Reduction of psychological cravings and anxiety in women compulsorily isolated for detoxification using autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR)

Abstract

Abstract Objective To explore the effects of the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) on the psychological cravings and anxiety of women compulsorily isolated for detoxification. Method Around 122 women were recruited in a female drug detoxification center. Except for the 12‐week training of ASMR, the experimental conditions of the experimental group (n = 60) were the same as those of the control group (n = 62). The addiction Stroop task was used to assess the level of psychological cravings and the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to assess the level of anxiety. Results After the training, the decrease in state anxiety of the experimental group was larger than that of the control group, and the reaction time of the experimental group in the Stroop was also significantly lower than before the training. Conclusions ASMR could thus reduce to a certain extent the state anxiety and attentional bias for drug‐related clues under signaling psychological cravings among women compulsorily isolated for detoxification. HIGHLIGHTS Intervention effects on psychological cravings and anxiety of women isolated for detoxification Basis for role of ASMR in regulating psychological cravings and anxiety in forced abstainers ASMR intervention reduced forced abstainers’ attentional bias to drug‐related clues

Keywords

• autonomous sensory meridian responses (ASMR)
• detoxification
• psychological cravings
• forced abstainers
• anxiety