FrequenSync Therapy (FQST): A Neuroscience-Informed Framework for Anxiety Management and Cognitive Re-Training
Author: Henry He, Founder of FrequenSync Therapy (FQST), Mental Health RN, FQST Association
Affiliation: FQST Association, Hong Kong
Abstract
Anxiety disorders remain among the most prevalent and debilitating mental health conditions worldwide. While cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance-based interventions have shown effectiveness, many patients report difficulty in sustaining rational control during high arousal states. FrequenSync Therapy (FQST) presents a neuroscience-informed therapeutic framework that integrates neuro-frequency regulation and cognitive re-training to address this gap.
Grounded in the “ABC Frequency Model,” FQST conceptualizes anxiety as a shift in brain frequency from a normal cognitive zone (A/B frequencies) into a hyper-aroused survival frequency (C frequency), dominated by the amygdala. Within this state, rational processing collapses, producing the paradox of “knowing but unable.”
FQST introduces seven structured training modules designed to recondition amygdala-driven fear responses and rebuild cognitiveemotional coherence. Based on pilot data collected from over 300 participants between 2022–2025 in China through both online and offline programs, preliminary outcomes indicate a significant reduction in anxiety intensity and panic frequency.
This paper introduces FQST as a novel, neuroscience-informed therapeutic framework for anxiety and presents early evidence supporting its efficacy. It also outlines the ongoing development of the FQST international certification system to extend its application in global mental health education and practitioner training.
1. Introduction
Anxiety disorders affect an estimated 300 million people globally, posing challenges to both public health and clinical practice. Conventional psychotherapies, including CBT and ACT, rely heavily on the individual’s capacity for rational reflection and cognitive flexibility. However, many individuals with chronic or severe anxiety experience episodes where rational logic becomes inaccessible—particularly during panic or high-threat states.
FrequenSync Therapy (FQST) emerged from clinical observation and neuropsychological analysis to address this phenomenon. Developed by Henry He, a mental health nurse, researcher and educator, FQST bridges neuroscience and experiential training. It proposes that anxiety is not merely a cognitive distortion but a frequency shift
within the brain’s survival system—a neurophysiological mode change that disrupts the synchronization between cognition, emotion, and body.
2. Theoretical Framework: The ABC Frequency Model
The foundation of FQST lies in the ABC Frequency Model, which explains anxiety through three brain operation frequencies:
- A Frequency: The baseline adaptive state—balanced perception and responsive reasoning.
- B Frequency: The peak of normal stress activation—mobilized but controlled.
- C Frequency: A new, unfamiliar survival frequency triggered after prolonged or intense anxiety—dominated by the amygdala and disconnected from prefrontal logic.
Within the C frequency, the brain attempts protection through hypervigilance, catastrophic forecasting, and somatic amplification. This creates the subjective experience of being “trapped in fear.”
FQST further divides C frequency into C1, C2, and C3 layers:
- C1: Sensory hyperarousal;
- C2: Cognitive entrapment;
- C3: Existential or dissociative fear.
Therapeutic progress involves recognizing, training through, and resynchronizing these layers rather than suppressing them.
3. Core Training Modules of FQST
FQST operationalizes its model through seven interconnected modules designed to retrain the brain’s frequency response. This paper focuses on three central components that embody the method’s neurocognitive mechanism:
3.1 Targeted Fear Highpoint (TFH)
TFH facilitates controlled engagement with fear at its physiological peak, transforming avoidance into exposure-based reconditioning. Clients are guided to confront anxiety surges deliberately— “entering the storm center”—to teach the amygdala new safety associations through expectation violation and affective mastery.
3.2 Micro-Cognitive Awareness Training (MCAT)
MCAT addresses micro-level rumination loops. By labeling, redirecting, and acting (“label → shift → act”), clients
interrupt maladaptive thought spirals before they escalate. This retrains neural pathways linking attention, cognition, and somatic regulation.
3.3 Symptom-to-Training Conversion (STC)
STC reframes anxiety symptoms from threats into training cues. Each discomfort—palpitations, dizziness, worry—is used as a real-time opportunity to practice tolerance and cognitive realignment, rebuilding a sense of agency and achievement under stress.
Together, these modules facilitate frequency resynchronization between the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and interoceptive networks, creating durable resilience.
4. Methods and Pilot Data
Between 2022 and 2025, approximately 300 participants engaged in structured FQST training programs in China, including both online and offline modalities. Participants were adults aged 18–55 presenting with chronic anxiety, panic episodes, or somatic anxiety symptoms.
Each participant underwent a six-month structured program covering all seven modules. Data were collected via self-reported scales (0– 10 anxiety intensity rating), panic frequency logs, and post-training qualitative interviews.
Preliminary Results:
- Over 70% of participants reported a ≥50% reduction in daily anxiety intensity.
- 60% experienced a marked decrease in panic frequency.
- Participants described increased body awareness, cognitive control, and confidence in confronting anxiety triggers.
Although uncontrolled, this pilot data provides early empirical support for FQST’s theoretical premise—that retraining the brain’s frequency response can reduce anxiety through neuro-behavioral learning.
5. Discussion
5.1 Differentiation from Conventional Models
While CBT focuses on cognitive restructuring and ACT on acceptance, FQST targets the neuro-frequency mechanism underlying the failure of rational control. It acknowledges that during C frequency activation, rational cognition (prefrontal cortex) is temporarily hijacked by survival circuitry (amygdala).
FQST’s approach is not to debate cognition during fear, but to train the nervous system within fear, re-establishing synchronization through structured exposure, micro-awareness, and cognitive re-entry.
This offers a complementary pathway to traditional therapies, especially for panic-prone individuals.
5.2 Neurobiological Hypothesis
FQST hypothesizes that repetitive synchronization training may recalibrate amygdala-prefrontal connectivity, enhance interoceptive prediction accuracy, and stabilize autonomic responses. Future neuroimaging and physiological studies are planned to validate this hypothesis.
5.3 Educational Application
FQST extends beyond therapy into education and community training. The upcoming FQST International Certification System aims to train both practitioners and individuals in applying FQST principles— bridging theory, clinical utility, and global mental health advocacy.
6. Limitations and Future Research
The current pilot study lacks randomized controls and objective physiological data. Larger-scale, cross-cultural studies using EEG, HRV, or neuroimaging are needed to examine FQST’s neural correlates.
Future directions include:
- Controlled trials in clinical and educational settings;
- Longitudinal follow-ups to assess relapse prevention;
- Cross-cultural validation to explore FQST’s adaptability across anxiety subtypes and populations.
7. Conclusion
FrequenSync Therapy (FQST) integrates neuroscience, psychology, and experiential learning into a unified framework for anxiety management. It offers a fresh perspective by emphasizing frequency regulation over mere cognitive control
This paper introduces FQST as a novel, neuroscience-informed therapeutic framework for anxiety, and presents early evidence supporting its efficacy through pilot data.
The ongoing development of the FQST International Certification System reflects a broader mission—to make frequency-based anxiety education accessible, evidence-based, and globally recognized.
Acknowledgment
Special thanks to the early FQST participants and collaborators in China who contributed to the pilot study and shared their recovery journeys, and to the FQST Institute team for their continued commitment to research and mental health innovation.
DOI 10.5281/zenodo.17390351