Effects of hypnosis, mindfulness meditation, and education for chronic pain on substance use in veterans: A supplementary analysis of a randomized clinical trial.
Rehabilitation psychology August 1, 2023 Aaron P Turner, Karlyn A Edwards, Mark P Jensen et al. 5 citations
Mindfulness meditation and hypnosis, originally intended to treat chronic pain, also reduced daily cannabis use among U.S. military veterans. In a randomized trial with 328 Veterans at two VA medical centers, those receiving mindfulness meditation were 85% less likely to use cannabis daily at 3 months and 81% less likely at 6 months, compared to an active education control group. Hypnosis reduced daily cannabis use risk by 82% at 6 months. Neither intervention affected tobacco or alcohol use. Baseline substance use in the prior 3 months was 22% for tobacco, 27% for cannabis, and 61% for alcohol. The findings suggest these therapies may help reduce cannabis use even when that is not the treatment goal.