Ardu’s mindfulness-based stress reduction treatment

Written by Drew Redd. Mina Draskovic, B.Psy., reviewed this content for accuracy.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) at Ardu helps clients overcome addiction by training attention and awareness of present experiences without judgment. Our drug and alcohol rehab program uses meditation, body scanning, and breathing techniques to identify triggers and build stress management skills.

Research shows that mindfulness helps rewire the neural pathways involved in cravings and impulse control by modifying different brain areas associated with emotion management, focus, and self-awareness.

Our certified therapists craft recovery paths to target your addiction challenges. We stand beside you with heart and science, blending proven mindfulness techniques with personalized attention to help you build not just sobriety, but a renewed life worth embracing.

What are mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques?

Mindfulness-based stress reduction combines ancient meditation practices with modern clinical insights to help you respond to stress more effectively. MBSR teaches you to change your relationship with stress itself.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction programs include a combination of the following techniques:

Body scan meditations. This helps you recognize physical cues that precede cravings, giving you precious moments to respond thoughtfully rather than react automatically.
Mindful yoga. These gentle movements help you rebuild a trusting relationship with your body while releasing tension that often accumulates during recovery. Many clients find this practice especially helpful for managing physical discomfort.
Breath awareness practice. We teach you to use deep, mindful breaths to interrupt stress cycles before they escalate into overwhelming cravings or anxiety.
Walking meditation. This technique helps you maintain awareness while moving, making it easier to integrate mindfulness into your everyday activities, whether you’re walking down a hallway or running errands.
Loving-kindness meditation. This practice cultivates compassion for yourself and others, softening the self-judgment that frequently drives addictive behaviors and creating space for healing.
Mindful eating. This practice involves bringing full attention to eating—noticing flavors, textures, and your body’s signals, so you can address patterns of automatic consumption.
Informal practice. This technique allows you to bring awareness into conversations, daily tasks, and challenging moments. The goal is to turn mindfulness into a natural part of how you navigate life.

At Ardu, we’ve adapted these techniques specifically for addiction recovery, focusing on the unique challenges that arise during the healing process.

Ardu's MBSR approach to addiction treatment

At Ardu Recovery Center in Provo, we’ve integrated mindfulness-based stress reduction into our comprehensive addiction treatment program. Our certified therapists begin by meeting with you individually to understand your specific addiction patterns, triggers, and stress responses. This personalized assessment allows us to customize mindfulness practices that address your challenges.

For clients with dual-diagnosis conditions, such as major depression or generalized anxiety disorder, we adapt techniques to support addiction recovery and mental health improvement.

What sets Ardu’s approach apart is our integration of MBSR with other evidence-based treatments.

We combine mindfulness with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you recognize thought patterns that lead to substance use while developing the present-moment awareness to interrupt these cycles.
Our mindfulness program works alongside our medical treatments, including medical detox services, to address the physiological and psychological aspects of addiction.
Weekly sessions include individual therapy and group practice where you develop mindful awareness in a supportive community of others on similar journeys.
For clients with chronic illnesses or immune disorders that contribute to their substance use, our mindfulness techniques include specific practices for managing physical health challenges.

Beyond formal sessions, we emphasize daily practices through guided homework assignments that gradually build your mindfulness skills. Our therapists provide ongoing support as you learn to apply these techniques to real-world situations, especially during high stress or exposure to triggers.

The residential setting at Ardu helps you develop these skills, with regular practice sessions and immediate support. As you progress through our eight-week program, you’ll receive guidance on maintaining these practices after treatment, transforming mindfulness from a therapeutic technique into an internal resource for lasting recovery.

Whether you’re struggling with alcohol dependency, opioid addiction, benzos, or prescription medications, these mindfulness techniques adapt to address the specific triggers and challenges. Our experience with substance use disorders (SUDs) has shown that mindfulness practices work across different addiction types when tailored to your needs.

How effective is MBSR in addiction recovery?

Research shows that MBSR delivers many benefits for different types of SUDs. A 2020 review found that participants in studies who completed MBSR reported “84% fewer drug use days at 12-month follow-up” than those receiving standard relapse prevention. The review also indicated that those with “high SUD severity and high anxiety/depression” experienced “96% fewer heavy drinking days and 94% fewer drug use days” compared to treatment as usual.

Neuroimaging shows MBSR activates the orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortices (Zeidan, et. al., 2015) that help regulate responses to cravings. Physiologically, it promotes “higher levels of tonic and phasic heart rate variability” and “lower heart rate reactivity” during stress.

Beyond substance reduction, MBSR improves depressive symptoms and psychiatric severity, according to Chmiel, et. al. MBSR also reduces impulsivity, with participants showing significantly lower negative urgency throughout treatment, which helped break reactive patterns of substance use in response to emotional triggers.

The benefits of mindfulness-based stress reduction treatment extend beyond addiction. Anyone who wants psychological health and emotional resilience will find value in this evidence-based approach.

Is MBSR right for you?

Mindfulness-based stress reduction treatment can be implemented for hundreds of clients with different backgrounds and recovery needs. Our clinical team assesses each person’s situation to determine if MBSR would improve their circumstances. MBSR is beneficial for:

People who find themselves turning to substances when stress feels overwhelming.
Those with a dual diagnosis of addiction and anxiety or depression.
Individuals who’ve tried multiple recovery programs without lasting success.
People who tend to experience intense cravings triggered by emotional states.
Those who struggle with racing thoughts and difficulty staying present.
Individuals with chronic pain seeking non-medication management techniques.
People dealing with high-stress careers or major life transitions.
Those experiencing sleep disturbances or insomnia.
Individuals managing autoimmune or stress-related physical conditions.
People seeking to improve their overall emotional regulation and resilience.
Anyone seeking a more holistic approach to complement their recovery journey.

