Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are increasingly used to treat addictive behaviors, with over a dozen protocols now available. This review outlines the evidence for their efficacy and the mechanisms thought to underlie their effects. It also identifies unresolved implementation issues, including a lack of clear guidelines for training providers, adapting the traditional two-hour closed-cohort group format, delivering MBIs one-on-one, timing interventions at different stages of behavior change, using technology-based platforms, and enabling precision medicine. The authors suggest specific research directions to increase access to MBIs for clinicians and clients.
Mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) may help people with addiction by retraining brain processes underlying craving, automaticity, and stress reactivity. This review synthesizes evidence that MBRP targets key neurobiological mechanisms, including reduced activation in reward-related regions, enhanced prefrontal control over impulses, and decreased stress-induced relapse vulnerability. The authors hypothesize that mindfulness practice strengthens cognitive control and weakens habitual, automatic responses to drug cues. While the review draws on preliminary neuroimaging and behavioral studies, it notes that direct evidence for these mechanisms in MBRP remains limited. The paper outlines a theoretical framework for how mindfulness could counteract addiction-related brain changes, suggesting a promising but not yet fully established pathway for relapse prevention.