Is meditation the new medication?
Headspace is a mindfulness and meditation app in which users can listen to meditation sessions and sounds anytime and anywhere.
The London-based company was founded in just 2010, yet it already has 30 million users and is worth $250 million. And the executives have nothing but expansion in mind.
On Wednesday, the company announced that the creation of a subsidiary called Headspace Health, which will unravel prescription-level meditation techniques and practices. Chief science officer Megan Jones Bell told Business Insider that the company will begin clinical trials this summer, aiming to acquire FDA approval on their first prescribed product.
Presently, meditation apps are extremely popular among healthy people – even Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey regularly goes on meditation retreats. However, very few people use meditation techniques for illness recovery purposes. Headspace plans to do just that.
The company already has a team working with research institutions like the University of California, Berkeley, and Britain’s National Health Service. According to Jones Bell, they are currently tackling twelve different mental and physical conditions.
Studies have already proven many benefits of meditation, such as increased focus, patience, ability to relate with others, and less fatigue. However, Headspace will need to work closely with the FDA to roll out any programs for diagnosed diseases.
Headspace’s target is 2020, and if the company continues with their reported progress, they could open doors for a new wave of treatment.
Featured image via Pexels/Prasanth Inturi
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