How our guides are researched and reviewed
You want to know who stands behind a guide before you rely on it.
Each guide starts with a reader’s real question, gets its facts from a checked list of sources, goes through automated checks, and is read by an editor before it is published. Guides are then updated or corrected when something changes.
This page walks through those steps, including where AI writing tools come in and what the process cannot promise.
How does a guide begin?
It begins with a question a Malaysian reader might actually ask, such as “I can’t sit still” or “is this against my religion?”. We write for that moment, with examples from everyday life like the LRT, a noisy flat or the family WhatsApp group.
Where do the facts come from?
Reliable sources only: public health agencies, research reviews and, for the app, the provider’s own pages. Each fact is saved with its link and the date we opened it, and a guide may only use facts from that list.
We also keep each source’s limits. For example, the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) states that much of the research on meditation and mindfulness is preliminary or not scientifically rigorous, so results should be read cautiously1. We pass that caution on instead of trimming it away.
Do you use AI writing tools?
Yes. A person sets the brief for each page, and AI tools help draft and adapt the guides. We say so openly because you should know how a page was made.
Every number, date and finding then has to match the checked list. Our guides are written fresh in each language, not translated line by line.
What checks happen before publishing?
Automated checks look for uncited claims, promises of results, copied pages and pushy wording. A page that fails is fixed before anyone sees it.
Editors, including native-language reviewers for Malay and Chinese, then read the pages for accuracy and tone. Reviewers read for sense and sourcing. They do not turn a guide into medical advice.
What can review not promise?
Be clear about the limits. A reviewed guide can still be out of date, and a source can change after we read it. A guide cannot judge your own situation.
For health questions, the right person is a doctor or counsellor. Our guide on why a self-help tool is not an assessment explains the difference.
Try this: spot-check a guide in five minutes
Pick any guide and test it yourself.
- Find a sentence with a number or a finding.
- Open the source listed at the foot of the page.
- Check that the page says no more than the source does.
- Note whether the page kept the source’s limits.
- If something does not match, write down the sentence and the source.
If you find a mismatch, request a correction and we will look at it.
Adapting this to real life
You do not need to check every page. Check the ones you will act on, such as a claim you may repeat to family or a service you may call. For app details, our guide on how we check app and service information shows what we look at.
When to get more support
If a guide brings up distress or you are worried about your own health, it is fine to stop reading and talk to a doctor or counsellor. Our support page lists where to start.
Where to go next
Learn how we keep claims and marketing apart in how we keep evidence and app marketing separate. The whole set sits on our what the research says guides.
If you would like to try a short practice after reading, Sadhguru’s free seven-minute guided meditation in the Miracle of Mind app is an optional place to start.
Common questions
Who writes the guides?
The Blissful editorial team writes them, with the help of AI writing tools. A person sets the brief for every page: the reader's question, the tone and the rules the page must follow. Editors then read the pages for accuracy and tone.
Are the guides reviewed by doctors?
Blissful is not a clinic, and the guides are for everyday wellbeing, not medical advice. Facts come from named sources such as health agencies. Where something may involve your health, the page points you to a doctor, counsellor or the support page.
How do you stop wrong facts getting in?
A fact may only be used if it is on a checked list with its source link and the date we opened it. Automated checks block uncited claims, promises of results, copied pages and pushy wording before a page is published.
How often are guides updated?
We review a guide when a fact changes, a source moves or a reader tells us something is unclear. A correction updates the page and its source note. We do not promise a fixed schedule, so check the source yourself for anything important.
Sources
- NCCIH states that much of the research on meditation and mindfulness is preliminary or not scientifically rigorous, so results should be read cautiously. NCCIH, US National Institutes of Health. Varied practices and hard-to-measure effects make results difficult to analyse; findings may be overly optimistic.
Read next
When you have seen how a guide is made and want to try a practice yourself, Sadhguru's free seven-minute guided meditation is one optional place to start.