You want to know this therapist’s secret? GLP-1s have quietly revolutionized my practice.
As a mind-body therapist, I refer the people I work with to a variety of integrative specialists to support holistic care. Together, we build a care team that addresses the full spectrum of their experiences: psychological, spiritual, and biological. Mental health symptoms can become especially complex when we’re unsure how much is rooted in trauma, attachment history, or present-day conflict and how much may stem from insulin resistance, hormonal shifts, gut-related imbalances or other biologically based issues.
Then something magical happened. My clients began to share their 'little secret'—they had been prescribed GLP-1s. With those medications in play, we could finally disentangle emotional symptoms from physiological ones. Once biology was supported through medical means, clients began accessing deeper psychological work. They experienced new levels of clarity, emotional resilience, and healing.
As GLP-1 medications like Wegovy, Ozempic, and Zepbound continue to rise in popularity, particularly among postpartum and perimenopausal women, a deeper conversation is needed. Not just about the weight loss effects, but about the emotional and psychological shifts that accompany these medications. particularly among postpartum and perimenopausal women. A deeper conversation is needed—not just about the weight loss effects, but about the emotional and psychological shifts that accompany these medications.
How GLP-1s Work
GLP-1 receptor agonists help regulate blood sugar and insulin response, slow gastric emptying, and reduce appetite. The result is often rapid weight loss, improved heart health, and increased insulin sensitivity. But beyond the biological benefits, patients are reporting major shifts in their relationship with food, hunger cues, and emotional eating.
Emotional & Psychological Changes
People on GLP-1s often describe what has been identified in online support groups as a lack of "food noise" for the first time in their lives. Without the thoughts about what meal is coming next or constant cravings, many are left facing underlying emotional needs previously masked by eating. This is where therapeutic support becomes essential.
The Role of Somatic Therapy & EMDR
Somatic therapy helps individuals reconnect with their bodies in a grounded and safe way, supporting nervous system regulation as people adjust to a new relationship with food, weight, and body image. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can help process trauma or emotional pain that may resurface once eating is no longer used to numb or soothe.
For example, postpartum individuals may experience body image shifts, breastfeeding challenges, identity changes, or unresolved birth trauma. As GLP-1s reduce food-driven coping, these emotions may intensify before they integrate. Similarly, perimenopausal clients may uncover grief, rage, or fatigue that have long been muted.
GLP-1s & Intuitive Eating
Some critics claim that using GLP-1s contradicts intuitive eating. But what if the medication actually supports a return to true body listening? By muting the biochemical chaos of insulin resistance and constant hunger, some individuals find they can finally hear their body's authentic signals. We can use this time of freedom to build in healthier habits, slow down and understand the relationship with food better, and get a newfound clarity that can last long after medication use may stop.
It’s Not the “Easy Way Out”
Many people feel shame about using GLP-1s, fearing judgment that they took the "easy way out." But let’s name what’s actually hard:
Growing up in a food-insecure or diet-obsessed culture
Battling emotional eating rooted in trauma
Navigating modern life in bodies impacted by racism, ableism, and economic stress
Weight stigma, industrial food systems, and under-resourced mental health care have all shaped the global obesity crisis. Medication is just one part of the healing puzzle.
Integrated Care Is the Future
Combining GLP-1s with somatic therapy, trauma-informed care, and EMDR can support sustainable transformation—not just in body size, but in self-concept, emotional freedom, and physical vitality. As more people turn to these medications, let’s also turn to a model of care that honors complexity, healing, and choice.
If you're navigating emotional shifts on GLP-1s or considering starting, know you're not alone. The most effective care doesn't come from one provider—it comes from an intentional team. Integrative care means looking at your hormones, metabolism, nervous system, attachment style, history of trauma, and spiritual wellbeing as parts of a unified whole.
Whether you're just beginning your journey with GLP-1s or deep in the work of healing, therapy can serve as a powerful anchor. When paired with the right medical, nutritional, and somatic supports, the changes you make in your body can ripple outward into your relationships, your self-concept, and your future.
This is your invitation to move beyond survival, into real integration—body, mind, and soul.