Techniques are provided for controlling motility of the gastrointestinal tract using an implantable medical system. In one technique, electrical stimulation is applied to a set of electrodes implanted in the gastrointestinal tract to induce a contraction that artificially propagates in a retrograde direction. The invocation of retrograde contractions or reverse peristalsis provides at least partial control over gastric emptying and thus, indirectly, satiety and food intake.