Attribution
The Clarity Method is my personal synthesis of teachings from Dr. Judson Brewer (neuroscience of habits and craving), Tara Brach (the RAIN technique), and Kristin Neff (self-compassion research). The underlying science and techniques belong entirely to their original creators - this framework is simply my practical application of their work.
The Problem This Solves
Traditional approaches to eating behavior change rely heavily on restriction and willpower. The Clarity Method takes a fundamentally different approach grounded in curiosity and awareness.
The Science Behind It
Understanding Craving and Habit Loops
Dr. Judson Brewer’s research at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center has fundamentally changed how we understand habits and cravings. His work demonstrates that habits-including eating behaviors-are formed through reward-based learning: a trigger leads to a behavior, which produces a reward, creating a loop that strengthens over time.
The key insight is that willpower doesn’t work because cravings operate in deeper brain regions than rational thought. You cannot simply think your way out of a craving. However, bringing mindful awareness to the actual experience of eating disrupts this loop through what Brewer calls reward prediction error-when you pay close attention, the brain updates its reward value for the behavior based on actual experience rather than memory.
Recommended reading:
- The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love - Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits (2017)
- Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind (2021)
- The Hunger Habit: Why We Eat When We’re Not Hungry and How to Stop (2024)
The RAIN Method for Working with Cravings
The RAIN technique provides a structured approach for working with difficult emotions and cravings. Originally developed by Buddhist meditation teacher Michele McDonald in the 1980s, it was later refined and popularized by Tara Brach, PhD, who added the crucial fourth step of self-compassion.
RAIN stands for:
- Recognize what is happening
- Allow the experience to be there
- Investigate with kindness
- Nurture with self-compassion
Rather than fighting cravings or trying to suppress them, RAIN teaches us to turn toward our experience with curiosity and care-which paradoxically often dissolves the craving’s grip.
Recommended reading:
Self-Compassion and Eating Behavior
Kristin Neff, PhD, pioneering researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, has demonstrated that self-compassion is far more effective than self-criticism for behavior change. Her research shows that people who treat themselves with kindness after setbacks are more likely to persist and succeed.
Self-compassion has three core components:
- Self-kindness over self-judgment
- Common humanity over isolation (recognizing that struggle is part of being human)
- Mindfulness over over-identification with thoughts and feelings
For eating behavior, this is transformative: instead of the shame-binge cycle that harsh self-criticism creates, self-compassion allows us to acknowledge difficulty, learn from it, and move forward without the emotional charge that fuels problematic patterns.
Recommended reading:
The Framework
The core of the Clarity Method is simple: awareness and body observation. To practice it, you need to slow down and develop the capacity to be an observer of your own experience.
By collecting information before and after meals - focusing on your feelings and the signals from your body - you naturally distance yourself from self-criticism and guilt. There’s no judgment, only curiosity.
Your body already knows what is good for it. You know it too. The problem is that we rarely allow ourselves to notice these signals. The Clarity Method creates space for that noticing.
How to Practice
The foundation is discipline - remembering to use the app consistently. But remember: the app is not a food diary or a showcase for pretty dishes.
Before eating:
- Pause and focus on your body
- Note the signals you’re receiving - hunger level, emotions, physical sensations
- Take a photo just before you start
During the meal:
- Eat slowly and stay present
After eating:
- Record your feelings and body sensations
All these steps serve one purpose: to bring you back to your body and what’s happening within it.
By practicing consistently, you relearn your own body - how much is enough, what nourishes you, what drains you, and what gives you energy.