Mrazek AJ, Mrazek MD, Cherolini CM, et al. (2019). The future of mindfulness training is digital, and the future is now. Current Opinion in Psychology. 28: 81-89. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.11.012
The authors assert that digital mindfulness interventions present a valuable opportunity to offer high-quality treatment to broad audiences. The authors reviewed the advantages to digital approaches to mindfulness training, described challenges to digital mindfulness training delivery, and proposed ways to address those challenges. Highlighted advantages include improved accessibility of treatment and standardization of delivery, inherent to the technology used. Digital mindfulness interventions have also demonstrated the potential to improve mindfulness, stress, depression, and anxiety in research. Digital delivery of mindfulness training still faces several challenges including selecting target audience and intended objectives, addressing individual differences within target audiences, maintaining audience engagement, promoting effective learning, and addressing mental and emotional challenges faced by users. The authors suggested conducting user research to determine target audiences and their needs, selecting specific objectives prior to designing a program, enabling user personalization to address individual differences, and making design choices that promote engagement and effective learning (e.g., chunking content, including content review exercises, including learning exercises, using images). Leveraging the popularity of digital mindfulness interventions by designing high quality interventions with clearly defined target audiences and objectives can ensure that large audiences are able to benefit from mindfulness training.