Workshop 20

 

Mindfulness Meditation in the Treatment of Addictive Behavior

Alan Marlatt, University of Washington, USA

 

 

Mindfulness meditation can be integrated with relapse prevention strategies for individuals in treatment for addictive behaviour problems.  Preliminary studies have shown that the regular practice of meditation is associated with reduced alcohol and drug use.  Meditation techniques include Transcedental Meditation (TM) and Vipassana Meditation (VM) practice.  Results from a recent study with prison inmates show that participation in a 10-day VM course is associated with significant reductions in addictive behaviour in a 3-month  follow-up assessment conducted following release from incarceration.  In this workshop, participants will be instructed in a new meditation program designed for outpatient treatment in a group setting:  Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP), consisting of 8 weekly treatment sessions patterned after Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for depression.  The focus will be on how to train clients in mindfulness meditation and how to apply this as a coping strategy to prevent and/or manage relapse episodes.
 
Key Objectives: Participants will acquire the following skills:
1) How to teach clients basic mindfulness meditation practice
2) How to apply MBRP as a means of preventing relapse
3) How to assess the effectiveness of MBRP intervention
4) How to utilize MBRP and its relationship to MBCT for clients with co-occurring disorders.

Training Modalities: In this workshop the components of MBRP will be taught through direct didactic instruction, meditation practice, and related experiential training (including case studies and role-plays).

Alan Marlatt is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the Univeristy of Washington.  His major area of clinical work and research is in the prevention and treatment of addictive behavior problems.   He is known for his work in the development of cognitive-behavioral therapy in this field, including relapse prevention and harm reduction.  He is currently conducting a clinical trial funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to evaluate MBRP for clients on an outpatient basis.
 
References: 1) Witkiewitz, K., Marlatt, G.A., and Walker, D.D. (2005)  Mindfulness-based relapse prevention for alcohol use disorders.  Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 19, 221-228. 
2) Marlatt, G.A. (2002).  Buddhist philosophy and the treatment of addictive behavior.  Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9, 44-49.
3) Marlatt, G.A. and Kristeller, J (1999).  Mindfulness and meditation.  In W.R. Miller (Ed.).  Integrating spirituality in treatment.  Washington DC:  American Psychological Association Books.