Self-Compassion and $$GLP-1$$ Medication Use

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the integration of self-compassion and $$GLP-1$$ medications, including neuroscience, interoception, weight stigma, and five practical exercises.

Jessica Brown

A clinical nutritionist, Stanford trained compassion educator, and author of The Loving Diet and Beyond the Shot.

Sarah (Case Study)

A client who lost $28\,pounds$ in $3\,months$ on a $GLP-1$ journey but still felt broken because her psychological journey was not addressed.

Self-compassion

An evidence-based neuroscience intervention consisting of mindful awareness of suffering, kindness instead of self-attack, and the recognition of common humanity.

Mindful awareness of suffering

The practice of noticing when you are struggling without pretending the struggle away.

Common humanity

The component of self-compassion that acknowledges struggle as a shared human experience rather than a unique personal failure.

Threat mode

A brain state dominated by the amygdala, high cortisol, and the fight or flight response.

Caregiving mode

A brain state that activates oxytocin, parasympathetic tone, and prefrontal regulation parts of the brain responsible for safety and connection.

Emotional resilience

How quickly and flexibly an individual bounces back from challenges; it is predicted by higher levels of self-compassion.

Interoception

The ability to notice and interpret signals from inside the body, such as hunger, fullness, heartbeat, and breath.

Anterior insula

The specific brain region that acts as the hub for interoception, integrating body signals with conscious awareness and emotional meaning.

Weight stigma

A chronic social stressor that behaves like trauma in the body and is linked to depression, anxiety, and disordered eating.

Weight-based bullying study

Research indicating that children labeled as overweight or obese have $1$ to $3$ times higher odds of being bullied compared to classmates.

$GLP-1$ Perception Study ($357\,adults$)

A study where participants viewed a woman who lost weight with a $GLP-1$ more negatively as a shortcut-taker than if she used diet and exercise.

$GLP-1$ Perception Study ($440\,adults$)

Research showing that viewing $GLP-1$ use as a shortcut reduced support for policies expanding access to treatment.

Food noise

Intrusive thoughts and preoccupation with food that are often reduced by $GLP-1$ medications.

Maria (Case Study)

A client who lost $45\,pounds$ in $6\,months$ but feared the return of her appetite due to a core belief that her body could not be trusted.

Name and normalize the experience

Exercise $1$: A practice for the start of treatment using common humanity to acknowledge feelings of uncertainty and excitement.

Self-compassion breaks

Exercise $2$: A three-step practice (notice, name, respond) used to interrupt shame spirals when triggers occur.

Gentle interoceptive check-ins

Exercise $3$: Periodically pausing to pair curiosity and kindness with physical or emotional sensations to rebuild body trust.

Soothing after setbacks

Exercise $4$: A practice to reframe events like missed doses or weight fluctuations as information rather than failure.

Return to the bigger story

Exercise $5$: Regularly reminding clients that healing involves recovering trust, safety, and dignity in their own skin, not just weight loss.