is never the full story, even though it is an essential part of it.

In saying this, I absolutely prioritise medical stability, weight restoration, and a food-first approach. These are non-negotiable foundations. Without adequate nourishment and physical safety, there is no recovery.

And yet, once these foundations are in place, eating disorders don’t often simply disappear.

This is because eating disorders usually serve a function.

For some, they begin as a way to manage overwhelming emotions.
For others, they offer a sense of control during times of chaos or uncertainty.
Sometimes they provide identity, predictability, or relief from distress that once felt unbearable.

So while food and weight restoration are necessary, they are rarely sufficient on their own.

Holistic recovery asks a wider question:
What did this eating disorder help you survive — and what do you need now, so you no longer have to rely on it?

This is where the work deepens.

It becomes about supporting the nervous system, rebuilding safety, developing new ways of coping, and slowly reconnecting with self, alongside ongoing nutritional care.

Holistic recovery works with the nervous system

Many eating disorders are rooted in chronic stress, overwhelm, or a nervous system that learned early on to stay on high alert. From this lens, behaviours like restriction, control, bingeing, or purging are attempts at regulation.

This often means we look at:

• slowing things down when overwhelm is high

• prioritising predictability and containment

• understanding resistance as protection

Physical first, then emotional

So alongside nutritional support, sessions also attend to:

• beliefs about worth, body image and control

• patterns of self-abandonment or perfectionism

• the way someone relates to rest, pleasure, and boundaries

• identity beyond the eating disorder

It allows recovery to look different for different people

There is no single timeline or “right” way to recover.

Holistic recovery respects:

• temperament (especially sensitive nervous systems)

• history (including trauma and chronic stress)

• life context (parenting, work, relationships)

• season of life

For some, recovery needs to be gentle and incremental.
For others, it might involve firmer structure and support.

At it’s core, Eating Disorder recovery is about becoming someone who no longer needs an eating disorder to cope, regulate, or feel worthy.

Are you interested in this type of recovery? Please feel free to reach out. I would love to hear your story.