Overcoming an addiction to alcohol or drugs can seem difficult, but there are many ways to make it happen. The key is to find the best path to recovery that works for you and to use it on a daily basis to live a new life. One of the best ways to stay clean and live an incredible life is through the meditation practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness training is scientifically proven to help people improve their lives as well as their mental health.

A History of Mindfulness Training

Meditation is a practice that’s been around for thousands of years, and it started back with Buddhist traditions. While Buddhism is an ancient religion, you can benefit from meditation therapy in a completely secular way. The American doctor Jon Kabat-Zinn is known as the man who brought mindfulness training to the western world back in the 1980s. Through his research, we realized that mindfulness helps in a wide range of ways.

Mindfulness training is a practice of paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and without judgment. There’s a common misconception that meditation is about not thinking, but that’s not what it is at all. Meditation is about noticing thoughts, but rather than latching onto them, being aware of the thoughts and letting them pass. Science has also shown that meditation actually helps to strengthen the prefrontal cortex of the brain.

The prefrontal cortex of the brain is responsible for the following:

• Self-awareness
• Logical decision making
• Emotional regulation
• Impulse control
• Empathy

Mindfulness Training for Cravings

Getting sober is far easier than staying sober, and this is because your brain has become accustomed to seeking drugs or alcohol. The cravings you get stem from various triggers, which can be thoughts, emotions, sights, sounds, situations and more. The reality is that when you get sober, your triggers aren’t going to go away, but you can learn how to manage them. Through the practice of mindfulness, you will be able to manage your cravings without having to respond to them.

Much like any other skill, mindfulness is a skill, so you’ll need to practice, and addiction therapy services help with that. While you’re in treatment, you’ll have the opportunity to work on your mindfulness practice. Through this training, you’ll learn to become aware when your cravings start to arise and how to deal with them. Rather than feeling the intense feelings of needing to respond to cravings, you’ll learn to watch as they pass through you.

Mindfulness Training for Relationships

An issue many people face in early recovery is dealing with emotional regulation, but mindfulness can help. Part of recovery is repairing relationships with your loved ones as well as yourself, so it’s important to be able to manage your emotions. Because of how mindfulness helps to improve the function of your brain, you’ll be able to manage your emotions as well as your impulses. You’ll begin to see that your relationships with people will become much better as you’re able to respond rather than react to situations.

Steps to Recovery offers Pennsylvania addiction recovery services here in Levittown, PA. We know that everyone has their own journey of recovery, and that’s why we offer mindfulness training. Our goal is to provide you with a variety of tools that can help you maintain your recovery and live the life you deserve. Some of the services we offer here at Steps to Recovery include the following:

• Family therapy
• Psychotherapy
• Cognitive behavioral therapy

For more information about mindfulness training, call Steps to Recovery today at 267.209.7312.