From the December 2006 iissue of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine Bulletin:

Meditation and Recovery from Addiction

Residential treatment programs often introduce relaxation or guided imagery techniques as an aid to stress management. Several authors have described a role for mindfulness meditation in recovery. But meditation is still a practice not commonly discussed in regards to the specific challenges and goals of recovery from addiction.

I’ve recently completed a series of audio annotated slideshows for SupportNet.ca – a six part introduction to meditation in recovery. This paper will briefly summarize the topic.

Our understanding of meditation comes largely from eastern traditions – Yoga, Buddhism and others. These consider the mind’s ability for awareness of self as fundamental to psychological health and spiritual awakening. Self realization is the learned ability to discriminate between what is self and not self.

Meditation is an exercise recommended to refine this capacity of mind. It involves practice in calming the body and mind, receptive listening, the regulation of attention, the ‘letting go’ of distracting mental events, and self observation. Mostly, meditation is about just being here – alert, aware and focused in mind – right now.

Types of meditation include Active, Mantra and Mindfulness. Active Meditation uses our body and its movement to learn how to focus and to calm the mind. Examples of Active Meditation include walking meditation, progressive muscular stretching and abdominal breathing. Active Meditation is the best place to start – for those in early recovery or with an overly restless mind.

In Mantra Meditation, we learn to rest our mind on a calming phrase that we repeat over and again in our mind. Recovery phrases make great mantras. This too shall pass – Just for today – One day at a time. One phrase may be repeated in time with restful abdominal breathing.

In Mindfulness Meditation, we simply let our mind’s eye rest on our breath – as it comes and goes out through our nose. We don’t force concentration, but keep an open mind to whatever else comes up. As other thoughts, feelings and imaginings arise – we just notice them and let them go – calmly returning our mind’s eye each time to rest on our breath.

Recovery is about learning to enjoy life without the use of alcohol or drugs that alter mind or mood. It is treatment for the condition of addiction and creates a buffer against the compulsion to use. Recovery is an approach to the challenges of life – and a path to personal growth.

Recovery is not just about stopping the use of alcohol or drugs. It is largely about not starting to use again. For this reason, it requires us to confront the stressful issues of our life – to learn new ways to live life on life’s terms – and to learn how to enjoy our selves along the way.

Recovery may be personalized. But it has its principles and its ways – and requires a structure and routine. It will always benefit from the support of others.

Meditation is one healing way that can help to address the challenges of recovery – and to further its goals.

In early recovery from addiction, the mind may be restless and impatient. Feelings are raw and exaggerated – the body ill at ease. Such a state may easily lead to relapsed use. Early recovery is a time for boundaries, education, support and alternate means of self calming. It is a time to set aside issues or activities that may exacerbate distressing feelings.

Contrary to what is sometimes taught, early recovery may not be an ideal time for relaxing with closed eyes or for solitary reflection on the stuff in my mind. Relaxation induced panic symptoms may occur. Memories of past trauma – or overwhelming feelings of shame and guilt may arise.

But early recovery is still a time when the first skills of Active Meditation may be applied in the service of abstinence and recovery. It is just that the focus of mind is best elsewhere than upon itself. And recovery teachings are an excellent focus on which to direct the mind.

Recovery Support Group is an ideal setting to first apply the early skills of Active Meditation.

Just listen to what is being said. When you notice that your mind has wandered off – bring it back to rest on what is being talked about in group. Let everything else go. When your mind jumps to the past – or to a fearful future – let go right away. Don’t let your imagination pull you out of the moment. And don’t pressure yourself – or get frustrated and give up. Just let go of whatever - and bring your mind back to rest on what is being said in group.

A walkman audio player is a valuable tool in early recovery. Stories of recovery, guided imagery or relaxation exercises – books on tape – use anything that can occupy a mind otherwise drawn to a traumatic past or worrisome future. Learning to stay in this moment is a powerful tool of recovery. All meditation exercises our mind’s ability to stay here – right now.

Repetitive practice with a calming mantra is an excellent tool to call upon when emotionally upset – or flustered by the symptoms of Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome. Concentration and memory are typically worsened during times of stress – or when there is just too much going on. Mantra is a reliable strategy for self calming and that can be called upon at any time.

Addiction is a condition in which the mind is closed – to anything not consistent with the compulsion to use. Recovery is about learning to open the mind – to listen to the experience of others in recovery.

Meditation is practice in listening. It is practice in awareness – at the same time as it is practice in self calming and grounding. It is learning to be not overly distracted, pushed, pulled or tossed about what whatever is said or that happens. Meditation is specific practice in lowering autonomic arousal in response to mental events.

Learning to meditate is learning to find some space between what happens and how one responds. It provides first hand teaching – that our reactions need not be automatic and without choice. It can help to counteract the impulsive nature of many addicted persons.

Addiction and relapsed use are fueled by sick feelings of anger, resentment, shame and fear.

Recovery is about learning to notice our habits of mind – before overwhelming feelings are allowed to take hold on our day – and to increase the risk of relapsed use. Meditation is practice in this ability – developing new habits of noticing what is on one’s mind – and of learning to let go of its restless and imaginary ramblings.

Intrusive memories of the past are a common challenge to recovery. The feelings that result are a risk for relapsed use. Mindfulness Meditation is now taught in many programs treating those with traumatic memories.

Learning to stay calmly in the moment – and to not let the mind wander aimlessly to the past or to the future - is a powerful way to deal with traumatic memories and the feelings with which they are often associated. Learning to heal from traumatic memories is about learning that they need not over take one’s enjoyment of today. Meditation grounds us in today.

Recovery teaches that relapse begins in our own mind. Meditation teaches that everything about our life arises from within us – either from our mindless identification with the stuff on our mind – or guided by our efforts at self realization and spiritual awakening.

Self realization and spiritual awakening are considered by many to be cornerstones of a lasting recovery practiced one day at a time. Practice in meditation teaches us that there is a self beyond the passing thoughts, feelings and imaginary stuff on the mind. And it helps us to realize this self in first hand experience – as we learn to let go of the mental noise that hides it from our view.

Amidst the rush to treat the symptoms of early recovery with prescribed drugs, little attention is sometimes paid to effective and traditional measures for our relating to inner life.

Meditation exercises our abilities for awareness, acceptance, attentiveness and self calming. It is practice in staying in the day – and in many other skills upon which we rely for an enjoyable and lasting recovery from addiction – one day at a time.