Minding the Gap: Leveraging Mindfulness to Inform Cue Exposure Treatment for Substance Use Disorders.

This theoretical paper proposes that mindfulness practice can enhance cue exposure treatment for substance use disorders by helping individuals tolerate cravings without relapsing. The authors argue that mindfulness training improves awareness of craving-related bodily sensations and reduces automatic behavioral responses, potentially increasing the effectiveness of extinction learning during cue exposure. They suggest that integrating mindfulness into cue exposure protocols may address limitations of traditional exposure-based treatments, particularly high relapse rates. The paper outlines specific mechanisms by which mindfulness could augment extinction processes and offers clinical recommendations for combining these approaches.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Minding the Gap: Leveraging Mindfulness to Inform Cue Exposure Treatment for Substance Use Disorders.