Mindfulness as a Treatment for Behavioural Addiction

Abstract

Mindfulness is one of the fastest growing areas of psychological research and over 70% of general practitioners in the United Kingdom now believe that mindfulness/meditation can be beneficial for patients with mental health issues [1]. In a previous issue of the Journal of Addiction Research and Therapy, Penberthy focused on an intervention known as mindfulness-based relapse prevention [MBRP] and argued that MBRP appears to be an effective treatment for reducing substance use relapse [2]. Following a critical review of the latest empirical and clinical evidence, we argue that there may also be applications for mindfulness approaches in the treatment of non-chemical (i.e., behavioural) addictions.