The first meditation I recommend doing is a brief 10 minute bodyscan meditation. It is very straightforward: you sit comfortably (anywhere), close your eyes, and follow the instructions. You will focus your attention on different areas of your body, starting with your head and working your way down to your feet. That is it. When your mind wanders, and it will, just notice it and bring your attention back to the instructions. Don’t berate yourself for it, just come back to the instructions.
Mindfulness meditation is part of many recovery programs. It is also an integral part of psychological approaches such as ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) and DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy).
Here’s a great article that digs into why mindfulness and addiction recovery are a great combination.
And here’s a practical introduction to meditation: The New York Times “How to Meditate“.
There is a complete recovery program based on a Buddhist-informed approach to understanding addiction: Recovery Dharma. I attended a number of Recovery Dharma meetings, and I recommend checking them out! Here is one example of their meditations:
Dr. Jonathan Fisher is a cardiologist with a nice collection of YouTube videos on mindfulness meditation, self-compassion, and resilience, and how these positively impact your health.
So what is meditation all about; why is it relevant to recovery? I think there are many reasons it is beneficial.
- It can help focus and calm our thoughts when we may be feeling anxious.
- It can increase self-awareness at a time when we are addressing dysfunctional coping & irrational thoughts.
- It has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety and increase feelings of wellbeing.
- Meditation decreases blood pressure, improves sleep quality, and can decrease pain.