Changing Our Relationship With Distress and Craving: Relevance of Contextual-Behavioral Science Approaches for Behavioral Addictions

Brandther et al. (2022) identify several core processes thought to underlie behavioral addictions. Core processes of the Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model include craving, inhibitory control, maladaptive decision making, and cognitive biases. Drawing on literature with substance use disorders, Brandther et al. speculate that mindfulness-based interventions as well as neurofeedback techniques would be helpful in targeting these processes in nonsubstance addictive behaviors. After an extensive review of over 1,500 articles that met keyword criteria, 15 studies that employed mindfulness-based interventions were identified, representing the experience of 297 participants. No studies on neurofeedback interventions were found. Of the studies that assessed these processes, a majority found that mindfulness-based interventions reduced craving (4 of 6 studies) and/or mental distress (5 of 7 studies). No more than one study garnered support for each of the remaining identified core processe