Healing the Opioid Crisis with Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE): Clinical Efficacy and Neurophysiological Mechanisms

Some of our most pressing “ diseases of despair, ” such as addiction and chronic pain, disrupt the brain ’ s capacity to experience healthy pleasure and extract meaning from naturally rewarding events and experiences. For example, prolonged opioid use in the context of chronic pain and distress can blunt positive emotions and compel opioid misuse as a way to hold on to a shrinking sense of well-being.In the first talk of the spring 2021 Integrative Medicine Research Lecture Series presented by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Dr. Eric Garland of the University of Utah will describe the development and testing of an integrative nondrug treatment strategy, Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE). This approach unites traditional mindfulness meditation practices with techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy and principles of positive psychology. Rooted in affective neuroscience, MORE is designed to reduce addictive behavior and alleviate physical and emotional pain by restructuring reward processes in the brain. Dr. Garland will present data from multiple clinical trials and neurophysiological experiments demonstrating MORE ’ s efficacy as a treatment for chronic pain and opioid misuse. Findings suggest that MORE may treat addiction and pain by enhancing the value of the most basic natural rewards — potentially opening a path toward well-being, connection, and meaning in life.For more information go tohttps://www.nccih.nih.gov/...
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