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The Emerging Science of Mindfulness as a Treatment for Addiction

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Mindfulness and Buddhist-Derived Approaches in Mental Health and Addiction

Part of the book series: Advances in Mental Health and Addiction ((AMHA))

Abstract

Few conditions cause as much suffering on a personal and societal level as addictions. There have been considerable advances in elucidating the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms underlying addiction, but these insights have not translated into treatment innovations. Mindfulness training, a method of self-observation based on ancient Buddhist psychological models of human suffering, has recently shown promise in the treatment of addictions. Remarkably, the early Buddhist models might be able to further inform our current understanding of addiction and offer novel treatments that outperform traditional options. While Buddhist meditations were not originally designed to specifically treat substance dependencies, Buddhist psychological models show considerable overlap with the current models of addiction, and Buddhist practices aim explicitly to eliminate the causes of craving. In this chapter, we will describe the overlap and similarities between early and contemporary models of the addictive process, review studies of mindfulness training for addictions and their mechanistic effects on the relationship between craving and behavior, and discuss recent neuroimaging studies that help to inform our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying mindfulness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Center for Mindfulness, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Shrewsbury, MA, 01545, USA

    Sean Dae Houlihan & Judson A. Brewer MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Sean Dae Houlihan
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  2. Judson A. Brewer MD, PhD
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Correspondence to Judson A. Brewer MD, PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Awake to Wisdom, Centre for Meditation and Mindfulness Research, and Psychology Division, Chaucer Building, Bodhayati School of Buddhism, Nottingham, UK, and Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Edo Shonin

  2. & Nottingham Trent Univ., Bodhayati School of Buddhism, Nottingham & Nottingham Trent Univ., Nottingham, United Kingdom

    William Van Gordon

  3. Nottingham Trent University , Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Mark D. Griffiths

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Houlihan, S.D., Brewer, J.A. (2016). The Emerging Science of Mindfulness as a Treatment for Addiction. In: Shonin, E., Gordon, W., Griffiths, M. (eds) Mindfulness and Buddhist-Derived Approaches in Mental Health and Addiction. Advances in Mental Health and Addiction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22255-4_9

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