- Are there any practices or habits that one can employ, either frequently or on a daily basis, to train one's mind to equanimously observe (be aware of) compulsive urges or cravings, without giving in to them / acting them out?
- Can this skill be developed in a general sense, applicable to all types of urges/cravings, or does one need to train a different, tailored technique to handle each type of urge/craving individually?
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$\begingroup$ desensitize yourself by exposure $\endgroup$– TheAutomatonCommented Mar 23, 2018 at 17:18
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$\begingroup$ @TheAutomaton, could you elaborate a little more? Maybe write an answer? $\endgroup$– xwbCommented Mar 24, 2018 at 8:09
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2 Answers
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According to the article "Brief meditation training induces smoking reduction" one kind of mediation-training reduced smoking by 60% while a control group (relaxation training) showed no such effect.
"Integrative body-mind training (IBMT) is a form of mindfulness meditation that involves body relaxation, mental imagery, and mindfulness training accompanied by selected music background. Cooperation between the body and the mind is emphasized in facilitating and achieving a meditative state. The trainees concentrated on achieving a balanced state of body and mind guided by an IBMT coach and a compact disc. The method stresses no effort to control thoughts but, instead, a state of restful alertness that allows a high degree of awareness of body, mind, and environment."
Other relevant references: Tang YY, et al. (2007) Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104(43):17152–17156.
Tang YY, et al. (2009) Central and autonomic nervous system interaction is altered by short-term meditation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106(22):8865–8870.
Tang YY, et al. (2010) Short-term meditation induces white matter changes in the anterior cingulate. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107(35):15649–15652.
Tang YY, Lu Q, Fan M, Yang Y, Posner MI (2012) Mechanisms of white matter changes induced by meditation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 109(26):10570–10574.
Tang YY (2009) Exploring the Brain, Optimizing the Life (Science Press, Beijing).
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The short answer is - yes. There is nothing impossible, save for the theoretical idea of perfect balance.
Generally speaking you will be training your mind (i.e. yourself) not just your brain. The desired state of "still and equanimous" appears to be used as opposite to anxious. The potential cravings accompanied by anxious states are just too many to require one response per one type of craving, but you are on to something with this specificity - wanting a drink is not quite the same as wanting a sweetie.
There will be 2 components - one is the more general response - where you will recognise you are anxious. Hopefully you will also realise what you are anxious about (could it be rejection by a potential partner, could it be a bailiff's letter, or something less threatening?). The more specific component could use imagery - try to remember how you felt when you had the "sweetie" before (as a rule you will be craving something quite familiar to you). If you can successfully recall the state after you had consumed the "sweetie" in the past it very often will be helpful in deciding - do I really want to "eat" this now.
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$\begingroup$ I didn't want to use the word 'mind' because I was afraid it might mislead people into debating about mind-body dualism. But anyway, could you elaborate a little more about how to bring your advice into a more concrete daily practice? $\endgroup$– xwbCommented Mar 24, 2018 at 17:19
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$\begingroup$ Yes. You can add, or use as a part of your meditation. Do what I suggested - try to envision how you feel after the craving is satisfied. It does not happen that satisfying a craving is just happy. You will also recall that accompanying sense of guilt and associated penumbra of negative feelings - which you will have (unless your craving was to do physical exercise or voluntary work to save animals). This will help you to access the relevant feeling state when you feel like giving in to your craving. $\endgroup$– r0bertsCommented Mar 25, 2018 at 7:55
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$\begingroup$ About the more general component - recognising your anxiety. As I said it is a more general component. Typically your thinking becomes richer and more complex and more capable to recognise your anxieties for what they are through a process like therapy. $\endgroup$– r0bertsCommented Mar 25, 2018 at 7:58