Adding a telehealth mindfulness-based program called Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) to standard methadone treatment reduced the risk of returning to drug use by 42% and the risk of dropping out of methadone treatment by 59% over 16 weeks among people with opioid use disorder and chronic pain. Participants receiving MORE also had fewer days of drug use, better methadone adherence, and greater reductions in pain and depression than those receiving standard care alone. Anxiety did not differ significantly between groups. The findings suggest that telehealth MORE is a feasible and effective supplement to methadone treatment.
A 10-session group psychotherapy intervention, grounded in cognitive-behavioral therapy but designed to open participants to spiritual experience, was tested for feasibility and preliminary efficacy in 15 men with long-term substance use and a history of incarceration living in a residential treatment program. All scales measuring spirituality, mystical experience, healing, and well-being showed statistically significant improvements from before to after the intervention. Fourteen of the 15 men reported a very strong or extreme spiritual experience. The pattern and magnitude of change were similar across two sequential cohorts, suggesting replicability. The authors conclude the intervention is feasible and warrants further study, though the lack of a control group limits conclusions about efficacy.
An 8-week Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) intervention improved emotional regulation difficulty and altered brain connectivity in women undergoing residential treatment for opioid use disorder. In a pilot sample of nine participants, emotional regulation difficulty significantly decreased after the intervention. Functional MRI during a 10-minute guided meditation showed increased connectivity between the left ventromedial prefrontal cortex and left amygdala, and between the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and left nucleus accumbens. A single 10-minute guided meditation session immediately improved positive mood, but did not significantly affect opioid craving. These preliminary findings suggest potential benefits of MORE for emotional regulation and brain function, warranting larger studies.