Lesley University DigitalCommons@Lesley Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences Mindfulness Studies Theses (GSASS) Spring 5-2020 Mindfulness: Coping Without a Substance vertis williams
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/mindfulness_theses Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation williams, vertis, "Mindfulness: Coping Without a Substance" (2020). Mindfulness Studies Theses. 34. https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/mindfulness_theses/34 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences (GSASS) at DigitalCommons@Lesley. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mindfulness Studies Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Lesley. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. MINDFULNESS: COPING WITHOUT A SUBSTANCE Mindfulness: Coping Without a Substance Vertis Williams May 2020 Melissa Jean & Andrew Olendzki MINDFULNESS: COPING WITHOUT A SUBSTANCE Abstract This qualitative study explored the effects of mindfulness on individuals recovering from the use of mood-altering substances. Participants were voluntarily recruited from a recovery-themed meditation group at a mindfulness center. The participants responded to interview questions related to how mindfulness has impacted their recovery and experience of stress. Themes related to how mindfulness fostered cognitive and emotional changes, that helped participants cope with emotional distress without using mood altering substances were included in the responses. The results of this study indicate that mindfulness mitigates emotional distress among clients who struggle with using mood-altering substances. Given that emotional distress qualifies as the main cause of relapse for those who struggle with drug use, incorporating mindfulness into the recovery process should receive heightened consideration.