Mindvalley

Domain XIV · Western esoteric, divinatory & new spiritual movements · Vishen Lakhiani, Michael Reining · 2002 · New York

What it is

Mindvalley is a commercial personal-growth education company, not a therapy. Its co-founder and CEO is Vishen Lakhiani, a Malaysian entrepreneur who has said that a meditation class changed his life. Mindvalley was founded in New York in 2002 by Lakhiani and Michael Reining and moved to Kuala…

Format

• Quests. These are online programmes that typically run 30–35 days. A short lesson unlocks each day, and the company suggests about 20 minutes a day and taking one or two Quests at a time. A self-paced mode unlocks every lesson at once. Students can start with a cohort (the Silva page mentions…
• Mindvalley University (2026). It runs from 20 July to 2 August 2026 in Tallinn, Estonia. People attend for either 3 days or 2 weeks. The programme has expert talks, "Deep Dive Accelerators" (extended sessions), Mindvalley Stage talks (about 75 ticket holders are chosen through an application after…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Version followed: Mindvalley as its own help-centre pages describe it in 2025–2026 (Membership, Quests, Mindvalley University 2026 in Tallinn, A-Fest), with Vishen Lakhiani's 6 Phase Meditation as a rights-agency listing of the book The Six Phase Meditation Method and a published practitioner account describe it. The large-group awareness training (LGAT) clinical literature is used for the screening and aftercare…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status in one line: controlled outcome research on Mindvalley programmes as a whole: none found in the sources consulted. Claims about enhanced intuition, ESP or manifesting outcomes (for example in Silva-based courses) are the company's and teachers' claims and lack controlled support.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• The client wanting the therapist to endorse or join in. Working: the roles stay clear.
• Shame about money spent. Unaffordable annual plans bought on emotion. Working: the client knows their renewal date and how to cancel.
• Hours spent policing thoughts, avoiding medical care, and guilt after a loss. Working: less checking, more flexibility, and medical care maintained.
• Sleep below baseline without fatigue, new grand plans with spending, and suspiciousness. Working: an accurate picture and timely referral when needed.
• Resistance to the spending pause, which may show pressure or hope invested in a purchase. Working: the plan is written down and shared with the contact.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.