Meditation & Mindfulness in Addiction Treatment

Build Calm, Control Cravings, Prevent Relapse

Your Mind Has Been Running From Itself for Years

You have using drugs and alcohol to quiet the racing thoughts in your head, numb the painful feelings in your heart. You have been obsessed with your past, worried about your future, or desperate for an escape from both.

Agape Treatment Center uses several types of meditation and mindfulness techniques to teach you to learn how to sit with your thoughts and your feelings, without running away from them. Through these practices, you will learn to observe cravings without acting upon them, experience your emotions without being controlled by them, and find peace of mind in the present moment.

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What is Meditation and Mindfulness?

Meditation is a practice that teaches us how to focus our attention and awareness through breath, a repeated phrase, or through sensations that we are experiencing in the present. Mindfulness meditation is a particular type of meditation that emphasizes the awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and body without judgment.[1]
In addiction treatment, both meditation and mindfulness are evidence-based techniques used to develop self-control, manage cravings, and break the cycle of addiction. Examples of the many types of meditation used in the treatment of addiction are:

Guided meditation
Mantra meditation
Transcendental meditation
Visualization.

Although there are many different forms of meditation, they all have the common goal of developing self-awareness through training your ability to focus and concentrate.

At Agape Treatment Center, we incorporate meditation and mindfulness into our treatment program because research demonstrates that these methods of treatment significantly improve one’s chances of staying sober, avoiding relapse, and supporting long-term recovery.[2]

How Meditation & Mindfulness Work for Addiction Recovery

Meditation can be very beneficial to individuals struggling with addiction. Addiction hijacks reward pathways in the brain, leading to an increased struggle with controlling cravings and impulses.[3] Traditional treatments focus on the causes of addiction and the behaviors associated with it; however, meditation also helps with how you deal with your thoughts, emotions, and urges.

Understanding Cravings and Urge Surfing

One of the best uses for mindfulness meditation in addiction recovery is urge surfing, or observing your cravings as they come, peak, and eventually pass without acting upon them. Cravings can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes if you do not act on them. Practicing mindfulness teaches you to notice the physical sensations, thoughts, and feelings associated with cravings without judgment and allows you to let these sensations pass naturally (like waves) through you.
This is an incredible breakthrough for those individuals recovering from an addiction. Instead of fighting with cravings (which often leads to stronger cravings) or immediately acting on them, you can observe them with curiosity and then let them go. SAMHSA has published studies showing that individuals who practice mindfulness are able to exert greater amounts of self-control when it comes to their addictive behaviors and have a lower probability of relapse.[4]

Emotion Regulation and Stress Reduction

Many people use substances to cope with overwhelming emotions or stressors. One of the main components of practicing mindfulness is learning how to manage emotions, or the ability to experience emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them. A meta-analysis of the research investigating the effects of meditation on anxiety, depression, and stress, which are commonly associated with substance abuse, found that regular practice of meditation significantly reduces all three.[5]
Being mindful and practicing mindfulness creates the ability to sit with uncomfortable emotions without turning to drugs/substances as a means of numbing them. This does not eliminate the emotions; however, it does change the relationship you have with these emotions. Once you become more aware of your emotions, you understand that emotions do not last forever and that you can tolerate feelings of discomfort without engaging in self-destructive behaviors.

Rewiring the Brain

Neuroscience research supports the claim that your brain can actually change as a result of your meditation practice. For example, brain areas that are associated with self-control, decision making, and emotion regulation develop an increase of gray matter as the result of regular practice, while the areas associated with cravings and impulsivity demonstrate a decrease in neurophysiologic activity.[6] Meditation is not just a coping skill; it is also an effective means of healing the brain from the damaging effects of substance use disorder.

