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Mindfulness therapy for opioid addiction seems to have better results when used alongside ketamine. Researchers at UC San Diego think they know why. In a study, participants who received ketamine alongside mindfulness training were more in-tuned with their own bodies, which weakened cravings in the long haul. To be clear, ketamine might be dangerous if …
Ketamine-Assisted Mindfulness Cut Drug Use 44% in Opioid Trial
Written By Terri Beth Miller PhD
Terri Beth Miller is the Senior Managing Editor for Rehab Media Group, LLC. She is writer, educator, and disability scholar and advocate with extensive experience in writing in the mental health and addiction recovery space.
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Mindfulness therapy for opioid addiction seems to have better results when used alongside ketamine. Researchers at UC San Diego think they know why. In a study, participants who received ketamine alongside mindfulness training were more in-tuned with their own bodies, which weakened cravings in the long haul.
To be clear, ketamine might be dangerous if unsupervised. Traditionally, doctors recommend medications like buprenorphine, but cravings still exist. By using ketamine as a part of recovery, researchers hope that the brain will read the body differently to cut down those cravings.
A New Analysis
The team under Dr. Eric Garland focused on interoception, which is the ability to sense, interpret, and respond to body signals like breathing, heart rate and muscle tension. Those signals involve knowing your emotions and self-control. They’re often disrupted when addictions hit.
Participants received smartphone prompts about body awareness thrice a day during treatment and for one month after. Folks who took ketamine had higher body awareness, especially in the first round.
In fact, the same participants also saw enhancements in listening to their bodies for useful information and using that awareness to calm down when distress strikes. Those gains correlated with lower opioid cravings three months later.
The Trial & Numbers
The analysis enrolled 68 adults with opioid use disorder, all taking buprenorphine. Half received Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement, or MORE, an eight-week therapy Garland developed that uses mindfulness to reframe stress and savor positive experiences. The other half received MORE plus two sessions of ketamine.
Older trials showed MORE reduces opioid misuse by 45% by itself and 42% among people who take medication assisted treatment. Ketamine made those results even higher. That trial group had 44% fewer instances of drug use, partly because ketamine experiences such as a sense of oneness discouraged folks from indulging in cravings.
“Craving isn’t just a thought, it can be experienced throughout the body,” Garland explained. Mindfulness teaches people to listen to their bodies and ketamine might just make those signals stronger.
Important Caveats
However, there are limits. All participants self-reported, even though no one knew if they got ketamine.
Future work might focus on whether ketamine has longer lasting effects on cravings. In addition, everyone who takes ketamine needs supervision and other forms of therapy since outside use is dangerous.
NA Complements Recovery
Ketamine-assisted therapy remains experimental, but more conevntional ways to overcome opioid addictions have proven to work. Naloxone can reverse an overdose and peer support through Narcotics Anonymous meetings welcomes people from all backgrounds, day and night.
Feel free to get started by finding a support group through NA. Our searchable directory maintains listings of chapters from all over the USA. You can also dial 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to find expert guidance.
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