“Breath in… and breath out… and breath in… and breath out”
A common chant for practitioners of mindfulness meditation. An art that has been practiced since 5,000 BC and with good reason. Almost every culture has taken this practice and incorporated it into society.
After all, mindfulness meditation practice is notorious for its numerous health benefits:
- Reduced anxiety and stress
- Enhance focus
- Pain management
Through consistent practice, meditation can be used to assist in recovering from drug addiction and substance use disorder.
The art of mindfulness meditation teaches the individual to stay in the present moment and have a better understanding of themselves and the environment. With consistent practice, the art trains the mind to control irrational thought and maintain control when uncertain situations a raise.
A common cause of relapse in drug addiction and substance use disorder is uncertainty and stressful situations. After all, drugs and alcohol are notorious for helping in that instance, but never solving the issue in the long run.
The art teaches the person’s mind to react without judgment whether it is positive or negative. The mind will become trained in dealing with irrational thoughts and eventually treat them like a cloud on a sunny day letting them float by without worry.
The human mind is designed to stay busy. Irrational thought will come, eventually, but the once the mind is trained in mindfulness, one will know how to combat them.
The thoughts of using come to mind and knowing that it is the only temporary allow those thoughts to continue on their way.
With time, thoughts fade and eventually, the addiction will follow along.
The benefits of mediation still hold strong today. Those addicted who practice meditation will be able to control their thoughts and fine tune them.
