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Whipp, Wendy Denise (2025) An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the participants’ experience of Anorexia Nervosa and what they feel aided recovery. Doctoral thesis, London Metropolitan University.
Literature Review: The reviewed literature brings together, summarises and critiques the research that is available on Anorexia Nervosa, and provides a review of the nature, quality and extent of research in relation to the topic and gaps in the current research are then highlighted.
Rationale: the aim of the research was to understand the lived experience of those who had recovered from Anorexia Nervosa and to understand what they felt had aided their recovery with the hope that this could provide valuable information to those working with individuals who are experiencing the disorder. Recovery is defined as no longer meeting the diagnostic criteria outlined in the DSM-5-TR (2022). The participants in this study had been in recovery for over three years; this duration was selected because most research focuses on recovery within the first twelve months post-treatment, during which relapse is most common. Consequently, insights were gathered from individuals experiencing long-term recovery.
Method: The data obtained from the interviews was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, Larkin and Flowers, 2015; Smith and Nizza, 2022), to look at the lived experience of the participants.
Findings: The main findings of the study are that the experience of Anorexia Nervosa had taken away the participants’ hope of a life without the disorder and the eventual move to recovery became possible once they were motivated to make the necessary changes. The move to recovery was subjective to the individual but was found to be possible via early diagnosis before the disorder becomes entrenched; access to psychological treatment; the establishment of a good therapeutic alliance based on mutual trust and understanding; to instill hope, that they can overcome the disorder and to be helped by the professionals whose care they were in, to envisage a life outside of the Anorexia Nervosa, where friendships are re-established, identity is recovered and a new life can begin
![[thumbnail of M311067_Wendy Whipp.pdf]](https://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/style/images/fileicons/text.png "M311067_Wendy Whipp.pdf")
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