Mindfulness in addiction treatment is a therapeutic approach that involves cultivating a heightened awareness of the present moment and maintaining a nonjudgmental attitude. The person exercises the ability to observe their thoughts, emotions, and experiences without labelling them as “good,” “bad,” “right,” or “wrong.”
It involves accepting things as they are in the present moment rather than reacting with criticism, frustration, or self-blame.
At first, people may find mindfulness difficult, as it requires effort to change usual mindsets and patterns to distract from and avoid. However, as they continue to practice, they often experience greater ease. Individuals notice improved skills to face uncomfortable emotions and thoughts.
Mindfulness-Based Approach
Mindfulness can play an important role in recovery, offering a person significant benefits to overcome addiction. Many treatment programs incorporate mindfulness. It helps individuals develop skills for managing cravings, reducing stress, and building emotional resilience.
Using only mindfulness without integrating other tools or support systems is often insufficient for long-term success. Here’s a breakdown of how mindfulness can play a role in recovery.
How Mindfulness Supports Recovery
- Awareness of Triggers: A person practicing mindfulness becomes more aware of their thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and surroundings. It helps the individual identify their triggers beforehand, ensuring that their sobriety stays intact.
- Reducing Reactivity: By practicing mindfulness, a person can learn to observe cravings and emotional responses without immediately acting on them, creating space for conscious decision-making.
- Stress Reduction: Mindfulness techniques, like meditation, deep breathing and others, reduce stress and anxiety, which are common relapse triggers.
- Enhancing Emotional Regulation: It teaches an individual to tend to uncomfortable emotions and not escape them, enhancing emotional strength.
- Improving Focus and Self-Control: People regularly practicing mindfulness will strengthen their cognitive control. This, in turn, makes managing their impulses easier.
Why Other Strategies Are Often Needed
- Underlying Issues: The person’s recovery may involve deeper psychological issues, trauma, or co-occurring disorders. Mindfulness alone will not be enough to resolve the underlying problems. Therapy, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) or other counselling methods, will be necessary.
- Social Support: Connecting with others, whether through group therapy or community support (like 12-step programs), provides accountability, shared experiences, and encouragement.
- Medical Treatment: Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) or medical supervision may be necessary depending on the person’s substance or issue. The individual may have difficulty with withdrawal or have severe cravings. In such cases, MAT can facilitate the start of recovery.
- Life Skills and Structure: Learning and reinforcing healthy coping mechanisms, establishing routines, and creating a balanced lifestyle are essential for long-term recovery.
Holistic Approach and the Use of Mindfulness in Recovery
A person has a choice of many different treatment approaches in rehabilitation. Here, we’ll touch on mindfulness and a holistic approach, which have different concepts and enclose distinct aspects of treatment. Here are the main differences and how each contributes to recovery:
Mindfulness in Recovery:
- Mindfulness is when the individual practices staying in the present moment and being aware of thoughts, feelings, and the surrounding environment without judging. The person focuses on staying in the now and engaging in the current moment, which forms resilience.
- Its primary goal is to help the person with self-awareness and emotional regulation. It allows the individual to recognize triggers and respond to cravings and stressors without reacting.
- Techniques like meditation, deep breathing exercises, body scans, and mindful activities like mindful eating or walking.
- Its role in recovery is to help people manage stress, increase emotional resilience, and reduce the likelihood of relapse by encouraging greater awareness of thought patterns and emotional responses. It is often integrated into various therapies, such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT).
Holistic Approach in Recovery
- A holistic approach treats the whole individual meaning their mind, body, and spirit and not just focusing on the physical symptoms of addiction. In this process the person recognizes that various aspects of their life contribute to their well-being and recovery.
- Its primary goal is to achieve balance and harmony across different areas of life to support long-term recovery and wellness.
- Its components can include mindfulness but also extend to physical health (nutrition, exercise), emotional health (counselling, support groups), spiritual practices (yoga, meditation), creative therapies (art or music therapy), and social aspects (community involvement, relationships).
- Its role in recovery is to address underlying issues contributing to addiction. A person may have had trauma, physical health problems, or a lack of meaningful social connections. This method’s goal is to heal and give support for that individual in all aspects of their lives.
What are the Differences
- Scope: Mindfulness is a practice or set of techniques that can be part of a holistic approach, while a holistic approach is a broader philosophy that includes various types of treatments and practices, including mindfulness.
- Focus: Mindfulness focuses on present-moment awareness and individual mental health. Holistic recovery encompasses a wider range of treatments that consider all aspects of a person’s life (mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual.)
- Application: Mindfulness can be practiced independently as part of daily routines, whereas a holistic approach often requires coordination among different therapies and professionals to address various needs.
How They Complement Each Other
In summary, mindfulness is a powerful tool centred on awareness of what one is sensing and feeling in the moment and using tools to manage it.
A holistic approach provides a wider scope of treatment that can incorporate mindfulness and other therapies to support the person in recovery.
In summary, mindfulness is a powerful tool centred on awareness of what one is sensing and feeling in the moment and using tools to manage it.
A holistic approach provides a wider scope of treatment that can incorporate mindfulness and other therapies to support the person in recovery.
If you are looking for help for drug addiction and would like information on private treatment centres in Canada, click here.
Carole Pelland
Substance Abuse
Digital Marketing Administrator
& Author
