CHENNAI: The conversation on mental health in India has been inadequate, to say the least. For years, the subject has been considered taboo; serious mental health issues often swept under the rug to avoid judgement from society. However, when the pandemic began to confine people within their homes, often away from their loved ones as death counts rose every day, it became a traumatic experience shared by the entire world. Discussions about mental health finally became more commonplace in an Indian household.
While seeking professional help is still an uphill battle, actor and doctor Vasanth Ravi, and Pranav Padmachandran’s new app Mayan- Innate Healers intends to ease the process. “Last year, in April, my friend Pranav and I wanted to do something regarding mental health to help people in India. The importance of mental health came into realisation in the country only during the first wave of COVID-19.
We came up with the idea of an app where one can connect with experts of any mental health-related support. We wanted to get all these healers under one platform where we could sort any mental health issue,” says Ravi. The platform features alternate therapy options such as Pranic healing, Tibetan healing, reiki, hypnotherapy, yoga therapy, occupational therapy and more, along with typical psychology counselling. The app connects users to healers according to their needs for one-on-one video consultation.
When one registers themselves as a user, they have to mention their conditions and they will be directed to a list of therapies. They can choose a healer and select a time and date for consultation based on the therapy they select. Once they have chosen a slot, they can make their payment to book their appointment. The cost of the therapies is based on the healer. Designed and created by developers in Seattle, USA, and Hyderabad, making the app took a year. The platform currently features 25-30 healers. One can also use the application to register as a healer.
“There is a healer option for those who want to help heal. They have to register. Once we verify their qualifications, see how they work personally and crosscheck everything, we give our approval. We are currently checking qualifications to onboard more healers in the coming week,” he explains Ravi, being a medical practitioner, has noticed how people’s physical health is also affected by their mental well-being. “People don’t open up to family and friends so these things pile up and, in turn, cause a lot of damage to their regular lifestyle and physical health.
The root cause of issues starts with your mental health. Your lifestyle, work-life, personal life, everything has a lot of effect on you as a person. I think it is one thing for which you should always reach out to experts. And the experts available at Mayan are not only providing services in psychology and counselling but there’s a wide variety of options in the type of therapy you want,” he elaborates.
The most important feature of the app is the virtual approach. Such an approach curtails the discomfort a patient might feel to seek help in person. Furthermore, with a pandemic on our hands, it ensures social distance and also saves people time and effort. Mayan – Innate Healers is available on Google PlayStore for free. It will soon be available in iOS and web versions.