Podcast: A Mindful Approach to Overcoming Addiction

 

More than 20 million Americans have a substance use disorder. Addiction is powerful and can easily destroy lives. Many approaches exist to fight such disorders, including the familiar “twelve-step” methods, but none of them have tremendous success rates. Now, two counselors present a way to use mindfulness in the fight against addiction. They speak with our hosts, discussing the evidence that mindfulness works and how it can be used to treat addiction. They speak of their new book on this topic and explain how it can be used by the reader. They also talk about forgiveness as a powerful therapy tool, both forgiveness of oneself and of others.

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Mindfulness and Addiction Show Highlights:

“A lot of us have this idea that, if we beat ourselves up enough, we won’t make mistakes again or will be perfect, or maybe we use that beating ourselves up to try to motivate us, but all the studies show that motivation actually comes more from self-love than it does from self-loathing.” ~ Julie Kraft

[4:23]   How does mindfulness work for addiction problems?

[5:46]   Is there evidence that mindfulness works?

[12:17] How does the book help an individual?

[14:29] What prompted the writing of the book?

[21:49] Forgiving yourself before forgiving others.

 

 

About Our Guests

Rebecca E. Williams, PhD, and Julie S. Kraft, MA, LMFT, are the authors of The Gift of Recovery: 52 Mindful Ways to Live Joyfully Beyond Addiction. Previously, they authored The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction, which won the San Diego Book Award.

Rebecca is a consultant and clinical psychologist whose work focuses on building resilience and embracing well-being. She specializes in healthy recovery from mental illness and addiction. She is associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and program director at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Health Care System.

Julie is a licensed marriage and family therapist working in addiction and mental health. She is an adjunct faculty member at the University of San Diego, and has a private practice in San Diego.

 

About The Psych Central Show Hosts

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar and anxiety disorders. In addition to hosting The Psych Central Show, Gabe is an associate editor for PsychCentral.com. He also runs an online Facebook community, The Positive Depression/Bipolar Happy Place, and invites you to join. To work with Gabe, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

 

 

Vincent M. Wales is a former suicide prevention counselor who lives with persistent depressive disorder. In addition to co-hosting The Psych Central Show, Vincent is the author of several award-winning novels and the creator of costumed hero Dynamistress. Visit his websites at www.vincentmwales.com and www.dynamistress.com.

 

 

 

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/podcast-a-mindful-approach-to-overcoming-addiction/