Healing together

Efficacy of Meditation & Mindfulness

There is a growing body of evidence from rigorous evidence-based research demonstrating the efficacy of meditation for treating substance use disorders.
Key findings show that meditation and mindfulness can:

Reduce substance use

There was a significant reduction in substance use compared to control groups among those who participated in a meta-analysis of mindfulness-based interventions.[7]

Prevent relapse

Mindfulness-based relapse prevention programs reduced relapse rates by approximately 50% when compared to standard treatment alone.[8]

Improve treatment outcomes

Adding meditation to addiction treatment programs improves retention and long-term recovery rates.[9]

Be effective for various substances

There is evidence of the efficacy of meditation for individuals with substance use disorders, including alcohol, opioids, stimulants, and other substances, both in inpatient and outpatient settings.[10]

Address co-occurring conditions

There is evidence of the efficacy of meditation in treating co-occurring mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD.[11]

The evidence is overwhelming that meditation and mindfulness provide powerful tools to help someone achieve and maintain long-term recovery from a substance use disorder.

What to Expect from Meditation & Mindfulness

If you have never done meditation before, you may have some misconceptions about the practice. Some believe meditation requires you to sit still and not have any thoughts. However, the purpose of meditation is not to suppress your thoughts, but to change your relationship to them.

Meditation provides a structure to develop your ability to be aware of the present moment, develop self-regulation, and achieve inner peace. This is accomplished through the use of guided meditations and mindfulness practices, where you develop the ability to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment and create distance between your impulses and actions.

A typical meditation session includes:

01

Settling in

Get settled into your meditation spot and establish an anchor to keep you grounded in each moment.

02

Guided instruction

Follow your instructor’s guided instruction through your use of breath, body scan, or visualization.

03

Observing sensations

You will notice physical sensations, emotions, and urges as they arise, practicing how to observe them without judgment.

04

Closing and integration

After the meditation session, you will return gently to full awareness and reflect briefly on your experience.

Agape Wide Range of Treatment

Meditation & Mindfulness at Agape Treatment Center

Agape Treatment Center is a holistic facility that incorporates mindfulness and meditation as a part of the treatment process for those recovering from substance use disorders. Our staff is composed of trained meditation instructors and incorporates various types of meditation to adapt to the needs of anyone recovering from substance use disorder.

At Agape, we combine mindfulness and meditation with evidence-based treatment modalities, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma processing, and support groups, to provide clients with comprehensive treatment programs.

Our Approach to Meditation & Mindfulness

Patience is a large part of developing meditation and mindfulness skills. We do not expect you to be perfect; rather, we will teach you how to work with the way your mind works now.

Our approach includes:

01

Multiple types of meditation

As there are many different ways to meditate, you can discover which type works best for you, whether it’s mindfulness meditation, guided meditation, mantra meditation, or visualization and breathing techniques.

02

Integration with your clinical treatment

Meditation will be timed to coordinate with your own individual therapy, group therapy, and medical care, so all components of your addiction treatment will work together.

03

Trauma-informed practice

We recognize that having to be still with one’s thoughts can be extremely triggering for those who have experienced trauma. We do our best to create a safe space for you to be in and modify techniques as needed.

04

Mindfulness-based relapse prevention

We will teach you mindfulness techniques that have evidence-based support for managing cravings, identifying triggers, and preventing relapse.

05

Practical application

We will not simply teach you to meditate as an abstract concept but instead, demonstrate and help you learn how mindfulness impacts the way you view and deal with real-life situations, cravings, and challenges in your recovery.

06

Support for your loved ones

Family members can take our mindfulness course to help them manage their own stress and support your recovery efforts more effectively.

Peace in Present

Finding Peace in the Present Moment

At Agape, we do not see meditation and mindfulness as something as a treatment add-on, but rather as the very foundation for achieving long-lasting recovery. Learning how to sit with discomfort, observing cravings without acting on them, and finding peace in the present will completely alter your relationship with substances and also your relationship with yourself.
Recovery isn't about escaping yourself—it's about finally being able to sit with yourself in peac

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Meditation & Mindfulness

I've never meditated before—is it hard to learn?

No, even though learning to meditate requires regular practice, it’s not hard to learn. The basic techniques of meditation are simple, and anyone can learn how to do it regardless of their flexibility or being able to clear your mind. It’s about noticing the thoughts in your mind without being judgmental, and then bringing your attention back to your breath or your focal point. Our instructors teach you how to meditate from beginning to end, and guided meditations will help you get started even more easily.

Can meditation really help with cravings, or is it just relaxation?

