Adapted Mindfulness-Based Meditation
University of Minnesota Program Evaluation Finds Adapted Mindfulness-Based Meditation is Beneficial for Vinland’s Clients
August 1, 2011 - Vinland National Center, in partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality & Healing, developed an adapted mindfulness-based meditation program for Vinland’s clients. This project was made possible by a grant from the Trust for the Meditation Process, a charitable foundation supporting contemplative practice among Christians and encouraging dialogue among all contemplative traditions.
What is Mindfulness?
“Mindfulness” is a form of meditation that focuses on simply paying attention, without judgment, to what is happening with your mind and body in the present moment. An individual’s ability to “come back” to the present moment over and over again changes the mind’s relationship to stressful thoughts and body sensations. This practice offers a way for people with substance use disorders to improve their ability to recognize stress reactions in their bodies and cope with their feelings in a new way.
“Participants in meditation programs develop better coping skills and de-escalation techniques,” Vinland’s Associate Director Duane Reynolds said. “They learn to slow down their actions instead of acting compulsively.”
Several years ago, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn developed the first Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.
For this project, staff from Vinland and the Center for Spirituality & Healing worked together to adapt the traditional MBSR curriculum for Vinland’s unique client population.
Mindfulness-Based Meditation in a Treatment Setting
Research has shown that mindfulness-based meditation can be an effective tool to help people deal with their past, live in the present moment, and become more hopeful about the future. It is a low-cost technique that people can use to help reduce anxiety, increase awareness, and change their mindset. The practice of mindfulness-based meditation is low intensity and non-pharmaceutical, which makes it a low-risk treatment option.
“Mindfulness-based meditation helps many people with a variety symptoms,” Reynolds said. “After participating in the mindfulness-based meditation program, people are able to recognize their bodies natural response to anxiety and stress, and they learn to control their reactions.”
Early studies involving mindfulness-based meditation for individuals with substance use disorders have revealed positive effects on treatment outcomes.
Adapted Program at Vinland
The adapted program for Vinland’s clients is a four-week curriculum that teaches sitting meditation, mindful yoga practice, body scan awareness, and aspects of the ancient Chinese art of Tai Chi.
“With Vinland’s clients, verbal descriptions are not as important as direct experiences,” Vinland Chemical Health Case Manager Tom Beckers said. “Meditation is a way for someone to experience a shift from an agitated state to a calm, still and alert state.”
A group of clinical staff including Reynolds, Beckers, Clinical Services Manager Rick Krueger, and Chemical Health Case Manager Tim Grathwol developed the adapted program with guidance from staff at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality & Healing, including Jean Haley, MBSR Facilitator, and Beth Somerville, MBSR Coordinator. Gisli Kort Kristofersson, a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota, also assisted with the development of the program.
Program Evaluation
After implementing the adapted mindfulness-based program at Vinland, Kristofersson led the program evaluation to examine the effects of the program upon Vinland’s clients.
To evaluate the program, four focus groups were conducted - two with Vinland staff members and two with clients who have participated in three or more sessions of the mindfulness group. Each focus group had three to five members and met only once. In addition to the four focus groups, six clients were individually interviewed using a semi-structured interview guideline.
Material from the focus groups and interviews was reviewed to identify content themes, and the evaluation was submitted to the Internal Review Board of the University of Minnesota.
Initial Findings
A general consensus among Vinland staff was that the adapted mindfulness program appropriately met the unique needs of Vinland’s clients. Staff also felt that the program fit well within Vinland’s current programming.
“Mindfulness meditation sets the tone with the other groups,” Beckers said. “People are less confrontational and less agitated after participating in the mindfulness groups.”
Client feedback revealed general satisfaction with the mindfulness curriculum. They felt it fit well with Vinland’s Chemical Health Program, as well as with their individual program of recovery. Shortly after completing mindfulness-based practice sessions, clients typically noticed a change in both their mood and body sensation. Clients also reported that they have the ability to change their mood and negative physical sensations without alcohol and other drugs.
Kristofersson, Beckers and Krueger prepared an academic poster to present their findings. To date, the poster has been approved for presentation at two conferences:
- Third Federal Interagency Conference on Traumatic Brain Injury in Washington, D.C.
- North American Brain Injury Society’s (NABIS) Ninth Annual Conference on Brain Injury in New Orleans, Louisiana
Pilot Study
“The main challenge now is to try to isolate the effects of the mindfulness intervention from all the other wonderful work being done at Vinland,” Kristofersson said. “This is why we plan to have the main study take place in one of the long-term residential units, as opposed to the inpatient CD treatment facility.”
The pilot study will be conducted at LivingWorks Ventures’ two permanent supportive houses. Vinland partners with LivingWorks to provide permanent supportive housing services for adults with disabilities in recovery from substance abuse.
Going Forward
Based on feedback from clients and staff, the program will continue to be adapted to better meet the needs of Vinland’s clients.
In the future, Vinland hopes to expand the program from a 4-week to an 8-week curriculum and to implement it in the outpatient chemical health and the supportive housing programs.
“We are considering how to modify the program to make it work in these settings. And of course, we will continue to work with the University of Minnesota to ensure the program is adapted in the most beneficial way to our clients.”
Learn more about the Trust for the Meditation Process online at www.trustformeditation.org.
