Immediate Effects of Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy as an Adjunct to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder.
Cynthia J Price, Kenneth C Pike, Anna Treadway, Julia K Palmer, Joseph O Merrill
Mindfulness November 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-024-02463-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 303 |
| Population | Adults stabilized on medication for opioid use disorder from community clinics in the Northwestern United States |
| Intervention | Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT) |
| Duration | 3 months post-intervention |
| Topics | Addiction Meditation |
| Keywords | Interoception Intervention Mixed methods Randomized controlled trial |
| Citations | 9 |
| Registration | NCT04082637 |
| Key findings | Adding the mindfulness-based intervention MABT to MOUD did not reduce substance use but significantly improved PTSD symptoms, interoceptive awareness, pain severity, pain interference, and physical symptom frequency compared to MOUD alone. |
Abstract
The need for improve medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment outcomes can be limited by co-occurring polysubstance use, mental health, and chronic pain conditions. Interoceptive training may facilitate well-being and support medication treatment for MOUD. While effective, medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment outcomes can be limited by co-occurring polysubstance use, mental health, and chronic pain conditions. Interoceptive training may facilitate well-being and support medication treatment for MOUD. This study examined the pre-post effects of the mindfulness-based intervention Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT) as an adjunct to MOUD. MABT teaches interoceptive awareness skills to promote self-care and emotion regulation. Participants stabilized on medication for opioid use disorder (OUD) (n = 303) from six community clinics in North-western United States were recruited and randomly assigned to MABT plus MOUD or MOUD only. In a mixed-methods study, we used an intent-to-treat approach (analyzing participants based on their assigned group, regardless of adherence) to examine the proportion of days abstinent from non-prescribed opioids, and other substance use (primary outcomes) at baseline and 3 months post-intervention. Secondary outcomes included symptoms of mental health distress, emotional regulation difficulties, pain and physical symptom indicators, interoceptive awareness, and mindfulness skills. Participant experience of MABT was collected through post-intervention surveys. Changes in outcomes were assessed using linear mixed models; content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Levels of overall substance use were low and did not differ between groups. Significant improvements in PTSD symptoms, interoceptive awareness, pain severity, pain activity interference, and physical symptom frequency were found for those who received MABT compared to MOUD only. In this stable MOUD population, substance use outcomes were not improved; however, MABT demonstrated significant positive changes across multiple health outcomes critical for improving MOUD treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov identifer: NCT04082637.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on addiction, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Enhancing interoceptive awareness in chronic pain and opioid misuse via mindfulness-oriented recovery enhancement. Drug and Alcohol Dependence June 2, 2025
- Mindfulness training accelerates anxiety and depression relief via enhanced psychological resilience World Journal of Psychiatry June 30, 2026
- Patient Outcomes Improve in a Pragmatic Implementation Pilot Study of Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT) for Chronic Pain. Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health 2025
- Longitudinal Effects of Interoceptive Awareness Training as an Adjunct to Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy Drug and Alcohol Dependence August 1, 2025
Cites 12
- Women Benefit More Than Men in Response to College-based Meditation Training. Frontiers in Psychology 2017
- Restructuring reward processing with Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement: novel therapeutic mechanisms to remediate hedonic dysregulation in addiction, stress, and pain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences April 1, 2016
- Telehealth Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement vs Usual Care in Individuals With Opioid Use Disorder and Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry April 1, 2024
- Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement for Veterans and Military Personnel on Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial American Journal of Psychiatry January 10, 2024
- Within-Person Modulation of Neural Networks following Interoceptive Awareness Training through Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT): A Pilot Study. Brain Sciences September 30, 2023
and 7 more in the library