What is Akesa?

Akesa is a self-guided, science-based process designed to help you understand what your stress is signaling and respond with more clarity and steadiness. Through short, structured sessions, it helps you reduce stress, increase self-awareness, and realign your daily actions with what matters to you.
Akesa is a preventive well-being tool. It does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or medical advice.

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When should I use Akesa?​

​You can and should use Akesa anytime you need it. Akesa is unlike other well-being apps or chemicals you need to use regularly. Our brain, and our heart, don't work on a schedule. Life happens, and we get upset at all times of the day and night, often when there's nobody to call, or we have very little time to process pains. Akesa's sessions are designed to be short so that you can use the app anytime and anywhere.

 

What if I don’t like meditating and don’t have experience with therapy?​

Akesa is not a meditation app. Akesa is a self-guided process that doesn't involve any therapist. Akesa is a neuroscience-based process that helps you support the brain’s natural capacity for regulation and adaptation and rewire your thoughts by observing your mind do the work.

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I don't think I can do this alone; is there a therapist I can call?​

We believe people are much stronger than they think, and Akesa’s approach is about empowering people to tap into their brain’s self-healing power. So Akesa doesn’t have therapists on call. If you need to talk to someone or need medical help, please seek therapy. You can still use Akesa to complement therapy or in addition to therapy.​

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How do I know if I’m thinking about the proper thought during the processing sessions?​

We believe that whatever your mind brings up is what it wants you to look at. Sometimes, during the Akesa sessions, it seems that the mind takes a detour, like in a good novel, but it always falls back on its feet. We believe the mind has innate self-healing power. When we dream and process the events of the day, our mind doesn't wake us up in the middle of the night to ask us what we should dream about. It just knows. So trust the thoughts your mind brings up.

 

What are binaural beats? ​

Neurons are sensitive to the frequency of sounds we listen to. A binaural beat happens when we listen to sounds at different frequencies in the left and right ears. The brain’s electrical activity synchronizes its neuronal activity to the difference of frequencies in what is called Frequency Following Response (FFR). For example, when someone listens to a sound in the left ear at a 140 Hz frequency and in the right ear at a 146 Hz frequency, the brain computes the difference of 6 Hz and gets entrained (that’s the technical term) on a 6 Hz brainwave.

For more information and scientific references, see here.

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What is EMDR?​

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment discovered in 1987 by Dr. Francine Shapiro, initially developed for trauma treatment. During EMDR sessions, the therapist guides the client to process distressing experiences while engaging in sets of bilateral stimulations such as lateral eye movement. For more information and references, see here. 

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Why do I need to use earbuds or headphones?​

To rip the benefits of binaural beats, one needs to listen to them on both the left and the right ears so that the brain can compute the frequency difference between the left and right ears, hence the need for earbuds or headphones. 

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Can you read my diary?​

No. We’ve designed the app such that the diary feature is private and remains accessible only to the user. This diary is there for you only. We hope this privacy will encourage you to write any thoughts you’d like to capture or unpack. 

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Do you sell my data?​

No. We do not sell your data. 

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Can I close my eyes instead of following the moving light?​

To fully benefit from the therapy, we recommend following the moving light, provided this doesn't create any discomfort. 

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Can I use bone conduction headphones?​​

Short answer: yes!

Bone conduction headphones work by transmitting sound vibrations through the bones of the skull directly to the inner ear, bypassing the eardrum. This technology allows you to hear sound while being aware of your surroundings. While traditional headphones deliver sound directly into the ear canal, bone conduction headphones send vibrations through the bones, which then stimulate the inner ear and are perceived as sound.

Since binaural beats are based on the difference between frequencies played in each ear, bone conduction headphones can transmit these frequencies effectively, as they still stimulate the inner ear and auditory pathways.