What Happens When We Teach the Nervous System to Feel Safe?

A.R.T. (Anxiety Reframe Technique) was evaluated in a 15-week whitepaper exploring its impact on:

• Autistic inertia
• ADHD paralysis
• Shutdown
• Anxiety
• Emotional regulation
• Sleep
• Nervous system functioning

The evaluation combined:

• Participant experiences
• Psychometric assessments
• Biometric sleep and HRV data
• Qualitative analysis
• Real-world in-home observation

The participants ranged from children to adults, including individuals with autism, ADHD, chronic anxiety, trauma, developmental delays, sensory challenges, and burnout.

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The Participants

The study included:

• A 9-year-old autistic child with dyspraxia and language disorder
• A 10-year-old autistic child with ADHD
• A 12-year-old autistic girl with ADHD and dysgraphia
• Multiple autistic teenagers experiencing anxiety, shutdown, emotional overwhelm, and executive functioning challenges
• A 59-year-old autistic woman experiencing chronic burnout, PTSD, chronic fatigue, autoimmune illness, and severe interoceptive difficulties

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What Families and Participants Reported

Across the study, participants and families described changes in:

• Emotional regulation
• Sleep
• Physical coordination
• Social engagement
• Clarity of thought
• Confidence
• Nervous system calm
• Executive functioning

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A 9-Year-Old Autistic Boy

Autism Level 3, Dyspraxia, Language Disorder

Before A.R.T.

• High anxiety
• Dysregulation
• Poor sleep
• Fleeing behaviours
• Difficulty with communication
• Low physical coordination

After A.R.T.

Parents reported:

• Improved sleep
• Increased eye contact
• Broader language
• Improved problem solving
• More self-advocacy
• Less crying and fleeing
• Greater calm
• Stronger physical confidence

“He literally skips into school.”

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A 12-Year-Old Autistic Girl

Autism Level 2, ADHD, Dysgraphia, Audio Processing Difficulties

Before A.R.T.

• Poor sleep
• Difficulty concentrating
• Emotional overwhelm
• Restless leg syndrome
• Difficulties with coordination and learning

After A.R.T.

Following the program:

• She stopped needing melatonin
• Fell asleep within 15 minutes
• Improved choreography memory
• Followed multiple instructions more easily
• Became more organised
• Developed stronger self-advocacy
• Improved social awareness
• Became less black-and-white in interactions

“Now I can get to sleep and stay asleep.”

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A 16-Year-Old Teen

Autism, Anxiety, Vocal Tics, Mood Disorder

Before A.R.T.

• Chronic anxiety
• Shutdown
• Vocal tics
• Overwhelm
• Emotional rigidity

After A.R.T.

• Vocal tics were mostly gone
• Anxiety reduced significantly
• Emotional regulation improved
• School became more manageable
• Social engagement increased
• Guitar playing improved
• Self-care improved

“He had no anxiety this week and didn’t visit the nurse once.”

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A 17-Year-Old Teen

Autism, ADHD, Breathing & Medical Challenges

This participant was balancing:

• Anxiety
• Sensory overwhelm
• Breathing complications
• Social stress
• Major upcoming surgery

After A.R.T.

Family reported:

• Greater emotional awareness
• Better self-regulation
• Increased stamina
• Stronger social connection
• Improved sleep
• Ability to sustain demanding theatre rehearsals without burnout

“I could not fathom that she could have done that before.”

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A 59-Year-Old Autistic Woman

Autism, ADHD, PTSD, Chronic Fatigue, Autoimmune Conditions

Before A.R.T.

• Severe burnout
• Low interoception
• Exhaustion
• Chronic PTSD
• Difficulty functioning day-to-day

After A.R.T.

• Improved clarity
• Improved interoception
• Improved memory
• Increased boundaries
• Increased emotional nuance
• Greater connection to self and body

“I feel like I am in my body for the first time.”

“This has changed my life.”

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Quantitative Findings

The evaluation also identified measurable changes across the cohort.

Results included:

• Improved wellbeing scores
• Improved adaptability
• Increased sleep duration
• Reduced sympathetic arousal
• Increased heart rate variability (HRV)
• Improved emotional regulation
• Improved social engagement

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A Different Therapeutic Approach

A.R.T. is not based on forcing compliance or masking behaviours.

It is a Polyvagal-informed, somatic approach designed to help the nervous system experience:

• Safety
• Stillness
• Regulation
• Connection

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Why This Matters

Many autistic individuals and ADHDers describe feeling:

• Stuck
• Frozen
• Overwhelmed
• Unable to initiate
• Exhausted by constant regulation demands

This evaluation suggests that when the nervous system experiences greater safety and reduced autonomic threat, meaningful changes may become possible across:

• Sleep
• Emotional regulation
• Executive functioning
• Physical coordination
• Wellbeing
• Social connection

  

 

Citation

Bridges, H; Smith, D; Kaplan, D; Senior, A; Jaylani, R; Mellor, N; Buxi, D; Hamers, G. (2024)

Bridging The Gap: Exploring The Impact of Holly Bridges’ A.R.T. on Autistic Inertia and ADHD Paralysis.
Western Australia: LicenseToThink.

 

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