Healthy Minds Program 4+

Learning to have mindfulness

This is a long journey, and even after completion here, I still think my journey will continue. I’ve been dealing with Chronic Pain, RSD or CRPS in particular, and learning how to process my pain (not letting my mind and stress make a mountain out of a mole hill). Your mind gets into these cycles, and meditation (insight here) gives me more perspective about my pain and focus on how bad it may actually be in that moment.

Meditation was given to me years ago, and it has been my saving grace! Dealing with what’s known as the “Suicide Disease,” it really drives your mind in many directions, but I’m learning how to gain more control (instead of my mind going where IT pleases, I have more control steering). Mindfulness has allowed me the opportunity to grow and see I have control, if so choose to master this ability, and that my days can be better. My pain can be less as well! Look up studies in an MRI machine out of California, where they watched a flame (MRI machine was making flame bigger or smaller based on activity of the brain in the pain center). This is the same as mindfulness, just without a machine, radiation, and needing more practice…but exact same concept.

Anyway, gives this a good effort and you’ll notice small changes. Continue this effort, and your changes will grow exponentially over time. Best of luck to you all and I hope this inspires some to better their lives. 🙏🏼

Deeply Beneficial

I’m deeply grateful to have found Healthy Minds. With every other recommended app out of my budget, I wasn’t sure how I would go about learning to meditate—a practice I knew I needed to begin for my mental, spiritual and physical health. The curriculum is perfectly paced for a beginner, it carries a wonderful balance of instruction and practice, and the teachings are data-backed and fulfilling. I am about halfway through and already plan to start over and include my tween and teens in order to introduce mindfulness to them at an earlier age than I’ve discovered it. Thank you to the developers for putting so much thought, research and heart into this app. And thank you for making it accessible.

A note: I wish specific lessons/practices were easier to find after listening the first time. Accessing a catalog of previously listened to sessions would be very helpful in giving myself additional practice and for sharing with others.

Presentations too fast, poorly organized content

The concepts behind this app are important and probably ground-breaking, but it is so frustrating to use, I will be deleting it. First, it's close to impossible to return to specific meditations or learning sessions that you may find helpful, unless you take the time to back out of the lesson, then note and memorize how it is "mapped", like on a PC. Or is the assumption that users will become proficient at or memorize these sessions after only one hearing? (I think there is ample evidence in the literature to illustrate that memorization is not a good strategy for learning.) Second, one of the main presenters consistently speaks too fast, like a radio newscaster with a limited time slot or a student rushing through a class presentation that he just wants to be over. The speed at which the lessons are presented is so nerve wracking, it's a relief when the principal investigator makes cameo audio appearances, as both his tone and presentation speed are easy to settle into, enhancing comprehension. Finally, meditations meant to prepare for sleep are no different in tone or speed to other meditations-definitely not relaxing. I will be deleting this app and instead, read the primary research.

Developer Response ,

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