For some time I’ve been cultivating the quality of mindfulness through my studies in Buddhism, the practice of meditation and yoga, and my day-to-day passage through life’s journey. As it’s become increasingly evident to me that living mindfully has profound implications for everyone in recovery, I am devoting this article to the topic of mindfulness in recovery.
What is mindfulness?

Returning to our original definition of mindfulness as being synonymous with awakening, I would add that mindfulness entails being fully present in the immediate moment, with compassion for both ourselves and others. In discussing how mindfulness is at play in expressing the quality of compassion, Richard Fields, author of Awakening to Mindfulness observes: “Compassion involves being gentle instead of reactive (or harsh), being affirming instead of critical, and being present in painful times instead of withdrawing and putting up walls” (Fields, 2008). Mindfulness also entails a commitment to experience our immediate reality as it really is — not as we wish it were or fear it might become. Very importantly, mindfulness involves learning to consciously step outside our usual frame of reference and dispassionately observe our thoughts and feelings – letting them go without attachment if we choose to do so.

Cultivating mindfulness

Cultivating the quality of mindfulness involves practicing one-pointed concentration, where we focus our complete attention on whatever is going on in our life at the present moment. For example, when you are talking with someone, giving that person your full and undivided attention, while consciously choosing the words and tone of conversation that best conveys the message you want to bring across. Another example would be when you are walking, fully focusing your attention on the act of walking, being aware of the sensations in your feet as they touch and leave the ground, while fully experiencing the scenery you encounter, the currents in the air, and other subtle aspects of the experience of walking. In essence, mindfulness is synonymous with being fully present in the here and now.

Mark Williams and associates expound on the interrelation between meditation and mindfulness in The Mindful Way Through Depression (Williams, Teasdale, Segal & Kabat-Zinn, 2007). Paraphrasing from the text: The key to being mindfully present is to cultivate a gentle effort to allow our mind to focus on the here and now, as opposed to attempting to force or control the focus of our attention. One way to tap into the mind’s natural ability to engage in sustained, one-pointed attention is to give ourselves the gentle challenge of intentionally focusing and refocusing our attention on a single object, such as silently repeating a certain word or phrase, or focusing on our breathing.

Useful practices that assist in cultivating mindfulness include engaging in one of the many forms of meditation – including sitting meditation as well as yoga, tai-chi or other forms of “moving meditation” – or simply engaging in any activity that demands our complete attention. Some of my own favorite mindfulness activities include writing, singing in a chorus and, believe it or not, washing the dishes.

For thousands of years, meditation teachers have employed various exercises to focus our attention on our breathing in assisting students in cultivating the quality of mindfulness.   The very act of consciously focusing on our breathing can, indeed, have a very calming effect on both our minds and bodies. Put this article down and try sitting for a moment with your eyes closed, doing nothing but paying attention to your breathing. Don’t try to force or control your breathing, simply let go and allow it to naturally flow. Now, open your eyes and notice how much calmer you feel.

When we are feeling agitated or upset, it is often very helpful to consciously focus our attention on our breathing, letting our breathing relax us. This can have a profoundly calming effect in moments of crisis, helping our mind return to its natural state of inner peace. This, in turn, enables us to be fully present in the moment, dispassionately focusing on addressing the immediate situation at hand.

Putting it another way, when we practice mindfulness and focus our full awareness on the present moment, we free ourselves from the suffering that occurs when we let our minds wander off to ruminating on the past or worrying about an imagined future. For example, if I begin my day obsessing over a recent painful experience or something I’m afraid might happen, I find it helpful to bring myself back to the present by consciously focusing my full attention on my physical activity and bodily sensations as I go about my yoga and other morning exercises.

Applications in recovery

So what does this have to do with recovery? Let’s begin by looking at some very practical applications of mindfulness in the realm of relapse prevention.

