新年到了。我們的國家出現(xiàn)了分歧。我們前所未有地需要冥想類的應用。

這也就難怪這些平靜思緒的技術(shù)成為了熱門生意。

10% Happier的首席執(zhí)行官和聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人本·魯賓告訴我們：“冥想可以驅(qū)除新的/厭世的想法。人們開始認識到（科學也已經(jīng)證明）這是一種對普通人而言極其有用的工具。冥想總是有效的。它終于開始流行起來。”

投資者和用戶似乎也都同意這點。

以下是我們最喜愛的一些能平靜思緒的產(chǎn)品。

Headspace

這可能是最著名的冥想類應用。他們募得了3,830萬美元的資金，并利用其中一部分來制作神奇的廣告，例如上面那則。這款應用讓冥想變得簡單快捷。公司的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人安迪·普迪科姆的簡歷令人深刻——他曾是佛教僧人。據(jù)他說，每天只需10分鐘冥想即可。用戶需要把自己的思想集中在健康、表現(xiàn)或人際關(guān)系等值得關(guān)注的領(lǐng)域，而應用則會記錄每天的冥想歷程。這款應用有10天的試用期，之后會收取每月12.95美元的費用。

Muse

Muse是一款冥想類應用，配有一條外形很有未來風格的頭帶（售價250美元）。開發(fā)者表示，這條頭帶利用了大腦感應技術(shù)，可以測量你的大腦處于平靜還是活躍狀態(tài)，并將這些信號轉(zhuǎn)換為提示音。開發(fā)Muse的公司位于多倫多，名為InteraXon，他們已經(jīng)募集了1,800萬美元。利用公司的硬件和軟件，他們的研究方向是利用我們的思想來控制物體。公司已經(jīng)研發(fā)的產(chǎn)品包括一款懸空椅和用大腦控制的啤酒龍頭。

Calm

這款冥想類應用利用聲音和系列課程，例如7天或21天的課程，來引導用戶練習冥想。據(jù)創(chuàng)始人和首席執(zhí)行官亞歷克斯·圖介紹，Calm擁有數(shù)十萬付費用戶，上架第一天起就在產(chǎn)生收入。他對Tech Crunch 網(wǎng)站表示：“我們發(fā)現(xiàn)人們真的很愿意對自身的幸福進行投資。它的盈利情況良好，轉(zhuǎn)換率很高，我們的用戶數(shù)與愿意在該領(lǐng)域付費的人數(shù)也密切相關(guān)。”這款應用在試用期后會收取每月12.99美元的費用。

Thync

Thync今年早些時候在募資上遭遇了困難，不過如今他們已經(jīng)起死回生。他們以199美元的價格，銷售一款置于用戶前額的設備，并提供10至20分鐘的“感應冥想”。制造硬件可能會帶來很高的成本，不過公司總共募集了1,300萬美元，利用“安全、低級的電脈沖輕柔地刺激腦部和頸部神經(jīng)”的原理，來打造“第一款主動提升情緒、減少壓力的可穿戴設備。”我們認為這屬于強制冥想。

10% Happier??

《晚間報道》（Nightline）的主持人在《早安美國》（Good Morning America）亮相遭遇恐慌襲擊后，與他人合作創(chuàng)立了這個應用。他還在繼續(xù)撰寫《紐約時報》（New York Times）評選的暢銷回憶錄《10% Happier》，其中重點闡述了是什么讓他接受冥想，這種他之前很長時間都認為很荒謬的舉動。如今，他的公司推出了10% Happier應用，其中有經(jīng)驗豐富的教練指導的視頻和音頻冥想教程。用戶還可以通過應用聯(lián)系到冥想教練。在7天的試用期后，應用的價格為每月9.99美元。

mSpot

如果你想自己掌握冥想，那要去哪里找冥想場所呢？你可以把mSpot看成公園、花園和教堂等冥想場所的點評網(wǎng)站。對于開發(fā)者達米安·J·沃森來說，mSpot目前只是個有趣的副業(yè)項目。他的個人網(wǎng)站上寫道：“他的夢想是能在未來某一天把全部時間投入到mSpot上，讓它涵蓋和分享全世界最好的冥想場所。”

冥想場所

你可以找個很棒的公園或花園，或是去MNDFL、Unplug、Inscape或Primary開始你的冥想。MNDFL、Unplug和Inscape都是一系列向冥想者提供理想場所的公司。可以把他們看作冥想界的靈魂圈。按照創(chuàng)始人的話說，Inscape是一個“多平臺的冥想品牌”，它在曼哈頓擁有5,000平方英尺的場館以及一個應用。Unplug在洛杉磯設有工作室，MNDFL則位于紐約。在這些地方預訂坐墊的費用為每次活動20多美元。Primary則結(jié)合了冥想和瑜伽等健康運動，還提供季節(jié)性午餐和新鮮果汁。

