Mindfulness, Compassion, and Addiction Recovery | Sarah Bowen

In this episode of Compassion in a T-Shirt, I have the great pleasure of speaking with Dr Sarah Bowen—clinical psychologist, Associate Professor at Pacific University in Oregon, and one of the co-developers of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP).I first met Sarah back in 2011 at the Joshua Tree Retreat Centre during an MBRP facilitator training. That experience had a lasting impact on me—deepening my interest in mindfulness, compassion, and their place in addiction recovery. So it was a real joy to reconnect with her for this conversation.We explore the foundations of MBRP and how it brings together mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy, and motivational interviewing to support people through the ups and downs of recovery. Sarah also shares her thoughts on how compassion and self-compassion—whether front and centre or gently in the background—play a vital role in healing.We dive into her research adapting MBRP for women with co-occurring PTSD and substance use difficulties, reflect on her time working with the late Allan Marlatt, and explore the integration of radical behaviourism and Buddhist psychology—two traditions that, while seemingly different, have surprising synergies when it comes to understanding suffering and change.It’s a rich, thoughtful, and deeply human conversation. I hope you find it as inspiring as I did.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Introduction00:30 Discovering Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP)02:07 Exploring the core of MBRP11:43 The role of compassion in MBRP15:27 Adapting MBRP for trauma and gender-specific needs21:15 Insights from working with Allan Marlatt23:12 Integrating meditation into scientific practice24:08 The evolution of mindfulness and behaviourism26:11 Understanding radical behaviourism27:59 Classical vs. operant conditioning29:30 Behaviourism in addiction treatment32:44 Bridging Buddhism and behaviourism38:00 Current projects and future directions43:08 Encouraging mindfulness practice45:12 Conclusion and gratitudeLINKS:Dr Sarah Bowen at Pacific Universityhttps://www.pacificu.edu/about/directory/people/sarah-bowen-phdTrauma-Integrated Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for Women with Comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Use Disorder: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Feasibility and Acceptability Trial (Somohano & Bowen, 2022)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35648046/Overlaying Buddhist and behaviorist lenses to better understand and address human suffering. (Bowen et al., 2021)https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-66328-001 If you would like to learn more about compassion focused therapy, you can find Dr Stan Steindl's book The Gifts of Compassion here: https://www.ausapress.com/p/the-gifts-of-compassion-how-to-understand-and-overcome-suffering/Say hi on social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drstansteindl Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/StanSteindl Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_stan_steindl/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-steindl-150a5264/ Website: https://www.stansteindl.com/ YouTube Video URL: https://youtu.be/eYh1KcYfl50 *Affiliate Disclaimer: Note this description contains affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this video and support the channel at no cost to you. While this channel may earn minimal sums when the viewer uses the links, the viewer is in no way obligated to use these links. Thank you for your support! Video hashtags:mindfulness, relapse prevention, addiction recovery, self-compassion, trauma-informed, behaviourism