A chatbot powered by a large language model (LLM) can support mindfulness practice among older adults. In a pre-study, 15 older adults used a commercial mindfulness app with human guidance for three weeks, and their feedback highlighted the importance of voice, personality, interactivity, and ease of use. Based on these insights, a prototype AI mindfulness coach was built by fine-tuning OpenAI's ChatGPT on a custom dataset of mindfulness scripts. The prototype was then assessed through participatory design workshops, suggesting that LLM-based chatbots may offer a promising avenue for delivering mindfulness support tailored to older adults.
An online mindfulness platform improved anxiety more than general health education in adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, but stress and depression did not differ between groups at most time points. Patients from a regional hospital were randomly assigned to either an online mindfulness program or general health education. At the fourth and eighth weeks, the mindfulness group had significantly lower anxiety scores than the control group. Within the mindfulness group, stress and depression also improved by the eighth week. The findings suggest that online mindfulness can help manage anxiety, though its effects on stress and depression were less clear.
A new mobile app called Sukunn offers mindfulness practices rooted in Arab-Islamic spirituality, integrating muraqabah (self-awareness), dhikr (divine remembrance), and tafakkur (reflective contemplation) through guided exercises, Qur'anic affirmations, and reflective journaling. Its design draws on a God-conscious (taqwā) model from Prophetic Medicine and Sufi traditions while aligning with contemporary mindfulness principles. Post-deployment analytics show stable functionality and sustained user engagement across multiple regions, indicating that culturally grounded digital mindfulness practices are feasible and acceptable. The app provides a design model for faith-informed contemplative concepts in mobile health.