Mind & Life Zev Schuman-Olivier – Mindfulness, Behavior Change, and Health
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Sep 19, 2024 
Zev Schuman-Olivier, psychiatrist and contemplative researcher who founded the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, discusses weaving mindfulness and compassion into healthcare. He talks about applying mindfulness to addiction and depression, designing trauma-informed behavior-change programs, the role of interoception and body trust in motivation, and integrating Internal Family Systems into scalable clinical care.
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Vipassana Served As Someone's AA
- Early clinical work with buprenorphine and groups for people with opioid use disorder convinced Zev mindfulness might support recovery.
- A recovery peer told him Vipassana was his AA, prompting research into meditation's role in addiction.
Behavior Change Is The Overlooked Health Jackpot
- Up to 90% of US healthcare costs link to illnesses preventable or reducible by behavior change like smoking, activity, diet, sleep, and medication adherence.
- Mindfulness can act as a therapeutic behavior that cultivates neuroplasticity, self-efficacy, and capacity to initiate healthy behaviors.
Mindfulness Can Work In Addiction Treatment
- Initial skepticism claimed mindfulness wouldn't work for people with addiction, but trials showed feasibility and behavioral impacts like reduced HIV risk and increased meditation adherence.
- Early spiritual self-schema therapy produced 64% meditating 30 minutes daily in a high-risk opioid-treated cohort.