Mindfulness practice might feel awkward at first. With guidance and practice, you’ll develop skills that become second nature, giving you a reliable way to navigate challenges without reaching for substances.

Begin your mindfulness journey at Ardu today

Transform your relationship with addiction through Ardu Recovery Center’s specialized mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Our treatment includes:

Medical detox.
IV hydration therapy.
Individual, group, DBT, CBT, and family therapy.
Holistic therapies, including massage, yoga, and other spiritual wellness activities.

When you seek a men’s or women’s rehab center in Utah, Ardu offers you a real chance to overcome your addiction. We accept most insurances. And our team is ready to walk alongside you on this evidence-based path to recovery whenever you’re ready to take that first step.

Contact Ardu online or call us at (801) 872-8480 to schedule your consultation or learn more about our available programs. Take the first step toward mindful recovery.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction FAQ

What are the disadvantages of MBSR?

MBSR offers many benefits, but it requires significant time commitment with daily homework and an 8-week program structure that some find difficult to maintain in their everyday lives. Some participants experience increased emotional awareness that can temporarily feel overwhelming as they confront difficult physical sensations and feelings. The practice demands patience because cognitive benefits don’t appear immediately.

MBSR may not be suitable as a standalone treatment for severe psychological conditions, and finding qualified mental health professionals with proper training can be challenging. Some people experience temporary increases in stress levels or anxiety symptoms when first confronting their bodily sensations and thoughts mindfully.

What is the difference between MBSR and CBT?

MBSR cultivates moment-to-moment awareness through mindful meditation, body scan exercises, and gentle yoga. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) directly examines and modifies thought patterns and behaviors. While MBSR emphasizes acceptance of present experiences and physical sensations without judgment, CBT actively challenges cognitive distortions and negative thinking.

MBSR includes more meditation-based practices integrated into daily life, whereas CBT uses structured problem-solving techniques. Both are effective therapeutic interventions that improve quality of life, but MBSR places greater emphasis on developing a mindfulness practice, while CBT concentrates on identifying specific thoughts that contribute to psychological stress and emotional symptoms.

What is the difference between DBT and MBSR?

Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) incorporates mindfulness as one component within a comprehensive behavioral therapy framework primarily designed for emotional regulation and distress tolerance. MBSR focuses entirely on developing mindfulness through meditation, body awareness, and breath-focused attention. DBT was originally developed for borderline personality disorder, while MBSR was created for stress reduction and chronic pain.

They both improve psychological stress, but DBT specifically targets emotional reactivity and relies on skills training for interpersonal effectiveness and crisis management. MBSR has broader applications across a variety of illnesses and psychosocial issues. DBT typically requires more treatment with weekly individual therapy plus group sessions, whereas MBSR follows a standardized 8-week format with orientation sessions.

What disorder is MBSR most effective at treating?

Mindfulness-based stress reduction is most effective at treating anxiety and depression. MBSR combines deep breaths with focused awareness of present moments to reduce stress levels. The effects of MBSR are particularly notable by the sixth week, when participants typically report improved emotional regulation. MBSR has shown potential benefits for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and social anxiety disorder. MBSR helps patients recognize early warning signs of distress by increasing awareness of bodily sensations, which helps patients break cycles of stress reactivity.

Is MBSR a type of psychotherapy?

MBSR functions as a complementary therapy rather than traditional psychotherapy. It focuses exclusively on mindfulness-based interventions without the analytical components typical of psychotherapy. MBSR serves primarily as a resource of attention training that teaches participants to use deep breaths and present-moment awareness to manage symptoms of stress. Unlike cognitive approaches, such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), MBSR doesn’t analyze thought patterns but trains participants to observe them without judgment, offering a distinct alternative to conventional psychotherapeutic techniques.

Who developed mindfulness-based stress reduction?

Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn developed MBSR in 1979 at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. As a molecular biologist with a deep personal practice of mindfulness, Kabat-Zinn created this meditation-based stress reduction program to help patients with chronic pain and stress-related conditions. His pioneering work established the Center for Mindfulness and transformed ancient Buddhist practices into a secular therapeutic approach accessible to Western medicine. Kabat-Zinn’s work has been continued by colleagues such as Saki Santorelli and Bob Stahl, who helped standardize the 8-week MBSR program format used worldwide.

Resources

Calderone A, Latella D, Impellizzeri F, de Pasquale P, Famà F, Quartarone A, Calabrò RS. Neurobiological Changes Induced by Mindfulness and Meditation: A Systematic Review. Biomedicines. 2024; 12(11):2613. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12112613

Korecki, J.R., Schwebel, F.J., Votaw, V.R. et al. Mindfulness-based programs for substance use disorders: a systematic review of manualized treatments. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 15, 51 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-020-00293-3

Marchand WR. Neural mechanisms of mindfulness and meditation: Evidence from neuroimaging studies. World J Radiol. 2014 Jul 28;6(7):471-9. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v6.i7.471. PMID: 25071887; PMCID: PMC4109098.

Chmiel J, Malinowska A, Rybakowski F, Leszek J. The Effectiveness of Mindfulness in the Treatment of Methamphetamine Addiction Symptoms: Does Neuroplasticity Play a Role? Brain Sci. 2024 Mar 27;14(4):320. doi: 10.3390/brainsci14040320. PMID: 38671972; PMCID: PMC11047954.