In the past few years, mindfulness-based therapy has become a buzzword for a good reason. Finding peacefulness and stillness in this fast-moving world has become more difficult than ever.
Although there are mindfulness practices such as meditation and yoga have been used across the globe for centuries, new research has been conducted on the proven benefits and positive outcomes of the mindfulness technique.
Results showed that the technique also has positive effects when applied to craving and addiction, mental health, relapse prevention, and overall brain well-being and function.
What is Mindfulness?
The core meaning of mindfulness is presence. It is a general practice of cultivating awareness of feelings, thoughts, and surroundings without judgment. Mindfulness cultivates moment-to-moment awareness.
This practice can be done in various ways, and thousands of exercises have been developed to facilitate this practice. Some exercises include breathing exercises, meditation, embodied movement, and body scans.
Other exercises focus on five senses: taste, touch, smell, sound, and sight. Almost all practices of mindfulness have a common general theme: slow down, drop into bodies, and observe the experience.
How Does Mindfulness Work in Addiction Recovery?
In addiction recovery, a mindfulness-based therapy does not only treats the substance abuse but treats the whole person. This technique has many advantages and has significantly proven to reduce stress, anxiety, distraction, reactivity, and depression.
As all of these are roadblocks to recovery, mindfulness treats all these problems. In addition, the technique is also clinically proven to enhance self-compassion, cognition, and focus. It also improves the immune system, heart health, resilience, rest, sense of belonging, and feelings of connection.
If we talk about the relapse prevention strategies, the technique of mindfulness helps to increase recognition and awareness of negative feelings, thoughts, and triggers that may cause relapse. If you want to know more about this technique, call us today!