Headspace launches young adult mindfulness app Headspace XR

Digital psychological well being firm Headspace introduced its new digital actuality app Headspace XR, which makes use of blended actuality and digital actuality to assist customers strengthen their mind-body connection via motion and breathwork. 

The app, obtainable on Meta Quest, consists of mood-boosting video games, one-on-one guided meditations and different strategies. 

Headspace mentioned in an announcement it goals to achieve a youthful viewers with the VR app, particularly Gen Z.

Later this yr, Headspace plans to conduct a randomized management trial to judge how Headspace XR can help individuals with social well being and connection. The research goals to discover the direct psychological well being advantages of mindfulness in a digital setting. 

“Analysis reveals that when people play, our brains are activated in a approach that may influence total life satisfaction and emotional well-being. Sadly, our day-to-day lives are sometimes stripped of this chance,” Sara Cohen, vp of content material creation at Headspace, mentioned in an announcement.

“Along with Meta and Nexus Studios, we’re thrilled to mix the ability of play with meditation and mindfulness in an immersive expertise that additionally lets you construct neighborhood by partaking in Headspace XR along with your folks.”

THE LARGER TREND

Information from the American Psychological Affiliation’s Stress in America Survey revealed Gen Z teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 and Gen Z adults between 18 and 23 skilled elevated stress and reported signs of despair because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which might have long-term penalties on their well being.  

Headspace has introduced quite a few partnerships to develop entry to its behavioral well being choices prior to now few years. 

In 2023, the corporate introduced it was partnering with Castell, a value-based care firm, to supply choose insurance coverage plan members in Utah with on-demand entry to Headspace’s behavioral well being providers, together with teaching and remedy.

Headspace additionally prolonged its partnership with employer well being tech firm Virgin Pulse. The alliance would give Virgin’s members and roughly 2,000 staff globally entry to Headspace from Virgin’s AI-enabled well being and wellbeing platform, Homebase for Well being. 

The digital psychological well being firm was not resistant to the quite a few layoffs seen within the digital well being area over the previous few years. 

In July, it let go of 181 staff, or about 15% of its workforce, and laid off about 4%, or roughly 50 staff, the earlier December.   

Different mindfulness digital actuality apps embrace:

TRIPP, an software that gives guided meditations with psychedelic imagery.
Healium, which gives reactive digital and augmented actuality experiences that modify in line with neurofeedback from a person’s physique.
Maloka, a guided meditation app that locations individuals on their very own digital island.