Mindfulness-based treatment of addiction: current state of the field and envisioning the next wave of research PMC

I’m so grateful to OTR for the second chance I now have at living a happy sober life. Beginning a meditation practice can be as simple as dedicating a few minutes each day to quiet reflection and deep breathing. This practice can act as a grounding technique, helping to center thoughts and emotions, particularly during moments of temptation or stress. For those seeking expert support, listening to recorded guided meditations or attending meditation classes can be incredibly beneficial. Incorporating meditation into one’s personal journey of recovery can be a transformative step.

Seek Holistic Addiction Treatment That Includes Meditation

More specifically, results show that more than 34% of the 1,079 respondents reported changes or disruptions in accessing treatment or recovery support services. Fourteen percent purported that they were unable to receive their needed services, and 2% say they were unable to access naloxone services. “Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it,” wrote the meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg. By remembering to take part in these mindfulness practices every day, our journey of recovery can become ever deeper, more meaningful, and more rewarding. Patchwork options can also include the pursuit of deeper layers in the mental health healing process, such as therapy, healing arts, meditation, recovery yoga/yoga, breathwork, medication management, dietary changes, entertainment, hobbies, etc.

How to Practice Mindfulness and Meditation in Recovery

Adelante Recovery Center is here to help those that are battling drug and alcohol addiction. We are located in beautiful southern California and welcome those from across the country. Let’s unpack the numerous benefits meditation offers in the journey toward sobriety and well-being. Once you’ve grown more comfortable with meditating on your own, consider signing up for in-person or online meditation classes. This can help introduce you to new techniques and can provide a way to meet other people who share your interest.

Daily Meditation from Voices of Recovery

Identifying my middle circle provides a landmark where I can stop and turn back to my outer circle. Regularly talking to my sponsor about specifics of my middle-circle behavior helps me recognize and move out of it. I check in about the sites I go to, exactly what I see, how much time I spend, and what I do. Sharing in meetings about my middle-circle experiences frees me from worrying about my image, allowing me to stand openly in the light of day.

Everyone’s recovery patchwork is unique, and while some may share similarities, it is okay to think outside of the box and add or shift the process. It is advisable to include your therapist, coach, or mentor around these adjustments in order to be sure they are comprehensive enough to support your specific recovery needs. Additionally, meditation is a potent tool for alleviating stress, anxiety, and other emotions triggered and exacerbated by the process of addiction recovery.

In exploring this evolution, it is important to have open discussions with potential treaters, treatment programs, recovery coaches, life coaches, loved ones, and self-help group members and ask questions. Find out where they https://ecosoberhouse.com/ stand in terms of the rigidity of the program over time. Structure and consistency are crucial in early sobriety, but as you begin to feel a sense of stability, you may want to be supported by others who are understanding.

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You sit in a relaxed position with your eyes closed and take several relaxing deep breaths. The facilitator takes you through a scenario as you use your imagination meditation for addiction to feel various states such as happiness, peace, connection, or growth. This type of meditation helps you to explore your inner feelings, thoughts, and reactions.

• Two primary mindfulness practices are focused attention and open monitoring.
• For instance, monitoring their affective state, and knowing that increased stress, despair, or anger increases relapse risk, the individual may use mindfulness to contemplate the reasons they want to maintain their recovery.
• MBIs for addiction tend to be multi-week interventions (approximately 8 weeks in duration) usually delivered in a group therapy format.

Thoughts like “I’m no good” or “Everyone’s against me” drain the hope and energy we need to sustain positive change in addiction recovery. Recognizing and then challenging these damaging thoughts allow us to see ourselves in a more hopeful, more accurate light. Whether we notice them or not, our thoughts are the driving force behind our feelings and actions. What we think about ourselves and others determines how we carry ourselves in the world, how we interact with people around us and how effectively we manage life. We’re talking to our kids or watching TV or sitting in a meeting, but our mind’s a million miles away. Usually, we’re feeling stressed about something that happened in the past or feeling anxiety about what might happen in the future.