Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement

In 2006, Eric Garland began to contemplate developing a mindfulness-based intervention for the treatment of addiction. The overarching goal of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) is to reverse the allostatic process of addiction by fostering greater control over automatic, maladaptive behavior and by promoting a recovery-oriented approach rooted in meaning-making and human flourishing, known as eudaimonic wellbeing. MORE has not yet been tested among substance users in the precontemplation stage of change; in that regard, MORE provides implicit motivational enhancement by strengthening self-awareness, but does not include any explicit motivational interviewing techniques. A growing body of studies demonstrates the therapeutic potential of MORE for a range of conditions, including alcohol dependence, co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders, opioid misuse among chronic pain patients, smoking, and behavioral addictions. A substantial and rapidly growing body of literature is dedicated to the examination of MORE as an effective treatment modality for chronic pain and opioid misuse.