February 12, 2021
In this episode, Wendy speaks with clinical researcher and psychotherapist Eric Garland. Eric has spent his career developing effective ways to use mindfulness and other contemplative approaches for problems like addiction and chronic pain. Their conversation covers many topics, including:
- how early mystical experiences led him to a contemplative path;
- the power of meditation to heal and restore well-being;
- self-transcendence and non-dual states of consciousness;
- the features of his intervention, Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), and its application for addiction and chronic pain;
- how reappraisal can help in difficult situations;
- the role of savoring and reconnecting with natural rewards;
- deconstructing pain;
- a large clinical trial showing how effective MORE is, and how it might work;
- and the biggest lesson he’s learned from his work so far.
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. He also directs the Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development (C-MIIND) at the university. Eric is an internationally-recognized leader in biobehavioral clinical research, and the developer of an innovative mind-body therapy founded on insights from affective neuroscience called Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE). He has published more than 180 scientific articles and received more than $50 million in grants from NIH, DOD, and PCORI for research on MORE and mindfulness as a treatment for addiction and chronic pain. Eric is also a Fellow of the Mind & Life Institute, and has received multiple Mind & Life grants to support his development of MORE.
Resources
Websites: Dr. Eric Garland and Utah Faculty Profile
Twitter: @DrEricGarland
- Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) Training
- Paper: Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement remediates hedonic dysregulation in opioid users: Neural and affective evidence of target engagement (Science Advances, 2019)
- Paper: Mindfulness-oriented recovery enhancement reduces opioid misuse risk via analgesic and positive psychological mechanisms: A randomized controlled trial (J Consult Clin Psychol, 2019)