The short answer
Urge surfing is a way to get through a craving by watching it instead of fighting it or giving in. You notice where you feel the urge in your body, breathe, and watch it rise, peak and fall like a wave. It comes from mindfulness-based relapse prevention, developed by the psychologist G. Alan Marlatt and colleagues.
Why it works
Fighting a craving keeps your attention on it, and giving in teaches your brain that the urge works. Surfing does neither. You let the urge be there, get curious about it, and wait. Because a craving rises and falls on its own, you find out you can be with it without doing anything.
How to urge surf, in five steps
- Notice it. Say to yourself: “I’m having an urge.”
- Find it in your body. A tight chest, a restless hand, a taste in your mouth. Where is it strongest?
- Breathe. Slow breaths, with the breath out longer than the breath in.
- Watch the wave. Notice it getting stronger, peaking, then starting to ease. Rate it from 1 to 10 if that helps.
- Let it pass. When it has eased, notice that you got through it without acting on it.
It gets easier with practice. The first few times, a minute of surfing followed by something physical, like a walk or a glass of cold water, is a good combination.
Urge surfing in Urge Buddy
“Ride the wave” is one of the tasks your buddy can pick: it walks you through watching the craving rise, peak and fall, one step at a time.
Urge Buddy
When an urge hits, tap your buddy and get something quick to do until it passes. For iPhone, with a 3-day free trial.
Questions
What is urge surfing?
A mindfulness technique for cravings: instead of fighting the urge or giving in, you notice where you feel it in your body, breathe, and watch it rise, peak and fall like a wave.
Who came up with urge surfing?
It’s associated with the psychologist G. Alan Marlatt and his work on relapse prevention, and is part of mindfulness-based relapse prevention.