Meditation as a whole is much more than a tool for relaxation. It can be a very powerful tool for helping to prevent relapse. Research has shown that mindfulness meditation can actually change the brain’s self-control and willpower areas. The urge surfing process teaches the practitioner that the cravings will pass and that the cravings are manageable because you observe the cravings for several minutes without acting on them. Research also shows that patients who are using mindfulness techniques are at a significantly lower risk of relapse and have developed an ability to manage their addictions.

What if sitting still makes me anxious or brings up difficult emotions?

This often happens to those in early recovery from an addiction who have used a substance to avoid some of their uncomfortable feelings. Our instructors are trained to help you through this process. We start with shorter time frames, then progress to longer periods, and we offer options for mindfulness in movement, as well as tools for grounding you when you experience anxiety while practicing mindfulness. We will address and adapt to issues relating to trauma with mindfulness by changing the approach or moving on to another intervention first, always working with you to feel safe while developing skills in mindfulness.

How is meditation different from therapy or support groups?

Meditation is intended as a complement to counseling and/or support groups. Counseling provides you with the tools to understand the reasons why you use a substance and develop an alternative behavior. Support groups provide camaraderie and accountability. Mindfulness meditation provides you with a tool to use while dealing with your thoughts and feelings in real time; while these three separate approaches are used in combination as a comprehensive treatment for addiction, meditation is like a skill that you can take with you and have available to help you with stress, cravings, and any challenges you are experiencing at any time.

Do I have to practice meditation every day to benefit?

Regular practice of mindfulness every day will provide you with the greatest amount of benefits, similar to how maintaining your physical wellness will yield greater benefits than sporadic, longer periods of exercise; however, if you only practice mindfulness occasionally, you’ll still receive the benefits of practicing occasionally. Research indicates that if a person practices 10-15 minutes of mindfulness most days, they will experience significant positive changes in their self-control, emotion regulation, and stress levels.[12] The most important thing is to remain regular in your practice, as opposed to perfect. It is better to start with 5 minutes daily and build to a longer time frame, rather than sporadic longer time frames of practice.

Sources

[1] National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (n.d.). Mindfulness-based practices: What you need to know. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-and-mindfulness-effectiveness-and-safety

[2] [4] [8] Bowen, S., Witkiewitz, K., Clifasefi, S. L., Grow, J., Chawla, N., Hsu, S. H., Douglas, H., Harrop, E., Collins, S. E., Lustyk, M. K., & Larimer, M. E. (2014). Relative efficacy of mindfulness-based relapse prevention, standard relapse prevention, and treatment as usual for substance use disorders: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 71(5), 547–556. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.4546

[3] National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020, July 13). Drugs, brains, and behavior: The science of addiction. National Institutes of Health. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drugs-brain

[5] [11] Goyal, M., Singh, S., Sibinga, E. M., Gould, N. F., Rowland-Seymour, A., Sharma, R., Berger, Z., Sleicher, D., Maron, D. D., Shihab, H. M., Ranasinghe, P. D., Linn, S., Saha, S., Bass, E. B., & Haythornthwaite, J. A. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(3), 357–368. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018

[6] Witkiewitz, K., Lustyk, M. K., & Bowen, S. (2013). Retraining the addicted brain: A review of hypothesized neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27(2), 351–365. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3699602/

[7] Li, W., Howard, M. O., Garland, E. L., McGovern, P., & Lazar, M. (2017). Mindfulness treatment for substance misuse: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 75, 62–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2017.01.008

[9] Garland, E. L., Manusov, E. G., Froeliger, B., Kelly, A., Williams, J. M., & Howard, M. O. (2014). Mindfulness-oriented recovery enhancement for chronic pain and prescription opioid misuse: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 82(3), 448–459. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035798

[10] Sancho, M., De Gracia, M., Rodríguez, R. C., Mallorquí-Bagué, N., Sánchez-González, J., Trujols, J., Sánchez, I., Jiménez-Murcia, S., & Menchón, J. M. (2018). Mindfulness-based interventions for the treatment of substance and behavioral addictions: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, 95. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00095

[12] Basso, J. C., McHale, A., Ende, V., Oberlin, D. J., & Suzuki, W. A. (2019). Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators. Behavioural Brain Research, 356, 208–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2018.08.023

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