MADISON, Wis., June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthy Minds Innovations (HMI), the nonprofit founded by world-renowned neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson, announced its first content licensing partnership with Audible, the world's leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling.

HMI, which is affiliated with the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin, develops mental hygiene tools based on their leading-edge neuroscientific research; built to enhance users lives and those of the people around them. The brief Healthy Minds Program Learn and Practice meditation podcasts produced by HMI are designed to teach the skills needed to achieve greater levels of well-being and, in turn, create a kinder, wiser, and more compassionate world. 

Statistics show a sharp increase in mental wellness challenges in recent years, with depression alone affecting 264 million people worldwide. In fact, the meditation app category was the most purchased in the US from 2019 to 2020. And, since the pandemic, Audible has seen an increase in demand in their Health & Wellness and Self Development verticals. The new Healthy Minds Program content will provide a way for Audible subscribers to turn to a science-backed source to be more proactive about their own mental wellbeing via one of the world's most extensive audio platforms.

Healthy Minds Program content on Audible will premiere on May 16th with more content available later in May. It will be accessible in two main ways:

• Healthy Minds Program Podcast: Each of the 200+ episodes feature 5 to 13-minute Learn segments on the "Why's" behind brain health, followed by 10-minute Practice segments narrated by experts on each topic to apply the learnings. 
• Healthy Minds Program Singles: Are easy-to-access individual meditations on a range of practical topics, running from 5 to 22 minutes, including: 
• Calm in the Midst of Chaos
• Exercising with Mindfulness
• Compassion in Challenging Times
• Clarity in Uncertain Times
• Compassion for Family Stress
• Healing Intergenerational Trauma
• Mindfulness for Sleep

HMI's Healthy Minds Program content is the product of its deep scientific rigor and is based on its data-driven, evidence-based research about the brain's ability to modify, change and adapt. The findings are outlined in a ground-breaking 2020 research paper authored by Dr. Richard Davidson and Dr. Cortland Dahl and published in one of the world's most cited scientific journals, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The paper identified the four key pillars of the Healthy Minds Framework: Awareness, Connection, Insight & Purpose on which the Healthy Minds Program is based.

Since HMI's founding in 2014, donor-funded research has made possible the development of interactive and educational programming tailored to the needs of organizations, educators and individuals. In fact, the Healthy Minds Program meditation app has been hailed as "One of the three best meditation apps of 2021," by Wirecutter, the product recommendation service of The New York Times.

Dr. Cortland Dahl, HMI Chief Contemplative Officer and creator of the Healthy Minds Framework explains, "We already have a vibrant community of Healthy Minds Program app users, but our new partnership with Audible will help us meet even more people where they are. There's not a person on the planet who doesn't need a helping hand along the way at some point. Our goal is to use HMI's science-backed content to provide users with practical, real-world tools that can support resilience and positivity and help provide more flourishing and less suffering in the world." 

"The main drivers of building out a robust audio content portfolio in the Health & Wellness category for us are credibility, authority and evidence," says Audible's Senior Director, Content Strategy & Programming, Anya Hoffman. "The Healthy Minds Program is exactly that, putting scientifically sound, on-demand tools for cultivating healthy habits of mind for our users."

To subscribe to Audible, please visit audible.com or download the Audible app on your mobile device.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/healthy-minds-innovations-inc-founded-by-renowned-neuroscientist-dr-richard-davidson-announces-science-backed-meditation--mind-training-content-partnership-with-audio-powerhouse-audible-301560750.html

SOURCE Healthy Minds Innovations