- On the occasion of a new episode of our Sixth Science podcast, in partnership with Sciences et Avenir , 20 Minutes examines a very popular practice, meditation.
- In Europe, mindfulness meditation has been essential for ten years in hospitals, but also in the city.
- If some people use it to improve their well-being, it is sometimes offered by psychologists belonging to the current of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), to help people with psychiatric disorders. And especially to fight against addictions.
How can ten minutes of meditation a day help you get rid of gin or cannabis? If you are still wondering, it is because you are not yet one of the French addicts and followers of mindfulness meditation. This method, popularized by the American doctor Jon Kabat-Zinn in the 1980s, invites you to take a few minutes to focus your attention on the internal (sensations, emotions, thoughts, states of mind) or external experiences of the present moment, without carrying no value judgment.
A practice inherited from Buddhism which is attracting more and more French psychiatrists and psychologists, in order to relieve patients with psychiatric disorders. And especially those who suffer from addictions.
A practice that sets in
“Mindfulness is effective in addictology. In addition, specific programs have emerged to support addicted people, ”says Julie Geneste Saelens, addict psychiatrist at Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital and mindful practitioner. Indeed, the MBRP (Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention), a protocol for the prevention of relapse of addictions based on mindfulness meditation, in groups and generally over eight weeks, is offered by certain French hospitals.
Initially, the program tackled alcohol, but whatever the addiction, the path is the same. “In my CHU, we group together people who have addictions with products and those who have behavioral addictions (purchases, games, sex, screens…), but we do not make any difference between the products”, explains Julie Geneste Saelens . And efficiency question? A French study, carried out in Plaisir (Yvelines) for alcohol-dependent people, suggests that alcohol consumption decreases in the short term and in the long term. Conclusions that are not very usable given the very small sample (14 people). A limit that is often found for scientific studies on this practice.
Endure "craving" without reacting
But the approach goes beyond the CHU and invites itself in the cabinets in town. Some psychiatrists advise their patients to subscribe to Petit Bambou, a smartphone application that packs a punch and also offers a program to quit smoking. “In addictology, the critical moment is craving , this big increase in the desire to smoke, to drink, to eat. However, doing a few minutes of meditation at that time helps to fight against this imperious desire, "said Fanny Jacq, psychiatrist who launched Monsherpa, another meditation application, written by shrinks.
The patient is asked to rest and focus on their breathing rather than having a drink or a coke rail. Without denying this desire. "The great contribution of meditation is to be able to postpone the reaction, to limit impulsiveness," adds Julie Geneste-Saelens. As if you could ride the craving wave. "
Regain control ... and regain confidence
If mindfulness encounters such an echo, it is also because many patients are wary of drugs, their side effects ... and the risk of addiction to a new substance. Taking time for yourself is an effort, but it is less passive than swallowing tablets. "By doing a few exercises each day, they have the impression of once again becoming an actor in this fight against the influence of addiction," says Fanny Jacq. And would regain confidence in them.
Self-esteem would also be boosted by the philosophy of meditation, which avoids judgment. "Addicts suffer from the judgment of others and their own sense of failure," says the addict. "To the point of entering a vicious circle: the more guilty we feel, the more we will consume," adds Yasmine Liénard, psychiatrist and author of In Search of Her True Self, Meditating to Find Her True Nature . All this path of compassion can diminish self-destructive behavior. "
With training, this practice could even provide a well-being that is not only in the head ... "Functional MRI showed a physical effect and not only psychological," says Fanny Jacq. Indeed, focusing on the present moment soothes the secretion of adrenaline and boosts serotonin, the hormone of well-being ”. “I remember a patient who smoked a lot of cannabis and confessed that she found in mindfulness the same pleasure as with the substance. It allowed him to savor the present, but without the product, ”says Julie Geneste Saelens.
Some brakes and precautions
This practice still faces certain obstacles. First of all, it is not a miracle cure, does not suit all patients and requires persistence. “Addicts have a deregulated reward system, and seek out strong emotions, notes Yasmine Liénard. Since meditation is boring at first, many give up quickly. And don't bother trying to spend 20 minutes seated, your back straight to focus on your sensations when you're having a trip or after five beers…
"When we use meditation, not for personal development, but for therapeutic purposes, it must be provided by therapists trained in this practice," says Julie Geneste-Saelens. Welcoming a pain, an insurmountable desire while remaining motionless is not a part of pleasure. "Petit Bambou is an interesting and practical tool because patients can do it at home, but it is not therapy," warns the addictologist. These applications must be "managed" by a therapist, to know what to use and how, as for a drug. Especially since it is quite common for addiction to hide a psychiatric disorder. "
Once the addiction is removed, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder can indeed arise suddenly, in the form of delusional flushes, what is called psychotic decompensation. Another paradox, finally: when a patient is addicted to screens, advising him to spend twenty minutes a day on his meditation app is not necessarily indicated…
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