Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder whose therapeutic interventions usually produce unsatisfactory results. This disorder is characterized by high rates of relapse, tendency to chronicity, high morbidity and mortality. Low motivation is a central issue that hinders AN treatment. Interpersonal relationships seem to be crucial in AN and may play a role in this sense as well. We propose that specific patterns of interpersonal interactions can arise when professionals are dealing with AN subjects and that this peculiar rapport is not only a characteristic of the disorder in question, but could also be a part of what perpetuates and aggravates the problem.