Liv Label Free | Neurodivergent Eating Disorder Recovery

The Harm of FBT for Autistic People with Anorexia

Family-Based Therapy (FBT) is often hailed as the “evidence based” and “gold standard” treatment approach for anorexia patients. However, FBT can be severely traumatic for autistic individuals. In today’s episode of the Liv Label Free Podcast, Livia explores the harm of FBT, including theft of autonomy (especially harmful for individuals with PDA!) and the danger of prioritizing weight gain above all other aspects of eating disorder recovery. Livia also discusses how the core principles of FBT can unintentionally increase distress for neurodivergent individuals, whose eating disorders are often tied to needs for predictability, safety, and autonomy. Through both lived experience and insights from working with families, she highlights why one-size-fits-all treatment models may fall short and why more neurodiversity-affirming approaches are needed. 🌈 The Autistically ED-Free Academy is open! Save your seat here: www.livlabelfree.com/group📚 Rainbow Girl: A Memoir of Autism and Anorexia: www.livlabelfree.com/rainbowgirl

Rebuilding Trust When ED Treatment Fails (Group Podcast)

Season 3 of the Autistically ED-Free Academy is OPEN! 🎉 In this special group podcast, previous Academy participants share their experiences, including: Why traditional eating disorder treatments can be traumatizing How respecting autistic traits transformed parent-child relationships and saved lives What it looks like to unmask and discover who you are beyond the eating disorder identity How reframing eating disorders as “adaptations” creates compassion instead of shame The power of authentic connection with people who truly understand you and your loved ones If you’re ready for an approach that helps you rebuild trust by honoring neurodivergence, save your seat in the Academy today 👉 www.livlabelfree.com/group

“Recovery Feels Like Too Much Pressure!” (PDA in Neurodivergent Eating Disorders with Allyson Inez Ford)

This is one of my favorite conversations on PDA to date! Livia Sara and Allyson Inez Ford sit down to discuss the connection between demand avoidance and eating disorders in neurodivergent folks, highlighting the importance of autonomy and purpose on the discovery journey. Key Topics Discussed: Why traditional eating disorder treatment fails people with PDA The need for meaning and purpose beyond abstract recovery goals like “food freedom” How eating disorders create boundaries in a boundless world and serve as distractions from existential overwhelm Why shifting “recovery” to “discovery” helps remove the pressure that healing has to look a certain way How the “why” for discovery must be self-defined, not externally imposed 📚 Read my books! https://livlabelfreebooks.com💗 Work with Livia: https://www.livlabelfree.com/coaching🌿 Work with Allyson: https://www.eatingdisorderocdtherapy.com/

Opening up about my OCD (with my friend Sharon)

In this vulnerable episode, Liv opens up about how her OCD has resurfaced since moving back home. Liv and Sharon also discuss how traditional treatments for OCD and eating disorders fail neurodivergent people when the approach isn’t person-centered. 📚 Read my books! https://livlabelfreebooks.com💌 Sign up for my newsletter! https://livlabelfree.com/join👯 Liv Label Free Membership: https://livlabelfree.com/membership My episode on Sharon’s podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CUp3I6AqyQ Connect with Livia: https://www.livlabelfree.com/contactConnect with Sharon: https://www.instagram.com/unmaskingsocial1/

“I wish this body didn’t have needs!” (Autism, Eating Disorders, and Demand Avoidance)

How much of your existence is shrouded in resistance? Something a lot of us gifted autistics feel resistance towards is the needs of the human body. Food, water, sleep, bathroom… Every bodily demand feels like an interruption, a violation of autonomy. As Kathi shared in today’s group podcast, her father literally says “I want to decide when I want to eat. I don't want my body to tell me when to eat!” If you have PDA (officially “Pathological Demand Avoidance” but I prefer the term “Pervasive Drive for Autonomy”), rejecting bodily needs is an attempt to preserve autonomy. Through this lens, the eating disorder – the ultimate rejection of bodily needs – can almost be seen as an extreme manifestation of PDA. Of course, the paradox is that the ED itself is a violation of autonomy…because when your every next move is decided by the ED force, well you ain’t so much “in control” anymore, eh? In today’s episode of the Liv Label Free Podcast, we dive DEEP into eating disorders and PDA, as well as: How diagnoses help validate our struggles Intergenerational patterns of resisting bodily needs Why mental hunger is a legitimate hunger signal (Kathi shares a great metaphor!) Franz Kafka’s “A Hunger Artist” and existential loneliness Why recovery requires surrender before proof I know how “claustrophobic” it can feel to be an infinite soul contained in a human body costume. But as I’ve been reminding myself lately, suffering is amplified by resisting what is. XO Liv P.S. Want to join these live group calls and connect with other neurodivergent beings on this discovery journey? The Liv Label Free Membership includes 3x monthly group calls, 24/7 WhatsApp support, my extreme hunger course, continued access to the Autistically ED-Free Academy, and hours of previously recorded coaching calls. 🌈 Join the Autistically ED-Free Membership: https://www.livlabelfree.com/membership 🎙️ Listen to my free audiotraining on Autism and Eating Disorders https://www.livlabelfree.com/free-audiotraining