The Emerging Role of Meditation in Addressing Psychiatric Illness, with a Focus on Substance Use Disorders

Dakwar, Elias; Levin, Frances R.

doi:10.1080/10673220903149135

Cited by 40 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…Several theoretical review papers have hypothesized that mind–body practices such as yoga and meditation/mindfulness may be beneficial for preventing and treating substance abuse and addictive behavior (e.g., Calajoe 1987; Dakwar and Levin 2009; Kissen and Kissen-Kohn 2009; Lohman 1999). Indeed, a recent increase in research on this topic has led to a number of systematic literature reviews summarizing the effects of mind–body practices on substance use (Carim-Todd et al 2013; Chiesa and Serretti 2014; Katz and Toner 2013; Khanna and Greeson 2013; Zgierska et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Yoga for Preventing Adolescent Substance Use Risk Factors in a Middle School Setting: A Preliminary Group-Randomized Controlled Trial

Butzer

LoRusso

Shin

et al. 2016

J Youth Adolescence

102

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Adolescence is a key developmental period for preventing substance use initiation, however prevention programs solely providing educational information about the dangers of substance use rarely change adolescent substance use behaviors. Recent research suggests that mind–body practices such as yoga may have beneficial effects on several substance use risk factors, and that these practices may serve as promising interventions for preventing adolescent substance use. The primary aim of the present study was to test the efficacy of yoga for reducing substance use risk factors during early adolescence. Seventh-grade students in a public school were randomly assigned by classroom to receive either a 32-session yoga intervention (n = 117) in place of their regular physical education classes or to continue with physical-education-as-usual (n = 94). Participants (63.2 % female; 53.6 % White) completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires assessing emotional self-regulation, perceived stress, mood impairment, impulsivity, substance use willingness, and actual substance use. Participants also completed questionnaires at 6-months and 1-year post-intervention. Results revealed that participants in the control condition were significantly more willing to try smoking cigarettes immediately post-intervention than participants in the yoga condition. Immediate pre- to post-intervention differences did not emerge for the remaining outcomes. However, long-term follow-up analyses revealed a pattern of delayed effects in which females in the yoga condition, and males in the control condition, demonstrated improvements in emotional self-control. The findings suggest that school-based yoga may have beneficial effects with regard to preventing males' and females' willingness to smoke cigarettes, as well as improving emotional self-control in females. However additional research is required, particularly with regard to the potential long-term effects of mind–body interventions in school settings. The present study contributes to the literature on adolescence by examining school-based yoga as a novel prevention program for substance use risk factors.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Yoga for Preventing Adolescent Substance Use Risk Factors in a Middle School Setting: A Preliminary Group-Randomized Controlled Trial

Butzer

LoRusso

Shin

et al. 2016

J Youth Adolescence

102

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Mindfulness training may be beneficial in a number of ways: by improving attention and self-awareness; by revitalizing the capacity for healthy adaptation; by ameliorating drug-related ruminations and cravings; by reducing emotional reactivity, cue reactivity and stress sensitivity; by correcting problematic cognitions; and by providing a rewarding and relaxing alternative to drug use. 1,19,20 The focus of training, especially in the individual setting, can be readily guided by the particular deficits and needs of the patient (see Case 2).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual mindfulness‐based psychotherapy for cannabis or cocaine dependence: A pilot feasibility trial

Dakwar

Levin

2013

American J Addict

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Background Mindfulness-based approaches may be effective treatments for substance use disorders (SUDs), but they have only been investigated for SUDs in the group setting. Methods A novel 10-week individual mindfulness-based psychotherapy was provided weekly to participants. Tolerability and therapeutic feasibility were assessed by retention rates, incidence of adverse events or clinical worsening, and abstinence rates at the end of the protocol. Results Twenty-five patients were enrolled overall, and 19 completed (74% overall retention rate). Of the 14 cannabis dependent patients enrolled in the study, 11 completed (79%), and 8 achieved abstinence (57% by intent-to-treat analysis) at 10 weeks. Of the 11 cocaine dependent patients, 8 completed (73%), and 6 achieved abstinence (55% by ITT) at 10 weeks. Abstinence rates were substantially greater than those of historical comparison groups. Conclusions These findings indicate that mindfulness training can be tolerably and feasibly extended to the individual psychotherapy setting for the treatment of cocaine or cannabis dependence.

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“…Part of the reason for the rising interest in meditation is that clinical research now suggests that meditation-based practices may be an effective means of addressing anxiety (Goldin and Gross 2010), depression (Toneatto and Nguyen 2007), and substance abuse (Dakwar and Levin 2009). Published accounts of meditation-based medical research typically focus on changes in biomarkers or self-reported scales before and after a standardized intervention.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Open Mind, Open Heart: An Anthropological Study of the Therapeutics of Meditation Practice in the US

Myers

Lewis

Dutton

2015

Cult Med Psychiatry

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Based on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews collected with meditation teachers and students in the United States, this article will argue that active training in meditation-based practices occasions the opportunity for people with traumatic stress to develop a stronger mind-body connection through heightened somatic awareness and a focus on the present moment that they find to be therapeutic. Three important themes related to healing through meditation for trauma emerged from the data and centered around the ways our interlocutors attempted to realign their sense of self, mind and body, after a traumatic experience. The themes helped explain why US women perceive meditation as therapeutic for trauma, namely that the practice of meditation enables one to focus on the lived present rather than traumatic memories, to accept pain and “open” one's heart, and to make use of silence instead of speech as a healing modality. As meditation practices increasingly enter global popular culture, promoted for postulated health benefits, the driving question of this research—how meditation may perpetuate human resilience for women who have experienced trauma based on their own perspectives of meditation practices—is a critical addition to the literature.

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The Emerging Role of Meditation in Addressing Psychiatric Illness, with a Focus on Substance Use Disorders

Cited by 40 publications

References 71 publications

Evaluation of Yoga for Preventing Adolescent Substance Use Risk Factors in a Middle School Setting: A Preliminary Group-Randomized Controlled Trial

Evaluation of Yoga for Preventing Adolescent Substance Use Risk Factors in a Middle School Setting: A Preliminary Group-Randomized Controlled Trial

Individual mindfulness‐based psychotherapy for cannabis or cocaine dependence: A pilot feasibility trial

Open Mind, Open Heart: An Anthropological Study of the Therapeutics of Meditation Practice in the US

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