Mindfulness in Recovery

Mindfulness In Recovery is an inclusive and comprehensive, strength-based mindfulness program developed specifically for people in all forms of recovery, including family and friends. It is designed to be integrated with all other forms of evidence-based therapies and treatment pathways, including the 12 steps. 

www.mindfulnessinrecovery.com  

All Substances and Behaviors   

Spiritual 

The Mindfulness in Recovery (MIR) program has its roots in the blending of traditional mindfulness practices with modern approaches to addiction recovery. The program was developed by John Bruna, a counselor, educator, and long-time Buddhist practitioner. Bruna entered recovery from addiction himself in the 1980s. He later trained extensively in mindfulness and meditation, including spending over six years as a Buddhist monk.

Through his lived experience and professional work, John recognized the need for a recovery approach that combined mindfulness with universal, practical skills.

In 2014 Bruna co-founded the Mindful Life Program in Carbondale, Colorado, an organization dedicated to teaching mindfulness in accessible, secular ways. John saw that many recovery programs (like the 12 Steps, SMART, etc.) could be strengthened when participants had tools for cultivating awareness, resilience, and intentional living. MIR was designed as a complementary, universal program, not a replacement for existing recovery pathways.

In 2018 the Mindfulness in Recovery Online Program was launched, giving participants daily practices, videos, and journaling prompts. Peer-support MIR Meetings began forming, modeled after group recovery meetings but with mindfulness practices, reflections, and discussion as the focus.

MIR expanded nationally and internationally during the 2020s, used by individuals, treatment centers, and recovery communities. The program also developed training and certification pathways for facilitators to lead MIR groups.

Today, MIR is an established, trademarked program delivered both in-person and online. It has been integrated into various addiction treatment programs, peer-support communities, and self-guided recovery plans. The program remains focused on the Seven Skills of Living Mindfully, helping people use mindfulness to support abstinence, manage triggers, and live with purpose.

The Essential Guidebook to Mindfulness in Recovery by John Bruna 

There is much more to recovery than learning to abstain from toxic substances, behaviors, habits, and thinking. Recovery is not simply an absence of something, it is the growth and flourishing of health, resiliency, well-being, and happiness.

Teaches participants to develop awareness of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in the present moment. Helps reduce impulsivity, reactivity, and habitual patterns that fuel addiction.

The program centers around seven interrelated skills that can be practiced daily.

1. Attention – training the mind to stay present.
2. Values – clarifying what truly matters to the individual.
3. Wisdom – recognizing the causes and effects of actions.
4. Ethics – acting in ways that reduce harm and support recovery.
5. Compassion – cultivating kindness toward self and others.
6. Healthy Effort – developing perseverance and resilience.
7. Mindfulness – integrating awareness into all areas of life.

Can be practiced alongside secular or spiritual recovery paths. Doesn’t require belief in a higher power. Works for people with substance use disorders as well as those dealing with other compulsive behaviors.

In-person and online: https://mindfulnessinrecovery.com/mir-meetings/