Imagine feeling trapped in a cycle of shame and self-criticism because of your weight. For many living with severe obesity, this is a daily struggle that can lead to depression and unhealthy eating habits. A recent study explored a compassionate approach to therapy, called Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), designed specifically for those grappling with high levels of self-criticism. Over 10 weekly sessions, participants learned to cultivate self-compassion, and the results were striking: improvements in mood, reduced feelings of shame, and healthier eating behaviors were reported. These benefits didn’t just disappear after the sessions ended; they were still evident three months later. This means that for individuals facing the dual challenges of severe obesity and mental health issues, CFT could be a game-changer, offering a path to a kinder relationship with themselves and a healthier lifestyle. However, while the results are promising, it’s important to remember that therapy is just one piece of the puzzle. Ongoing support and a comprehensive treatment plan remain essential for long-term success.
Can Kindness to Yourself Help Tackle Obesity and Depression?
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What this means for you:
Learning to be kinder to yourself can lead to real improvements in mental health and eating habits. What this means for you:
Learning to be kinder to yourself can lead to real improvements in mental health and eating habits. View Original Abstract ↓
BACKGROUND: Severe obesity (defined as a BMI ≥ 40 kg m-2) is often accompanied by significant mental health co-morbidities such as eating disorders and depressive disorder and people living with severe obesity often experience feelings of shame, self-criticism and feelings of inferiority in relation to others. Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) was specifically designed for people with high levels of shame and self-criticism and aims to promote self-compassion which is regarded as an adaptive emotional regulation strategy.
AIMS: To explore the effect on psychological outcomes of a 10-session (weekly for 2 hours) in-person, group-based CFT intervention for people living with severe obesity. We sought to determine whether CFT would lead to improved self-compassion, depressive symptoms, emotional eating, shame, self-criticism, submissive behavior, and negative social comparison.
METHOD: A single-centre, randomized controlled trial was carried out with 91 participants allocated to either 'treatment as usual' (n = 46) or 'treatment as usual with additional group based CFT' (n = 45). Treatment as usual included dietary advice, assessment by a Consultant Endocrinologist with possible prescription of medication, and participation in an eight-week lifestyle modification programme. Psychological outcomes were recorded at three time points (pre-treatment, post-treatment, and three-months after the end of group-based CFT).
RESULTS: CFT led to statistically and clinically significant improvements in self-compassion, self-coldness, mood, shame, emotional eating, self-criticism, social comparison, and submissive behaviour (all p < 0.001) compared with treatment as usual. These results were maintained at three-month follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: Group CFT appears to be an effective psychological intervention to alleviate psychological distress in people living with severe obesity.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03249441.