Substance use & addiction journal
July 1, 2025
Kristoffer L Rehder, Benjamin J Morasco, Sarah Bowen
1 citation
A growing body of evidence points to a role for mindfulness in the development or maintenance of co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD). However, the mechanisms of this relationship remain unclear in the veteran population. This study seeks to understand how PTSD and facets of mindfulness are associated with factors of SUD in veterans enrolled in a VA...
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
April 4, 2024
Michael Christopher, Sarah Bowen, Katie Witkiewitz et al.
9 citations
Law enforcement officers (LEOs) are exposed to significant stressors that can impact their mental health, increasing risk of posttraumatic stress disorder, burnout, at-risk alcohol use, depression, and suicidality. Compromised LEO health can subsequently lead to aggression and excessive use of force. Mindfulness training is a promising approach for high-stress populations and has been shown to...
Frontiers in Public Health
2024
Mayra Pires Alves Machado, Emérita Sátiro Opaleye, Andre Bedendo et al.
3 citations
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a chronic condition that impacts various facets of an individual's life, and society as a whole. The Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) protocol is an innovative intervention that can help to prevent relapse, particularly when used as a post-treatment approach. However, although there is significant evidence of its effectiveness in studies from...
Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment
September 1, 2023
Therese K Killeen, Nathaniel L Baker, Lori L. Davis et al.
3 citations
Complementary integrative medicine, such as mindfulness-based interventions, (MBI) have demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of depression, anxiety, substance use disorders (SUDs), and pain. Mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) is an aftercare intervention targeting SUD relapse that integrates cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention and mindfulness meditation practices, raising...
Psychol Addict Behav
October 26, 2017
Adam D. Wilson, Corey Roos, Charles S. Robinson et al.
42 citations
Over the past 35 years, mindfulness meditation practices have increasingly been integrated into Western medical settings. Research into the benefits of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) continues to expand, such that there are currently more than a dozen different protocolled MBIs for patients suffering from a variety of physical and psychological disorders. In the last decade, a number of...
Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)
July 1, 2017
Sarah Bowen, Vanessa C Somohano, Rachel E Rutkie et al.
As rates of opiate misuse rise in the United States, so do significant associated health and financial consequences to afflicted individuals, their families, and society at large. Methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) is one evidence-based approach to treating opiate addiction, yet supplemental psychosocial treatment to support this approach is lacking. Mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP)...
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
October 2010
Judson A Brewer, Sarah Bowen, Joseph T Smith et al.
Both depression and substance use disorders represent major global public health concerns and are often co-occurring. Although there are ongoing discoveries regarding the pathophysiology and treatment of each condition, common mechanisms and effective treatments for co-occurring depression and substance abuse remain elusive. Mindfulness training has been shown recently to benefit both...
Addictive behaviors
October 1, 2007
Sarah Bowen, Katie Witkiewitz, Tiara M Dillworth et al.
Previous studies have demonstrated that attempts to suppress thoughts about using substances may actually lead to increases in substance use. Vipassana, a mindfulness meditation practice, emphasizes acceptance, rather than suppression, of unwanted thoughts. A study by Bowen and colleagues examining the effects of a Vipassana course on substance use in an incarcerated population showed...
Journal of Traumatic Stress
June 1, 2007
Tracy L. Simpson, D Kaysen, Sarah Bowen et al.
The present study evaluated whether Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptom severity was associated with participation and treatment outcomes comparing a Vipassana meditation course to treatment as usual in an incarcerated sample. This study utilizes secondary data. The original study demonstrated that Vipassana meditation is associated with reductions in substance use. The present study...
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
August 28, 2006
Sarah Bowen, Katie Witkiewitz, Tiara M Dillworth et al.
495 citations
Despite the availability of various substance abuse treatments, alcohol and drug misuse and related negative consequences remain prevalent. Vipassana meditation (VM), a Buddhist mindfulness-based practice, provides an alternative for individuals who do not wish to attend or have not succeeded with traditional addiction treatments. In this study, the authors evaluated the effectiveness of a VM...
Addictive behaviors
August 2005
Janis Leigh, Sarah Bowen, G Alan Marlatt
A growing body of research suggests that mindfulness-based therapies may be effective in treating a variety of disorders including stress, chronic pain, depression and anxiety. However, there are few valid and reliable measures of mindfulness. Furthermore, mindfulness is often thought to be related to spirituality, given its roots in Buddhist tradition, but empirical studies on this...