Inner Harmony: Meditation for Addiction Recovery Indiana Center for Recovery

Furthermore, the prevalence of behavioral addictions varies among men and women. For instance, one 2015 study found that excessive eating and shopping were two and three times higher in women than men, respectively; meanwhile, excessive sexual behavior was four times higher in males [3]. Most types of meditation have three common components that are the key to their effectiveness. There is only so much that you can control, and having the knowledge and tools to be able to choose how to react to situations beyond your control can help keep you on the track to recovery.

Thanks to fear and its close cousin, anxiety, our senses and cognitive functions are triggered to activate the fight-or-flight response in dangerous situations. Less-hazardous reasons that people may feel anxious include having to make an important presentation or take a final exam. This type of anxiety, which helps us stay alert and aware, differs from having a clinical anxiety disorder. Clinical social worker, author, and nationally recognized guided imagery pioneer Belleruth Naparstek, ACSW, BCD is the founder of Health Journeys and the voice on many of its award-winning audios. For years, she has served on the faculty of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, training physicians from around the world in mind-body techniques.

What Kind of Meditation is Right for Me?

Meditation apps, such as Headspace or Calm, provide a convenient way to access guided meditations and track progress. These apps offer various meditation styles, timers, and reminders to support daily practice. Studies have indicated that meditation enhances emotional regulation, providing individuals with a greater capacity to regulate their emotions.

The definition of mindfulness is the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. So, mindfulness techniques aim to help an individual become more in tune with the current moment, their inner selves, and their thoughts and feelings. In mindfulness meditation, you don’t need anything other than a quiet place to practice and a few spare minutes. This makes it the perfect technique for those on their journey to recovery as it is accessible for everyone. Studies have found that being mindful and present, even while doing a disagreeable task, makes individuals feel more contented than when the mind drifts into thoughts of the past and the future.

How Meditation Can Help During Addiction Recovery

Mindfulness meditation or guided meditation for addiction recovery is one way to help people struggling with drug addiction find inner peace. All types of meditation involve being mindful of the present moment, but mindfulness meditation focuses entirely on this concept. In this form of meditation, you work to build your awareness of what is happening right now in your life. Through mindfulness meditation, you will examine your feelings, thoughts, and experiences with detachment and without labeling them. As you breathe deeply, you will allow any thoughts or sensations to pass with detachment – more on mindfulness meditation below. Two primary mindfulness practices are focused attention and open monitoring.

Meditation is an ancient practice based on quieting one’s mind and being aware of the present moment. That quote is best known in recovery groups as the 11th step of AA’s 12-step program. The step calls for recovered addicts to continuously improve their conscious contact with a higher power through prayer and meditation. I understand that withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous therefore I allow others to care for me in order to let my body and mind recover. The 12 Step Toolkit is an app that is based around the 12 step philosophy. This app features a recovery calculator, the big Book, recovery stories, and more.

Promoting cognitive control over automaticity

These abilities are vital to recovery as they allow the individual to deal with stress and triggers, handle cravings and manage signs of underlying mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Meditation is a valuable part of these services for interested clients. Contact The Recovery Village to learn about admissions, treatment options and how our programs can help you begin living a substance-free life.

• Addiction creates a mind of chaos as the brain’s only focus is drugs or alcohol.
• Effective, lifelong recovery starts by treating the whole person, not just the substance use disorder.
• Either way, meditation can help you find a healthier, more natural rhythm when it comes to sleep.
• These researchers examined individuals who learned how to meditate properly through an 8-week course.

Meditation can aid Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by reinforcing focusing on one’s behavior similar to a mindful practice. Lastly, meditation can teach individuals to accept what is, put the past in perspective, or create intentions which are beneficial for someone in treatment. Meditation can not only help individuals in addiction treatment or recovery from substance use disorders, but it can help soothe the mental anguish of co-occurring disorders as well.

You can practice meditation by simply sitting in a quiet room and breathing deeply, focusing on your body and thoughts, and observing them. At Ava Recovery we understand that addiction recovery https://ecosoberhouse.com/ and the maintenance of it extend far beyond detox and therapy. It’s for this reason that our staff offers holistic practices such as meditation as part of our luxury recovery program.

If you’re in professional addiction treatment, you can consult with your care team to incorporate meditation into your treatment and even learn advanced skills. Building new skills does not happen quickly, so patience while learning and practicing this new coping technique is essential. In the article “Alcohol Facts and Statistics,” the National meditation for addiction recovery Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports this chronic relapsing brain disease affects more than 14 million people aged 18 and older in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the opioid epidemic claimed about 450,000 lives in the U.S. from 1999–2018. Drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and hallucinogens also are addictive.

Effective Ways to Integrate Meditation

To reduce their anxiety, they perform compulsive behaviors such as excessive hand-washing. While spiritual meditation is highly individual, the intention behind the practice is to connect to something greater than you in order to activate higher consciousness and awareness of yourself. Alpha and theta frequencies dominate the brain during a meditative state, thereby helping to beat addiction healthily and naturally without the need for expensive medical intervention. In spiritual meditation, you will use silence as your connection with the universe or God. This type of meditation often involves essential oils to intensify the the experience. During focused meditation sessions, you will use one of your five senses as the focal point of meditation.

Meditation for addiction recovery has proven to be successful through different recovery programs. For example, meditation is used during Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.). No addiction treatment plan would be complete without complementary therapies. Here at Sana Lake Recovery Center, we believe in the power of meditation and constant mindfulness. For this reason, we offer a variety of holistic treatments to our members to help them during addiction treatment and long after.