Grammy Award winner Mandisa, who has proven to be one of American Idol‘s most successful alums, has partnered with Abide, the Christian meditation and prayer app, to create “Meditate with Mandisa.” The three-part audio meditation series offers users of the app encouragement and prayer, as the gospel singer openly shares about her battle with depression.
“I discovered the Abide app in April and quickly became obsessed with it,” said Mandisa. “I listen to it every day, multiple times a day. Abide has helped me through many different seasons in my life, so I am thankful God brought us together to make this series and help people who are battling depression and shame just like I was.”
The meditations are available free to anyone who downloads the Abide app on iTunes and Google Play. The prayer series comes on the heels of the release of Mandisa’s newest album, Out of the Dark, which reflects how God lifted her out of her time of severe depression.
“Depression is real; the shame you feel with it is also real. It makes you feel like God is far away, but the truth is, He is always with us,” explained the singer. “My prayer is that those who listen to this series are rejuvenated and experience God’s unending love.”
In a blog post on a survey related to mental health, Neil Ahlsten, co-founder of Abide, noted people who practice guided Christian meditation experience “improved emotional health, including stress relief, better sleep and reduced depression.”
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America found that over 15 million American adults are affected by depression, making it the most common mental illness in the United States. Additionally, the latest estimates from the World Health Organization show depression is the leading cause of bad health and debility. While these facts are alarming, guided Christian meditation is proving to help.
“We are honored to have Mandisa share her story with Abide users,” said Ahlsten. “There is a great need to combat depression through Christian meditation and prayer. Mandisa’s story is one we know many can relate to, and we believe God is going to do incredible things through this meditation series.”
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