Insight Timer Review: A Psychologist’s Favorite App for Mindfulness and ACT
- Lynn Northrop
- Jul 28
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 29
As a psychologist, I continually seek resources that support my clients' mental health journeys and their pursuit of rich, meaningful lives. One remarkable tool that consistently stands out is the Insight Timer app, a robust platform that integrates beautifully with ACT principles and offers an expansive range of resources to nurture mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and psychological flexibility.
Insight Timer has gained recognition worldwide, boasting over 25 million users globally, making it one of the most widely utilized mindfulness apps available. As a clinician who primarily uses the evidence-based treatment known as ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), I particularly appreciate the sheer variety and depth of guided exercises and resources that dovetail with the intentions and practices of this approach.
Insight Timer offers over 220,000 FREE guided meditations, music tracks, and talks from various teachers and experts, including meditations for sleep, stress reduction, emotional management and much much more. Additionally, users have access to thousands of free music tracks and ambient sounds, expert-led talks, and a customizable meditation timer. The app also facilitates community engagement through discussion groups, allowing users to connect, share experiences, and find mutual support. Insight Timer also provides stats and milestones to track your progress, live events such as meditations and yoga classes and lectures, and the ability to create personalized playlists from the available content.
Mindfulness of Thoughts
One foundational ACT skill is developing a mindful awareness of thoughts. Insight Timer offers thoughsands of guided meditations designed to cultivate an observing stance toward the mind. These exercises encourage users to view their thoughts as transient mental events, not necessarily truths or directives for action. Regular practice helps clients become adept at noticing and detaching from unhelpful thinking patterns, reducing the influence of sticky thought loops and increasing psychological flexibility. For example:
Thought Defusion: Taking a step back from our thoughts by Tanisha Rose
Easing the Struggle - Getting Unstuck from Sticky Thoughts by Jasmin Bristow
Mindfulness of Emotions
Insight Timer provides an large collection of meditations focused on emotional awareness and acceptance. These exercises align seamlessly with ACT's core philosophy of embracing emotional experiences rather than resisting them. By fostering a gentle curiosity toward emotions, these guided practices help users expand their emotional capacity, allowing feelings to rise and fall without triggering overwhelming reactions. This type of exercise also increasees the depth and breadth of emotions you are capable of feeling. Just like accomplished musicians develop the ability to hear the notes between notes, this type of meditation teaches you to sense emotions you were not previously aware of. Over time, clients develop resilience and a greater ability to live authentically, even in the presence of emotional challenges. For example:
Understanding an Emotion by Isabelle Elija
Mindfulness of Emotions by Kaitlin Born
Breathing Exercises
Breathwork exercises available on Insight Timer offer practical tools for anchoring attention in the present moment, a core component of ACT mindfulness practices. Engaging with guided breathwork exercises helps clients interrupt reactive patterns, creating a critical pause between experiencing stressors and responding to them. This intentional pause can lead to more thoughtful, value-driven decisions, enhancing overall psychological flexibility. For example:
Soothing Rhythm Breathing by Diana Hill
Mindfulness of Breath Meditation for Stress Relief by Hania Banc
Self-Compassion Exercises
ACT strongly emphasizes compassion as an essential companion to mindfulness and acceptance. Insight Timer hosts a wealth of self-compassion meditations designed to cultivate kindness and warmth toward oneself. These guided practices gently remind users to approach themselves with the same empathy they might offer a dear friend, thereby fostering resilience and emotional well-being. Regular self-compassion practice reduces harsh self-criticism and promotes a nurturing internal environment conducive to meaningful growth and healing.
Tender Self Compassion Break by Kristin Neff
Soften, Sooth, Allow by kristin Neff
Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra sessions on Insight Timer provide another valuable dimension, complementing ACT by promoting deep relaxation combined with emotional exploration. These guided practices help individuals cultivate an accepting, open stance toward internal experiences, allowing emotions and physical sensations to surface safely and be observed without judgment. Such practice enhances psychological flexibility by deepening the user's capacity to remain present and engaged with life's complexities and discomforts.
ACT-Specific Resources and Therapist Tools
Recently, Insight Timer has expanded its offerings to include ACT-specific meditations and resources created by renowned ACT practitioners. This dedicated collection provides users direct access to guided exercises explicitly aligned with the ACT model, such as defusion techniques, values clarification practices, and committed-action meditations. For therapists, the app provides valuable tools to integrate into sessions, offering structured ways to support clients' between-session practices and reinforcing therapeutic insights.
Free vs. Plus Membership
One remarkable feature of Insight Timer is the accessibility of its resources, with over 220,000 guided meditations freely available. This broad access democratizes mental health resources, allowing anyone to begin or continue their journey toward greater mindfulness and psychological well-being without financial barriers.
The optional Insight Timer PLUS membership offers additional content such as structured courses, advanced features for personalized meditation practices, and offline access to favorite meditations. The PLUS membership is available at a cost of $59 per year, adding even more depth and structure, ideal for those seeking a comprehensive and personalized mindfulness journey.
My Personal Experience with Insight Timer
I have used Insight Timer for an average of 30 minutes per day for more than eight years. It has profoundly enhanced my skillfulness in managing anxiety, depression, anger, and sleep issues, and has gracefully supported me through many stressful times, losses and the challenges of perimenopause. It has significantly increased my self-awareness, sense of peace, and my ability to connect more mindfully and meaningfully with the world and people around me.
In my practice as a psychologist, I regularly incorporate Insight Timer, sending personalized lists of recommended exercises tailored to each client’s goals. I guide my clients in using the app to enrich their lives and sometimes even listen to specific exercises during sessions, discussing them afterward to reinforce therapeutic progress. I recommend Insight Timer because I genuinely believe it will enrich others’ lives—I receive no direct benefit other than the joy of seeing my clients thrive.
Insight Timer is more than just an app—it’s a comprehensive toolkit that beautifully aligns with ACT principles, facilitating mindfulness, emotional resilience, self-compassion, and psychological flexibility. Whether you're new to mindfulness or an experienced practitioner, incorporating Insight Timer into your daily routine can profoundly enhance your ability to navigate life's challenges and enrich your pursuit of a meaningful life.
[Lynn Northrop, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than two decades of experience treating adults of all ages and training other providers. She practices in person in San Diego and via telehealth throughout CA and FL. Reach her through the Get In Touch page on her website.]
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