G. Alan Marlatt, Director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center of the University of Washington in Seattle, expounds on potential applications of the acquired quality of mindfulness in maintaining one’s recovery from alcoholism, drug addiction and other addictive behaviors. This is particularly true in dealing with cravings that may lead to relapse if left unchecked (Marlatt, 1994; Marlatt and Gordon, 1987).

Marlatt states that regular practice of meditation leads to development of mindfulness, or the capacity to observe the ongoing process of experience while loosening up on one’s sense of attachment or identification with the content of each thought, feeling or image.  In his words, “If clients can acquire this ability through the regular practice of meditation, they may be able to ‘detach’ themselves from the lure of urges, cravings, or cognitive rationalizations that may otherwise lead to a (re)lapse.” Putting it somewhat differently, in my own practice of meditation I become immersed in focusing on a point of concentration and simply noticing various thoughts and feelings as they arise, and then letting them go. Our meditative practice carries over into our active lives in that the more we practice meditation, the easier it becomes to dispassionately let go of urges and cravings, as opposed to succumbing to these intrusive thoughts and allowing them to control our behaviors.

Relapse prevention trainings conducted by world-renowned addictions authority, Terrence T. Gorski, emphasize working with relapse-prone clients to raise their awareness of personal warning signs of impending relapse, while fostering a heightened awareness of their thoughts, feelings, urges, behaviors and social reactions associated with these critical warning signs. The predominant focus of Gorski-trained relapse prevention therapists entails coaching clients on becoming increasingly mindful of personal warning cues associated with imminent threat of relapse, and learning to use this increased awareness to “de-fuse” potential relapse triggers. This is accomplished by more effectively managing the thoughts, feelings, urges, actions and social reactions that preceded previous relapse episodes (Gorski and Grinstead, 2008).

What are some of the other applications of learned mindfulness we can employ when working with clients to strengthen their recovery?

Mel Ash, author of The Zen of Recovery, emphasizes how mindfulness can help clients in recovery stick to their programs through smoothing out life’s “bumps along the road.” In his words, “By thinking in terms of one day at a time, our unmanageable lives become somewhat more manageable …with mindfulness, the out-of-control roller coaster of your life will assume milder curves and gentler hills.” He further highlights the importance of cultivating mindfulness in recovery when he states, “Our active diseases dulled and rusted the sharp knife of our mindfulness and attention. Getting them sharp again is a continuous day-at-a-time process; relearning to walk, it seems completely natural … Now you take your sharp knife, your bright, shining sword of mindfulness, and hack away at the fears, doubts, resentments and countless other things that threaten to steal this moment from you forever” (Ash, 1993).

As an addictions professional, you are well aware of the importance of healthy, harmonious relationships in supporting clients’ sobriety and overall quality of recovery.  Along these lines, Dr. Sue Johnson, foremost proponent of emotionally focused couples therapy (EFT), has pioneered a revolutionary approach to help couples in crisis get beyond the surface issues they are fighting about through raising their awareness of the underlying (and painful) emotional dynamics at play. In particular, she emphasizes the need for each partner to become mindful of his or her attachment needs — especially the need for reassurance that our partner will be there for us as a constant loving, compassionate and validating presence. When partners deny the importance of their attachment needs (which is often true of people in early recovery who may have difficulty in dealing with their feelings), they all too often deny their feelings of vulnerability by putting up a front of bravo, which feeds a constantly escalating cycle of bitterness and vicious attacks (Johnson, 2008).

Another pertinent question regarding mindfulness in recovery is: What application, if any, does learned mindfulness have in working the various steps of one’s recovery program? In actuality, working the steps is a classic exercise in mindfulness. In steps one and three we awaken to our powerlessness over our addiction and make a conscious decision to turn our lives to a beneficent higher power. As we deepen our relationship with our higher power, we awaken to what we are doing in the present moment, and consciously open ourselves to guidance in walking a path that brings maximum joy and fulfillment to both ourselves and those around us. In step 10 — “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it” — we consciously review each day’s activities in light of whether we have been working our program, identifying where we have strayed off the path, and promptly initiating course corrections and making appropriate amends to both ourselves and others. Not surprisingly, as we assist our clients in bringing the quality of mindfulness to working their chosen programs, we help them deepen their experience of recovery and enjoyment of clean and sober living.