HelloMind

已經(jīng)冥想過度了？要不要試試催眠療法？HelloMind給用戶提供了250種不同的催眠療法，用于克服壓力、焦慮、失眠和體重增加的問題。找一個舒適的地方，聽聽音頻的指導。不過，它們可能不適合害怕投入的用戶，因為許多治療課程都有幾個長達35分鐘的環(huán)節(jié)。在增加信心，提高積極性等方面，這款應用也提供可以迅速見效的項目。

HelloMind的開發(fā)者是丹麥催眠治療師雅各布·斯特拉喬塔，他使用了自己創(chuàng)造的“結(jié)果導向式催眠”法，其意義字面可知。他告訴我們：“自我改善不是一個新的領(lǐng)域，但是移動應用讓用戶更容易用自己的時間在自己的家里做到這點。”（財富中文網(wǎng)）

作者：Uncubed

譯者：嚴匡正

It's a new year. Our country is divided. We need meditation apps more than ever.

No wonder tech that focus on peace of mind has become big business.

“The new-age/woo-woo stink is coming off meditation, and it’s being recognized (and scientifically validated) as an incredibly useful tool for normal folks,” Ben Rubin, the CEO and co-founder of 10% Happier, told us. “Meditation has always worked. It’s finally becoming popular.”

Investors and users seem to agree.

Here is some of our favorite tech that targets peace of mind.

Headspace

Perhaps the most well-known app in the meditation space, Headspace has raised $38.3 million and has used those funds, in part, to create quirky advertisements, like the one above. The app makes meditation simple and fast. 10 minutes a day is all you need, according to co-founder Andy Puddicombe who has a pretty impressive CV—he was a Buddhist monk. Users focus their mindfulness on areas of concern, like health, performance, or relationships, and their journey is tracked in the app. After a 10-day trial, the service is $12.95 per month.

Muse

Muse is a meditation app and futuristic looking headband ($250) that, according to the creators, uses brain-sensing technology to measure whether your mind is calm or active, and translates those signals into guiding sounds. InteraXon, the Toronto-based company that created Muse, has raised over $18 million. With its hardware and software, the company is working toward the ability to control objects with our minds. In the past they’ve created a levitating chair and a brain-powered beer tap.

Calm

This meditation app uses sounds and series, such as seven or 21-day courses, to guide users toward a meditation practice. Calm has hundreds of thousands of paying users and has been generating revenue since day one, according to founder and CEO, Alex Tew. “We found that people are really willing to invest in their personal well-being,” Tew told Tech Crunch. “We’re finding that it’s monetizing very well, conversion rates are very high, and our demographic is in line with people who like to spend money in this area.” After a trial period, the app costs $12.99 per month.

Thync

After struggling to raise funds earlier this year, Thync, is back from the dead and selling their dongle that sticks to a user’s forehead and offers a 10- to 20-minute “vibe session” for $199. Hardware creation can be pretty pricy, but the company has raised a total of $13 million to create “the first wearable technology that actively elevates your mood and lowers stress” by “gently stimulating nerves on the head and neck with safe, low level electrical pulses.” We think of it as forced meditation.

10% Happier

Nightline anchor Dan Harris co-founded this app after a panic attack during a Good Morning America appearance. He went on to write the New York Times bestselling memoir 10% Happier that focused on what led him to embrace meditation, a practice he’d long considered ridiculous. Now his company has launched the 10% Happier app, which delivers video and audio guided meditation lead by experienced teachers. Users also have access to a meditation coach. After the first seven days, the app costs $9.99 per month.

mSpot

You want to master meditation on your own, but where should you go to get your Zen on? Think of mSpot as Yelp for contemplation spots like parks, gardens, and churches. mSpot is currently a fun side-project for creator Damian J Watson. “His dream is to one day pursue mSpot on a full-time basis to uncover and share the best mSpots in the world,” according to his website.

Meditation Studios

You could find a nice park or garden, or you could go to MNDFL, Unplug, Incape, or Primary to get your meditation fix. MNDFL, Unplug, and Inscape are part of a crop of new businesses that give meditationers a sleek space to practice. Think: Soul Cycle for meditation. Inscape is “multi-platform meditation brand,” according to its founders, with a 5,000-square foot Manhattan location and an app. Unplug has a studio in Los Angeles, and MNDFL has locations in New York City. Booking a cushion at one of these spots can cost over $20 a session. Primary combines coworking with mediation as well as other healthy endeavors like yoga, seasonal lunches, and fresh juices.

HelloMind

Already over meditation? What about hypnotherapy? HelloMind offers users 250 different hypnotherapy treatments like ones for overcoming stress, anxiety, insomnia, and weight gain. Find a comfortable spot and let the audio guide you. These are not for the commitment-phobic, though–many treatments have several 35-minute sessions. The app does offer quicker booster treatments on topics like improved confidence and increased motivation.

HelloMind was created by Danish hypnotherapist Jacob Strachotta, who employs the self-explanatory “Result Driven Hypnosis” method, which he developed. He told us: “Self-improvement is not a new topic, but mobile apps are making it increasingly more accessible to do this in the comfort of your own home at your own time."