Mindfulness Therapy Shows Promise in Reducing Opioid Cravings and Supporting Recovery

Recent research from the University of California San Diego highlights the beneficial effects of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) in tackling opioid addiction. Published on April 30, 2025, in JAMA Psychiatry, the study reveals that mindfulness-based therapy can effectively rewire the brain's response to natural pleasures, thereby reducing opioid cravings and improving emotional well-being.

Opioid addiction often arises from misuse of prescribed medications for chronic pain, a condition that affects around 50 million Americans annually. Over time, dependence diminishes the brain’s ability to experience joy from everyday activities such as smiling babies, pets, or sunsets. This emotional numbing compels individuals to seek higher doses of opioids to regain a fleeting sense of happiness, fueling a cycle that can lead to addiction.

The innovative therapy, developed by Dr. Eric Garland, integrates mindfulness meditation, cognitive-behavioral techniques, and positive psychology to address addiction, emotional distress, and chronic pain collectively. It emphasizes teaching mindfulness skills to regulate cravings, relieve pain, and help individuals rediscover natural sources of joy and meaning.

The study involved 160 participants with chronic pain, some with opioid use disorder (OUD), from primary care and pain clinics. Participants performed positive emotion regulation tasks and completed questionnaires before and after interventions. A subset at risk for opioid misuse was randomized to eight weeks of either individual MORE sessions or supportive group therapy, with follow-up assessments.

Results showed that individuals with OUD struggled to enhance positive emotions, with their brain responses weakening when viewing rewarding images, linking this emotional blunting to stronger cravings. Remarkably, those undergoing MORE therapy demonstrated increased brain response to positive stimuli, which correlated with a 50% reduction in opioid cravings compared to standard group therapy.

Lead author Garland explained, “Opioid addiction reduces the brain's capacity to experience natural pleasure, intensifying cravings. Our findings suggest that mindfulness-based therapy like MORE can restore this ability and support recovery.”

Previous large-scale trials have shown that MORE can decrease opioid misuse by 45% over nine months, and half of the patients reported significant pain reduction. A recent 2023 study indicated that combining MORE with standard care decreased relapse rates by 42% and dropout rates by 59%. Economically, every dollar invested in MORE can potentially save nearly $800 in healthcare, legal, and productivity-related costs, with an estimated lifetime societal benefit of over $320,000 per person.

Garland emphasizes the importance of broader dissemination of this evidence-based treatment, advocating for collaboration with policymakers and healthcare organizations to help combat the opioid epidemic. Ongoing research continues to explore and validate the transformative potential of mindfulness therapies in recovery.

source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-mindfulness-therapy-opioid-craving-addiction.html