Mindfulness therapy

Harnessing the power of self-awareness through mindfulness can play a pivotal role in overcoming addiction. Mindfulness-based treatment, a major component of our recovery programmes at Oasis Runcorn, aids in creating a balanced path during detox, rehab and aftercare. Mindfulness therapy can help improve every aspect of your mental and emotional health and well-being, empower you to gain control over your cravings and reduce the possibility of reverting to harmful behaviours.

Mindfulness is like turning up the volume on your awareness. It is about being totally present in the here and now, not worrying about the past or the future or judging or criticising what you are thinking or feeling.

Think of it this way: your thoughts and feelings are like clouds passing by in the sky. You can observe them, but you are not those clouds. You are the sky. While this may sound a little “new age”, this realisation can help you manage your thoughts and feelings more effectively instead of letting them control you.

Mindfulness therapy uses this idea to help people overcome various issues like anxiety, depression, chronic pain and, crucially, addiction. When you regularly practise mindfulness, you become more tuned into your thoughts and emotions and can recognise those that could lead you to make poor decisions or act impulsively.

Mindfulness teaches you to pause and take a breath when you are in a tough spot. It gives you the chance to let go of negative thoughts rather than acting on them straight away. Instead of following harmful patterns like substance abuse, you have the space to choose a healthier, more positive action. This power to choose differently is one of the main benefits of mindfulness.

In the context of addiction recovery, mindfulness-based treatments aid individuals in managing their cravings, resisting the allure of temptation, and handling the emotional factors that may have led to their addictive behaviours. It can be incorporated into both individual and group therapy sessions or can be a part of a self-guided programme.

Integrating mindfulness therapy into rehab treatment can enable you to:

• Develop an acute awareness of your emotional state, especially during challenging times or when faced with triggers
• Manage cravings and impulses
• Stay grounded in the present
• Prevent relapse by resisting temptation
• Address emotional issues that may have led to dependency

It is important to know that addiction isn’t just about needing a substance physically. It often involves hard-to-deal-with feelings or mental health problems that have been around for a long time. These problems need to be recognised and handled well to really beat dependency for good.

When you are caught in the cycle of dependency, you often feel a very strong urge or desire for something, even when it doesn’t make sense or is harmful. It is like your brain is on autopilot, and it can be incredibly hard to think straight or make good choices.

This is where mindfulness therapy can really help. It gives you a tool to manage these strong desires or urges. By helping you stay in the present and really pay attention to what is happening, you can start to break free from these automatic, harmful patterns.