RESEARCH_FILE
Katie Witkiewitz
University of New Mexico
Known for:Updating and empirically validating Marlatt's dynamic model of relapse, demonstrating that recovery is a non-linear process and that a single lapse does not undo accumulated progress
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“I just need to relax first”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“I can feel this for ten seconds without turning it into an hour.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Set your phone face down on another surface, write one word for what you’re avoiding on a scrap of paper, and spend 60 seconds doing the smallest visible part of the task, then stop on purpose.
Key findings
- 2004
With Marlatt, Witkiewitz published a revised dynamic model of relapse that replaced the original linear chain with a complex web of tonic (stable background) and phasic (moment-to-moment) risk factors, accommodating the reality that recovery trajectories are non-linear. Relapse Prevention for Alcohol and Drug Problems: That Was Zen, This Is Tao ↗
- 2005
With Marlatt, Witkiewitz reviewed the empirical evidence for RP interventions and found consistent support across alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and cocaine, with the strongest effects when training explicitly targeted coping with permission-giving thoughts and high-risk situations. Relapse Prevention for Alcohol and Drug Problems ↗