Mindfulness-based treatment of addiction: Current state of the field and envisioning the next wave of research

Course overview

Contemporary advances in addiction neuroscience have paralleled increasing interest in the ancient mental training practice of mindfulness meditation as a potential therapy for addiction. In the past decade, mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been studied as a treatment for an array addictive behaviors, including drinking, smoking, opioid misuse, and use of illicit substances like cocaine and heroin. This article reviews current research evaluating MBIs as a treatment for addiction, with a focus on findings pertaining to clinical outcomes and biobehavioral mechanisms. Issues pertaining to MBI treatment optimization and sequencing, dissemination and implementation, dose-response relationships, automaticity, and research rigor and reproducibility are discussed. SMART is recommended for further research.