Eric Garland, clinical researcher and psychotherapist, discusses using mindfulness for addiction and chronic pain. Topics include early mystical experiences, meditation's healing power, self-transcendence, Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement for addiction and chronic pain, reappraisal, savoring natural rewards, deconstructing pain, clinical trial results, and lessons learned.
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) focuses on restructuring reward pathways to reduce addiction and enhance fulfillment in daily life.
Mindfulness practice in MORE helps individuals develop metacognitive awareness, reframe experiences, and appreciate natural healthy pleasure for improved well-being.
Deep dives
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) helps people reclaim pleasure and meaning in everyday life
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) is an integrative treatment that combines mindfulness training, cognitive behavioral therapy, and principles from positive psychology to address addiction, stress, and chronic pain. MORE focuses on teaching individuals how to reclaim a healthy sense of pleasure, joy, and meaning in everyday life. By using mindfulness techniques such as reappraisal and savoring, MORE helps individuals reframe their negative thoughts and focus on the positive aspects of their experiences. It also enhances self-transcendence, the ability to move beyond self-centered thinking and gain a greater appreciation of being part of a larger whole. Research has shown that MORE significantly reduces opioid misuse, decreases pain, improves functioning, reduces depression, and increases feelings of meaning and positive affect. These effects have been sustained up to nine months after the treatment. MORE has the potential to be a widely accessible therapy that can be integrated into standard medical care and community mental health centers.
The Restructuring Reward Hypothesis: Reclaiming pleasure and joy in everyday life
The Restructuring Reward Hypothesis is a key concept in the development of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE). It suggests that the blunting of the brain's reward system in addiction can be reversed by teaching individuals how to regain a sense of healthy pleasure and joy from everyday objects and events. MORE aims to increase sensitivity to natural rewards and decrease reactivity to drug-related cues, ultimately reducing craving and addictive behavior. Research has shown that MORE significantly reduces opioid misuse, decreases pain, improves functioning, and enhances self-transcendence. By focusing on the restructuring of reward pathways, MORE provides a meaningful and effective approach to overcoming addiction and finding fulfillment in everyday life.
The Role of Mindfulness in Healing from Addiction, Stress, and Chronic Pain
Mindfulness plays a central role in Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), a treatment developed for addiction, stress, and chronic pain. MORE combines mindfulness training, cognitive behavioral therapy, and principles from positive psychology. Mindfulness practice enhances metacognitive awareness of present-moment experiences, allowing individuals to observe their thoughts and emotions from an objective perspective. MORE incorporates mindfulness techniques such as reappraisal and savoring to help individuals reframe their experiences, find new meaning, and appreciate the positive aspects of daily life. By developing resilience and focusing on natural healthy pleasure, MORE helps individuals overcome addiction, reduce stress, manage chronic pain, and improve overall well-being.
The Mind and Body Connection: Interoceptive Recovery and Self-Transcendence
In Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), attention is drawn to the mind-body connection and the importance of interoceptive recovery. Interoception refers to awareness of bodily sensations and is crucial for healing from addiction, stress, and chronic pain. MORE teaches individuals to refocus their attention away from negative thoughts and towards their bodies, allowing them to break down pain and notice both the unpleasant and pleasant sensations. By exploring the body's responses and developing self-transcendence, individuals can find relief from suffering. MORE promotes self-regulation, fosters a sense of agency, and encourages individuals to reconnect with natural healthy pleasure, leading to increased well-being and a decreased reliance on opioids and maladaptive behaviors.
In this episode, Wendy speaks with clinical researcher and psychotherapist Eric Garland. Eric has spent his career developing effective ways to use mindfulness and other contemplative approaches for problems like addiction and chronic pain. Their conversation covers many topics, including:
how early mystical experiences led him to a contemplative path;
the power of meditation to heal and restore well-being;
self-transcendence and non-dual states of consciousness;
the features of his intervention, Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), and its application for addiction and chronic pain;
how reappraisal can help in difficult situations;
the role of savoring and reconnecting with natural rewards;
deconstructing pain;
a large clinical trial showing how effective MORE is, and how it might work;
and the biggest lesson he's learned from his work so far.
