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| | | | |  | | | Product Review: The Journey to Wild Divine: The Passage | | | | | | | | | |
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| | | Product Description | | New Technology for Spiritual Seekers?
by Andrew Young,Sounds True New Products Team | | In our ongoing seach for technologies genuinely useful for serious spiritual practitioners,Sounds True often discovers tools not generally unavailable anywhere else. As it happens,our most recent foray revealed an unexpected find—the immensely popular The Journey to Wild Divine computer game. Is this just another toy? Should serious meditators or yoga practitioners even care? We were skeptical too,so we tested it … | | | The Journey to the Wild Divine System—A full product evaluation
By now I’m sure you’ve seen the magazine ads for The Journey to Wild Divine: The Passage. It’s a computer game that “responds to your inner states,guiding you through an unfolding story of self-discovery.”
As Sounds True’s unofficial “spiritual guinea pig,” I was asked to evaluate JWD. If you’ve been wondering what all the buzz is about,read on.
The hefty JWD package arrived with software,a music CD and companion novella,and a strange crab-shaped object called “the LightStone,” complete with three “magic rings” (fingertip sensors actually) dangling from it.
Loading it on our computers was simple enough. Just click on “Install” and you’re good to go. I did that,then slipped on the rings of magic,ready to experience the mind-expanding adventure ahead.
| Other Reviews | "The Journey to Wild Divine allows people to influence what is happening in their body,in their mind,and the world they create everyday.
- Deepak Chopra, M.D.
The Journey to Wild Divine,a new adventure game series that teaches self-awareness through biofeedback and visualizations,turns the quest for calm into entertainment."
- Yoga Journal
Wild Divine is innovative and fun, and even better, it's very effective. 5 Stars!
- PC Magazine
| | So,is it a gimmick? What does it actually do? Here's the scoop:
The Journey to Wild Divine is not really a game at all. It turns out to be a surprisingly high quality mind-body biofeedback training system cleverly disguised as a lushly rendered pilgrimage through a fantasy-like virtual world.
The hardware measures three things: your skin conductivity and heart rate (two classic gauges of arousal and relaxation) plus something completely different called your “Heart Rate Variability” (more on this later).
With the help of “Sophia,” “Arand,” “Cosmo,” and other whimsical characters,I engaged in a series of activities that I found to be definitely effective at training me to elevate my metabolic energy levels,calm them,increase my attention span,and even shift my emotional states—all at will.
Many times,I thought I had achieved very deep states of relaxation,only to discover that the game environment “pushed” me to “let go” further. And yes,the story structure is a bit “new agey,” but clearly this training system takes practice, and it develops measurable mind-body mastery that stays with you after you’re done playing.
How did other Sounds True “test subjects” respond?
Our in-house Reiki practitioner Beverly (also our publicity director) raves about it.  | | “The Lady of Compassion” (ready and waiting on her ultra-hip comfy chair) – just one of many guides on your journey | |
Tori,our webmaster-yogini,desperately wants the demo unit (sorry Tori,all lab equipment becomes the property of Head Guinea Pig Andrew).
And get this: it got my 7-year-old nephew Jacob to sit enthralled—and to discover how to regulate his inner states for the first time ever. Believe me,that was a landmark!
More notable JWD facts:
• Measures HRV (Heart Rate Variability) - Initial research reveals that this “harmonic frequency” of the heart may mirror subtle changes in our emotional and cognitive states.
• Senses your current somatic state right before each scene—so it's effective no matter how you're feeling when you start playing.
• Useful for all levels of mind-body mastery: 70% of JWD owners are veteran meditators.
For serious users,the company offers a separate EXPANDER PACK CD ($49.95) that turns the hardware into an excellent traditional biofeedback monitor for meditation,breathwork,guided visualization,or classic biofeedback training. The EXPANDER PACK CD also tracks your progress over weeks or months so you can see your long-term improvements. In my opinion,this add-on is essential for more advanced folks (like Sounds True listeners).
Verdict?
| Hardware quality: | A (superior build,durable) | | Software Installation & Use: | A (simple,no instructions necessary) | | Fun factor: | B+ (“A” if you enjoy a fantasy-based narrative) | | Mind-Body Training Value: | A (more advanced than simple GSR (galvanic skin response) or heart rate monitors). |  | | The Expander Pack transforms your PC or Mac into a superb biofeedback monitor (better than many $300+ brands we tested). | | The bottom line is that Sounds True gives a thumbs up to The Journey to Wild Divine and recommends it for anyone keen to develop measurable improvements in mind-body awareness and relaxation. The Journey to Wild Divine Game System includes: CD software,biofeedback hardware,novella,users manual,Deepak Chopra on the mind-body connection (audio CD),and Soul Flight music album (audio CD).
The Journey to Wild Divine is 100% guaranteed for 90 days after purchase.
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| | System requirements: | | | - | 1.5 GB of disk space | | | | - | 256 MB RAM | | | | - | 800x600,24-bit color display | | | | - | CD-ROM drive | | | | - | Quicktime 6.3 or higher | | | | - | USB port | | | | PC | | | - | Most computers less than three years old | | | | - | Pentium III,800mhz processor or higher | | | | - | Windows 98 SE,Windows ME,Windows 2000,or Windows XP | | | | - | 16 MB video card | | | | Macintosh | | | - | G3 or G4 or G5,500mhz or higher - Mac OSX v10.2 or later | | |
| Compatability questions? Call the helpful Wild Divine folks at 866-594-WILD | | Also available now: Wisdom Quest, the sequel to the original game above,with new “mentors” including Deepak Chopra,M.D.,and Dean Ornish,M.D.,plus complex and challenging new events. Software only (requires original game hardware above). S1048D $59.95 | Sounds True “Recommended Product” Guarantee
The Journey to Wild Divine: The Passage is returnable for 90 days after purchase. If for any reason you're not 100% satisfied,you may return it (undamaged) with the original packaging and contents for a full refund. |
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