Overweight people who used a new motivational intervention called Functional Imagery Training (FIT) lost an average of five times more weight than those using talking therapy alone, shows new research published today by the University of Plymouth and Queensland University of Technology.
Overweight people who used a new motivational intervention called Functional Imagery Training (FIT) lost an average of five times more weight than those using talking therapy alone, shows new research published today by the University of Plymouth and Queensland University of Technology.
In addition, users of FIT lost 4.3cm more around their waist circumference in six months – and continued to lose weight after the intervention had finished.
Led by Dr Linda Solbrig from the School of Psychology, the research involved 141 participants, who were allocated either to FIT or Motivational Interviewing (MI). The latter is a technique that sees a counsellor support someone to develop, highlight and verbalise their need or motivation for change, and their reasons for wanting to change.
FIT goes one step further than MI, as it makes use of multisensory imagery to explore these changes by teaching clients how to elicit and practice motivational imagery themselves. Everyday behaviours and optional app support are used to cue imagery practice until it becomes a cognitive habit.
Read more at University of Plymouth
Image: Dr. Linda Solbrig, research lead, Trisha Bradbury, patient who lost nearly 2 stone trilliang the inervention, and Professor Jackie Andrade from the University of Plymouth. (Credit: University of Plymouth)