Mindfulness in wellness and recovery

In my book The Wellness-Recovery Connection I define wellness as a conscious process of taking charge of our health, and programming ourselves to attain optimal health and well-being (Newport, 2004). Wellness is viewed holistically as involving a focused effort to strive for optimal physical health status, while concurrently enhancing the overall quality of our lives through pursuing healthy, nurturing relationships and maximizing our sense of personal and spiritual fulfillment and overall enjoyment of life. A basic theme running through the book is that through consciously integrating a wellness-oriented lifestyle into one’s recovery program, the recovering alcoholic/addict acquires a strong set of tools for safeguarding against relapse and maximizing his or her enjoyment of quality sobriety while adding years — if not decades — to his or her life expectancy.

Putting it another way, the lifelong process of wellness and recovery entails constant growth in awareness as we focus our attention on making conscious, life-affirming choices that are fully supportive of our recovery in regard to such things as the foods we put into our bodies; how we care for our bodies by means of exercise, self-care and seeking appropriate medical care when needed; and consciously striving to live our lives in a manner that is both personally and spiritually rewarding, while making a positive contribution to the world around us.

Specifically:

• In the realm of nutrition and recovery, we learn to pay conscious attention to the foods we put into our bodies, and how they influence both our bodies and our overall mental-emotion status. We strive to ingest a health-conducive, primarily whole foods-based diet, while avoiding or minimizing our intake of sugar, caffeine, high fat foods and other “nutritional stressors.” In doing so, we consciously strive to heal both our minds and bodies from adverse consequences of excessive drinking and drug use, while strengthening our grounding in recovery.
• Through consciously pursuing fitness in recovery, we strengthen our bodies and our minds, while elevating our moods as a consequence of the release of endorphins associated with vigorous physical activity. By engaging in regular exercise we also strengthen our grounding in recovery by taking the edge off of the exaggerated episodes of anxiety and depression that often occur during the first six to 18 months of sobriety (Gorski and Miller, 1982). Often, simply doing something physical when we are upset allows us to “let off steam” and detach from our anxiety (Williams, et.al. 2007). Walking, working out and other forms of exercise are all potential mindfulness practices when we engage in these activities with awareness and an intentional shift in focus of our attention.
• In regard to the spiritual dimension of recovery, we strengthen our grounding in recovery through consciously deepening our relationship with our higher power, while seeking out and manifesting our own unique purpose for being on this planet.
As we help our clients develop the quality of acquired mindfulness and actively apply this in their recovery, we introduce them to an exciting dimension of the process of recovery that promises to yield both ongoing and enduring rewards. In the next issue of Counselor Magazine, my colleague, Dr. Richard Fields, will provide a detailed treatment of the important topic “Awakening to Mindfulness.” Until then — to your health!

References

Ash, M. (1992). The Zen of Recovery.  New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam.
Fields, R. (2008). Awakening to Mindfulness. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc.
Gorski, T. and Grinstead, S. (2008). Advanced Training in Relapse Prevention Therapy, Tampa, FL, March 3-7, 2008.
Gorski, T. and Miller, M. (1982). Counseling for Relapse Prevention. Independence, MO: Herald House/Indepen-dence Press.
Johnson, S. (2008). Hold Me Tight. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Marlatt, G. (1994). “Addiction, Mindfulness, and Acceptance.” In Hayes, S.C. et. al. (Ed.) Acceptance and Change: Content and Context in Psychotherapy. Reno, NV: Context Press.
Marlatt, G. and Gordon, J. (Ed.) (1987). Relapse Prevention. New York: The Guilford Press.
Newport, J. (2004). The Wellness-Recovery Connection.  Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc.
Williams, M. et. al. (2007). The Mindful Way Through Depression. New York: The Guilford Press.
Newport – Mindfulness and Recovery

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