Personal Zen App Reviews

Without clear instructions (the tutorial gives only basics) this game is very frustrating, as there is no way to know if you are supposed to just sit and wait for something to happen (which takes several minutes) or if it is malfunctioning. PLEASE provide a link to DETAILED instructions that explain HOW to play, what to expect to see, and how to know if its not working. (The game itself, not the mental benefits.) Thus far it has only succeeded in annoying the sh ** out of me. Hopefully its just not working right.

Many feel confused by the lack of directions. Perseverance and experimentation will yield the true results of this game: positive fun.

Will not open at all on my iPod.

This game disappoints from the beginning. The tutorial does not show how to play the game at all. Once you finally figure it out, youll see its all about tracing green grass paths. The sprites arent even important, and somehow my eyes kept darting more often towards the angry one. The description says its "clinically proven". Well dont let that fool ya! Im sure it was "clinically proven" to be the dumbest app ever!

This game does not relax me. It agitates me to try and outperform myself. Obviously this is a character flaw of mine, but this game is neither stress-reducing nor relaxing for me. Caveat emptor.

This app is a beta version of technology being developed by researchers to reduce stress and anxiety. I find the premise - tracing lines of grass with calming background music - very soothing. However it would be nice if the grass didnt squeal when you went the wrong way. Thats stressful. And you never know which face is going to be happy and which is going to be angry. Thats a little too much like real life unpredictability and also stressful. But the idea behind this is wonderful and I highly recommend it.

This game is pathetically simple. I made Zen Master the first time I played, within the first 5 tries (or "stages"). It got boring fast. My guess is the people who say its confusing and frustrating are the people who need the game (or what its intended for anyway), but its apparently not reaching them either.

No documented info -25 minute per day, no explanation, just tracing on screen -

I can see how some might be drawn into a more relaxed and meditative state by playing this game (calming music, repetitive motion of swiping the grass, brain chatter quieting to focus on the game), but I found it stressful and frustrating. I couldnt figure out what I was doing differently with my swiping to get the purple star vs the yellow star, and that made me simultaneously both anxious and angry. And I felt even more so whenever I would get the red star and accompanying "huh?!" sound. Getting the different stars just felt random, and I never felt like I mastered any moves or improved my technique. I am fascinated about the idea that the brain can be trained to focus more on positivity, but I did not find this game to be an appropriate method for doing so.

It is a good app designed to lower stress and anxiety levels. Its not so fun but it keeps me entertain and it does work in reducing anxiety on me. :-)

I love the fact that this game was developed from research driven data. It desperately need a simple screen that explains the various sounds and icons. And if the point is to play it with out that understanding, then that needs to be made clear.

It works, and the science behind it is impressive. Therapy in the palm of your hand.

I cant believe this app got good press. Clearly no one tried it first. Truly frustrating exercise. Maybe this app was developed to prove that any app can be marketed.

The only way this could relieve a panic attack would be if you soothingly took a hammer to the device.

Having dealt with anxiety, panic, PTSD as well as trying complimentary therapies - I totally get what this app is trying to help with. Yes, it was frustrating to play at first, but Ive run into that impatient feeling before! Once I got the hang of things (and turned the audio off, just leaving the nice zen music on) its almost hard to stop :). This will be a good additional tool to go with the professional therapy. It would still be nice to, at certain levels, to see different characters or backgrounds.

Heard about this game in the news. Playing it did not make me feel any less stressed though. Honestly, Im more stressed out now that Ive wasted my time playing it.

I really wanted to like this app. It is actually fun when its working as I expect it to... Unfortunately every now and then, swiping on the trails does absolutely nothing except for light up the tufts of grass and I have no idea what I am supposed to do. I am stuck swiping and swiping and eventually the trail disappears and is replaced by a new one and the game works again. Also I have no idea what those colored jewels are supposed to be. I think his game needs a usability expert. Two stars for the good intentions. I can see how directing attention to the smiley face can be helpful. But the game doesnt seem to work smoothly and it just made me frustrated! Too bad.

Theres a happy floating smurf head and a grumpy floating smurf head in a field. You have to try to poke the happy smurf in the face with your finger and smoosh down its grass trail but leave the grumpy one alone. Time it right. If you poke it too late you get purple or red flowers which are obviously dangerous. If you poke too early your grass smooshing will not be adequate. Try to poke as the happy smurf dives into its hole but before its all the way in. Then youll get yellow flowers, become a zen master. and can move on to catching flies with chopsticks.

This app really helps reduce acute anxiety. Ive used it for months and highly recommend it. It takes a while to figure out and seems really basic, but if it works it works. Also you can google to see that its clinically tested.

The app lowers your stress level and relieve anxiety all through playing a game and focusing on positivity. Our busy day to day lives sometimes leave us feeling stressed. Anyone can benefit from playing the game 10 minutes a day to keep your stress level down. The music is very relaxing and the design is pleasing to look at. The game is simple to play but still enjoyable. Extremely easy to use and play the game. Achievements are unlocked upon playing the game for longer. I would make achievements easier to get though