- Jun
- 30
- 2020
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement Treats Opioid Misuse by Modulating Reward Processes—From Hedonic Pleasure to Self-Transcendent Meaning.
Description: Meaning-making is fundamental to biological survival, insofar as hedonic valuation (i.e., “is this good for me, or bad for me?”) drives behavior to facilitate the pursuit of beneficial goals. Yet, the dysregulation of hedonic value is at the root of many of the most pressing maladies afflicting modern society, including addiction, stress, and chronic pain. For instance, the current opioid crisis may be in part propelled by hedonic dysregulation, evident in the blunted brain and autonomic responses to natural rewards and heightened responses to drug-related cues observed among opioid misusers. To restore adaptive hedonic regulation, novel behavioral interventions are needed. This lecture will describe the development, optimization, and testing of a mindfulness-based approach to addiction treatment - Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE). MORE is distinct from extant mindfulness-based interventions in that it…
About Speaker
Dr. Eric Garland, PhD, LCSW is Distinguished Endowed Chair in Research, Professor and Associate Dean for Research in the University of Utah College of Social Work, and Director of the Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development (C-MIIND). Dr. Garland is the developer of an innovative mindfulness-based therapy founded on insights derived from cognitive, affective, and neurobiological science, called Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE).
As Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator, Dr. Garland has over 160 scientific publications and has received more than $50 million in research grants from the NIH, DOD, and PCORI to conduct translational research on biopsychosocial mechanisms implicated in addiction, emotion dysregulation, and chronic pain, including randomized controlled trials of MORE as a treatment for opioid misuse and addiction. To complement his expertise in clinical research, Dr. Garland is a licensed psychotherapist with more than 15 years of clinical experience providing mind-body therapies for persons suffering from addictive behaviors, psychological disorders, and chronic pain. In 2019, he was appointed by NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins to the NIH HEAL Multi-disciplinary Working Group comprised of national experts on pain and addiction research to help guide the $1.1 billion HEAL initiative aimed at using science to halt the opioid crisis.