# Root Frequency Theory: An Integrative Framework for the Continuity of Lived Experience Presenter: Bianca Avanzo Contribution: Livestreamed panel or group session Public ID: talk-ce57f88902e4a4c2 ## Submitted abstract How do we keep a coherent sense of self across time — and can that process be measured in real time, on consumer hardware, before it breaks down? Root Frequency Theory (RFT) proposes that experiential continuity is not a default state but an ongoing biological achievement requiring coordination across five nested regulatory layers: environmental constraints (C0), autopoietic regulation (C1), predictive neural integration (C2), narrative self-organization (C3), and the continuity of lived experience (C4). Fragmentation is defined as a self-reinforcing cascade of cross-scale misalignment. The cascade is bidirectional: structured self-knowledge introduced at C3 — operationalized as epistemic alignment (Kₑ) — is hypothesized to initiate upward regulatory stabilization. To test this, I developed the M-RFT metric: M = (Φ · Kₑ) / F, where Φ indexes autonomic flexibility via HRV, Kₑ composites interoceptive accuracy and narrative coherence, and F captures regulatory burden. I then built Root Extension — an iOS application using iPhone and Apple Watch — to administer this protocol ecologically and deliver personalized epistemic scaffolding upon session completion. The N=1 longitudinal study ran 321 sessions across 23 active days (April 16–May 14, 2026), with the researcher as the sole subject. Key findings: mean M = 3.79 (Mdn = 2.14), intra-session regulatory recovery — FRAGMENTED to RESILIENT within the same calendar day — observed on 34.8% of active days. This presentation introduces the theoretical architecture, the metric, the app protocol, and the preliminary data — and invites the active inference community into the next phase: a formal N=20–40 validation trial planned for 2027. Source: [submitted source]() Abstract SHA256: 3002b5405eb08d117a78932333d5cbbd86a365fe57e46d9838972a4fdac6aa20 ## Organizer review checklist - [ ] Confirm the submitted title, presenter, and abstract with the presenter. - [ ] Confirm contribution format and scheduling needs. - [ ] Confirm public permissions for any additional material before publication. - [ ] Prepare discussion questions grounded in the submitted abstract. ## Public learning resources These approved event resources are starting points; topic relevance and author identity have not been inferred. - Active Inference Ontology: https://github.com/ActiveInferenceInstitute/Active_Inference_Ontology - Cognitive Agent Modeling: https://github.com/ActiveInferenceInstitute/ActiveInferenceImplementations - GEO-INFER: https://github.com/ActiveInferenceInstitute/GEO_INFER - Generalized Notation Notation: https://github.com/ActiveInferenceInstitute/Generalized_Notation_Notation - pymdp: https://github.com/infer-actively/pymdp - Reproducible publication template: https://github.com/docxology/template OpenAlex discovery-only search (not a verified identity or literature match): https://openalex.org/works?search=Root%20Frequency%20Theory%3A%20An%20Integrative%20Framework%20for%20the%20Continuity%20of%20Lived%20Experience