MedTrace Logo

Effects of Breathwork and Meditation on Addiction Recovery

NCT07510256 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 100

Last updated 2026-04-03

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Emotional wellness can play a vital role in supporting recovery from substance use disorder (SUD). Developing skills to regulate emotions and manage stress during early stages of recovery can help manage triggers and prevent relapse. Controlled breathing (i.e., intentional manipulation of rate and/or depth of breathing over time - often referred to as "breathwork") can enhance emotion regulation, but their effects have been minimally studied in individuals recovering from SUD.

This randomized controlled pilot study will examine the impact of breathwork and meditation training program ("SKY Recovery") designed for people in substance use recovery. It will take place at a residential substance use recovery treatment center in upstate New York with patients in recovery who have elected to participate in the SKY Recovery program delivered at the treatment center. The study will compare two groups (SKY Recovery vs. Control) to assess the intervention's impact on emotional well-being and craving. Participants randomized to the SKY group will complete a 5-day intensive workshop followed by weekly follow-up sessions. The Control group will receive the same intervention after a delay. Validated measures of emotion regulation, craving, and sleep quality will be collected at baseline, one week after the program, and again 3 weeks after the program to determine efficacy and feasibility for a larger trial.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

SKY Breathing Program

The main breathing technique taught in SKY Recovery program consists of multiple, staged components for progressively deeper relaxation and mental clarity. The first component involves a slow breathing technique (ujjayi or "ocean breath") that increases airway resistance during inspiration/expiration and controls airflow to prolong each breathing cycle to an exact count. The subjective experience is physical and mental calmness with alertness. In the second component ("bellows breath"), air is rapidly inhaled and forcefully exhaled at a rate of 30 breaths/minute, leading to excitation followed by calmness. The last component, Sudarshan Kriya ("proper vision by purifying action"), involves cyclical slow/medium/fast breathing. Together, these techniques can take 20 min and is followed by a 5 min rest period (total: 25 min). The program also includes training in mantra-based meditation (Sahaj Samadhi) - invoking a word ("mantra") to redirect the mind towards a meditative state.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2024-11-18
Primary Completion
2025-10-02
Completion
2025-10-02

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases
Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07510256 on ClinicalTrials.gov