For Clinicians
The clinical foundation behind Regulate
Why Somatic Tools in an App?
When the prefrontal cortex goes offline during panic, cognitive interventions fail. Regulate provides body-based interventions your clients can access between sessions - tools that work precisely because they don't require the thinking brain.
An app cannot replace the therapeutic relationship. Regulate is designed to extend therapeutic work - giving clients a structured, somatic toolkit they can reach for between sessions when dysregulation arises.
Theoretical Framework
Polyvagal Theory
Stephen Porges
Regulate maps body states to the autonomic ladder - ventral vagal (safe/social), sympathetic (fight/flight), and dorsal vagal (shutdown/collapse). The app's state-check asks clients to identify their current position on this ladder before selecting an intervention.
Somatic Experiencing
Peter Levine
The principles of pendulation (oscillating between activation and resource), orienting (engaging neuroception of safety), and titration (approaching activation in small doses) are embedded throughout the exercise design.
EMDR Bilateral Stimulation
Francine Shapiro
The butterfly hug and tapping exercises use alternating left-right stimulation at a validated rate of approximately 1 Hz, consistent with the bilateral stimulation protocol in EMDR therapy.
Window of Tolerance
Daniel Siegel
Exercises are designed to target specific arousal states - hyperarousal (sympathetic activation) and hypoarousal (dorsal vagal collapse) - with the goal of returning clients to their window of tolerance.
Technique Library & Clinical References
Double inhale through the nose followed by extended exhale. Demonstrated as the most efficient real-time stress reduction technique in a controlled study.
References: Balban et al., Cell Reports Medicine, 2023; Huberman Lab, Stanford
Alternating left-right tactile stimulation at approximately 1 Hz. Used within EMDR protocol and as a standalone self-regulation tool.
References: Shapiro (1989); Artigas et al. (2000); EMDR research base
Techniques engaging the oculocardiac reflex and Valsalva mechanism to stimulate vagal tone and shift autonomic balance toward parasympathetic dominance.
References: Porges (2011); vagal tone literature
Gentle self-applied touch generating delta waves, facilitating the depotentiation of encoded threat responses in the amygdala.
References: Ruden (2011); delta wave production research
Guided oscillation between areas of activation and resource in the body, allowing titrated discharge of survival energy without overwhelm.
References: Levine, Somatic Experiencing framework
Slow, deliberate engagement of the visual field to activate the social engagement system and signal environmental safety via neuroception.
References: Levine; Porges, neuroception (2004)
Exhale-dominant breathing patterns that leverage respiratory sinus arrhythmia to increase parasympathetic activation and reduce heart rate.
References: RSA literature; Bernardi et al. (2001)
Breathing at approximately 6 breaths per minute to optimize heart rate variability and promote autonomic balance.
References: Lehrer & Gevirtz (2014); HRV biofeedback research
State-Matched Interventions
Regulate doesn't offer generic calming. It asks “How is your body right now?” and matches interventions to autonomic state.
Panicking
Sympathetic hyperarousal
Rapid parasympathetic activation - physiological sigh, extended exhale, bilateral stimulation. The goal is immediate downregulation.
Anxious
Mild sympathetic activation
Sustained calming with interoceptive engagement - coherence breathing, body scan, grounding. Building awareness alongside regulation.
Shutdown
Dorsal vagal
Gentle activation - orienting, pendulation, light movement. Critically, not further calming, which would deepen the dorsal state.
This distinction - that shutdown needs different intervention than panic - is what makes Regulate clinically sound.
What's Free vs. Premium
- Every crisis tool is free. Forever. No paywall gates a client in distress.
- $2.99 one-time for personalized insights. No subscriptions. No recurring charges.
- You can recommend Regulate to every client regardless of financial situation.
How to Recommend
Share the referral link
Send your client to regulate-liart.vercel.app/refer
They'll see a “Your therapist recommended Regulate” onboarding path tailored for referrals.
Therapist summary export
Clients can download a pattern summary from the app to share in sessions - showing which exercises they used, how frequently, and their self-reported state before and after.
Privacy & Safety
- No accounts, no cloud, no tracking. All data is stored locally on the client's device.
- Crisis resources (988) are always accessible from any screen.
- Safety check shown after difficult sessions to assess client state.