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Show HN: Shimmer – ADHD-adapted body doubling
I’m Chris, one of the co-founders of Shimmer. In 2022, following my ADHD diagnosis, I launched Shimmer (https://shimmer.care https://shimmer.care), a 1:1 ADHD Coaching for adults (HN launch here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33468611 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33468611 ). One problem we discovered while running 1:1 coaching is that people weren’t able to actually follow through (in real life) on the ideas they came up with during their weekly sessions with their coach.
There is a concept called body doubling that’s popular within the ADHD community—it’s basically getting things done in the presence of other people. The positive accountability is proven to work. However, our members told us they tried other body doubling solutions or attempted to organize it themselves in real life but none of the solutions stuck. So we reverse engineered productive moments our members described, paired with scientific backing of what motivates ADHD-ers, and designed an online body doubling experience for our coaching members that provides a safe but productive space for them to get things done between weekly sessions.
A few of the motivators we infused into the traditional body doubling experience were 1) newness/novelty — each session has a different guided experience in the break like breathwork or stretching, 2) urgency — there’s a large visible pomodoro timer on the top left that counts down from 25 min, 3) community — the shared space is ADHD-friendly, and has a mood check-in & sharing functionality built in so you don’t feel alone, 4) accountability — there’s a task list where each time you check something off, it notifies the group, and you can view others’ as well if they opt in. Here’s a video walking through the product experience: https://www.tella.tv/video/shimmer-body-doubling-demo-8b1c https://www.tella.tv/video/shimmer-body-doubling-demo-8b1c
Our body doubling was created and iterated alongside thousands of people with ADHD on our coaching platform over 9+ months of building & iterating with them. We’re excited to unveil this experience. If you have ADHD (or executive functioning challenges), we’d love for you to check out coaching & body doubling and give us critical feedback.
Shimmer’s pricing: $140/mo. for Essentials plan (15-min weekly sessions), $230/mo. for Standard plan (30-min weekly sessions), $345/mo. for Immersive plan (45-min weekly sessions); all plans start with an additional 25% off the first month, HSA/FSA-eligible. The reason why the price is so high is that this is not a self-guided app or SaaS tool. You’re matched with a real, credentialed coach (not AI) and since ADHD coaching is not reimbursed in the US, the price is hard for us to bring down because the largest cost component is the coach’s compensation.
*We know these prices are still expensive for many people with ADHD. Here are the actions we’re taking: (1) we offer needs-based scholarships and aim to have 5% of members on them at any time, (2) we often run fully sponsored scholarships with our partners—over 60 full ride scholarships and 100 group coaching spots have been disbursed alongside Asian Mental Health Project, Government of Canada, and more, and (3) we have aligned our coaching model alongside Health & Wellness Coaching, which is expected to be reimbursed in the next years. If there are ways we can further drive down the cost, please reach out to me directly at chris@shimmer.care.
- penjelly 2y agoI suspect twitch is a pseudo form of whatever this is, also, coffee shops
- christalwang 2y agoYes, exactly! You can do body doubling in so many different ways. In real life you can do coffee shops, libraries, having friends over to study/work, or even just calling your mom while you do dishes. These are all technically body doubling. Online there are also options that all have slightly different styles. Key is finding what works for you. For example, focusmate is 1:1 where you meet up with a stranger and what's cool about that service is that you can log on pretty much any time of the day and find someone to work with. There are also tons of communities and creators who will host body doubling as a part of whatever else they're doing!
- devmor 2y agoMy question is why anyone but a few people would want to pay $140-$340/mo for a therapy-based approach not covered by insurance to a condition that is successfully treated in the vast majority of patients with medication that costs $10-20/mo with insurance? It is a very cool approach to a well documented and tested therapeutic practice, I just don't see the value proposition unless you're someone that specifically could not find any class of medication that worked for them.
- throwway120385 2y agoMedication has side effects, and it can be really difficult to access unless you can find a psychiatrist who is accepting of the idea that an adult has ADD/ADHD. I knew someone who tried to get it as an adult and she spent 3 years going between therapists and psychiatrists to build up enough history to be prescribed medication.
- kstrauser 2y agoI am eternally grateful that a friend turned me on to a local doctor who does video calls[0]. I'd struggled with getting in to see someone willing to take my complaints seriously[1], but a week after signing up for an online visit I had a prescription for something that's been life-changing. For me, personally, the whole effect of the meds are that I'm slightly more awake, as though I drank a cup of stout coffee, and I can more easily decide what to work on and then work on it. I'm fortunate to have had zero adverse reactions. [0]And then, knowing their clientele, texts and emails the heck out of me to remind me about upcoming appointments, which isn't strictly necessary but is understandable and appreciated. [1]One doc told me I had trouble focusing because of anxiety. "Do you know what you might be anxious about?" "Yeah, not being able to focus." That wasn't a productive visit.