Addictions are a current problem that affects millions of people, so it is normal that a lot is invested in researching ways to stop it through various types of therapy.
Although there is no magical cure capable of eliminating the problem in a very short time and that works with optimal effectiveness in all patients, promising forms of therapeutic intervention are emerging that do not have the disadvantage of side effects, typical of the use of psychotropic drugs..
Here We will see how Mindfulness, or Full Attention, can help deal with addictions with and without substance and the way in which they have a beneficial effect on the psychological state of patients with dependency problems.
First of all, let’s see what Mindfulness consists of, normally called by its name in English: Mindfulness. It is a set of practices based on vipassana meditation that has been developed through many years of scientific research by physical and mental health specialists.
At the beginning of its existence (during the 70s), the main researcher on this topic, Jon Kabat-Zinn, used Mindfulness primarily to help people who needed help regulating their stress levels, but as it has Over time, it has been seen that Mindfulness is useful for addressing other types of problems, such as the one we are dealing with here, addiction.
Thus, Mindfulness It differs from what we normally understand as meditation in that it is not a practice linked to religion or mysticism (or what is the same, it is secular in nature), in that it has therapeutic purposes that can be objectively measured, and in that it has been designed so that it is systematized and everyone performs these exercises following the same guidelines, so that It is easy to study through science the impact this has on people’s well-being.
Mindfulness is increasingly popular because it has several advantages that we will see later, and this makes it In recent years, psychologists and health professionals in general have been incorporating this tool into their repertoire That is why today there is a very active line of research dedicated to studying the benefits that Mindfulness brings in the treatment of people with anxiety, although this is not the only therapeutic application of Mindfulness.
Mindfulness applied to addictions
Now that we have seen even a glimpse of what Mindfulness consists of, let’s look at the different ways in which it helps combat addictions.
1. Helps not to give in to impulses
One of the characteristics of Mindfulness is that it affects the control over the person’s attentional focus, that is, it helps them choose what type of stimuli or ideas and sensations they have to focus on at each moment.
This It is very important to resist the temptation to use drugs or fall into the behavior that has generated the addiction (for example, betting money), and allows you to look beyond those impulses and think more about medium-term goals that include taking care of your own health.
2. Helps you focus on projects
When it comes to regaining good health and gaining control over their lives, people who suffer from addictions find powerful allies in hobbies that allow them to take their minds off the routines that led them to fall into addiction again and again.
Mindfulness, combined with the existence of this type of hobbies or personal projects, allows you to concentrate on something that motivates the person and that makes it easier for you to commit to the process of leaving behind the dependence on that harmful substance or habit It helps you adopt a relatively neutral point of view in which you do not easily give in to outbursts when you know they will be harmful.
3. It allows you to keep anxiety under control
Many people who have developed one or more addictions suffer greatly from the anxiety that withdrawal generates Mindfulness also helps to cushion this discomfort, since it is designed, among other things, to regulate the state of activation of the nervous system.
Are you interested in learning to practice Mindfulness?
If you think that the time has come to take advantage of the potential of Mindfulness to overcome addictions and you would like to get started in this practice or perfect what you already know, We invite you to come to the Madrid Mindfulness Center a reference entity in Madrid with regard to Mindfulness and linked to the IPSIA PsicologÃa therapy center.
We offer both courses and psychological intervention from professionals, so that you are able to improve your quality of life based on habits and practices that you can resort to on a daily basis, in a wide variety of situations. You can see our contact information by clicking here.
