# How Anima Felix Works | Our Methodology > Learn about the principles, tools, and processes behind Anima Felix. We build on established anxiety self-management techniques. Source: https://animafelix.com/methodology/ Methodology # How Anima Felix works We build on established self-management tools to help you navigate anxiety, overthinking, and panic. Here is how we design our support, what informs it, and where our boundaries are. ## Read this before you cite us This page documents the published evidence behind the techniques inside Anima Felix: paced breathing, sensory grounding, progressive muscle relaxation, structured self-checks, and cognitive pattern spotting. Every source below is linked so you can check it yourself. **It is not evidence that Anima Felix works.** There are no peer-reviewed trials of our app. We have not run one, no independent team has run one, and we will not call the app clinically validated, evidence-based, or clinically proven until that changes. If you are writing about mental health apps and need one accurate line about us, it is this: the techniques have evidence, the app itself claims none. ## What Anima Felix is, and what it is not Anima Felix is a companion for everyday worry, overthinking, and panic moments. It is designed to give you practical tools in your pocket when your mind is racing. **It is not therapy.** It is not a medical device, it does not provide diagnosis, and it is not a crisis service. It is designed for self-management and emotional support. If you are looking for professional care, or if you are in a crisis, our tools are not the right fit for that moment. Please seek a licensed professional or reach out to a crisis line. ## Technique evidence at a glance One row per technique in the app: what it is, what the published evidence actually shows, how strong that evidence is, and where it stops. The sections underneath explain how each technique shows up inside Anima Felix. Technique What it is What the evidence shows Evidence strength Sources Cognitive reframing and pattern spotting Conversations, Quick Anxiety Check, Stress Jenga Noticing a recurring thought pattern, naming it, and picking one smaller workable step instead of arguing with the whole worry. A survey of 106 meta-analyses of cognitive behavioral therapy reported that the strongest support is for anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, anger control problems and general stress. UK NICE guidance recommends CBT or applied relaxation as a high-intensity psychological treatment for generalised anxiety disorder. Anima Felix is not therapy and does not deliver a CBT protocol. It borrows the habit of spotting a pattern, and that is all. Well established - [Hofmann et al. (2012), The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses, Cognitive Therapy and Research](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23459093/) - [NICE CG113, Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg113) Guided slow breathing Calm Breathing Slowing the breath to a steady paced rhythm for a few minutes, usually with a longer out-breath than in-breath. A meta-analysis of 12 randomised controlled trials (785 adults) found breathwork was associated with lower self-reported stress than control conditions, with a small-to-medium effect size, and reported similar effect sizes for self-reported anxiety. Its authors explicitly urge caution against overstating these results. A separate systematic review maps the physiological changes that accompany slow breathing. Effects in these trials are modest and measured on self-report scales. Paced breathing takes the edge off arousal in the moment. It is not a treatment for an anxiety disorder. Moderate - [Fincham et al. (2023), Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: a meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials, Scientific Reports](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36624160/) - [Zaccaro et al. (2018), How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30245619/) Progressive muscle relaxation Deep Body Relaxation Working through muscle groups in order, tensing and then releasing each one, to bring down physical tension. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 27 studies found relaxation training, including Jacobson progressive relaxation and applied relaxation, produced consistent and significant reductions in anxiety, with a medium effect size between groups. NICE lists applied relaxation alongside CBT as a treatment option for generalised anxiety disorder. Those trials studied taught, repeated relaxation training, usually across several sessions with an instructor. A single guided audio in an app is a lighter version of the same idea. Well established - [Manzoni et al. (2008), Relaxation training for anxiety: a ten-years systematic review with meta-analysis, BMC Psychiatry](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18518981/) - [NICE CG113, Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg113) Sensory grounding (5-4-3-2-1) 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Naming five things you can see, four you can feel, three you can hear, two you can smell and one you can taste, to pull attention back to the present. Grounding and attention-refocusing appear in mainstream anxiety and panic self-help guidance, including from the NHS. We are not aware of controlled trials evaluating the specific 5-4-3-2-1 sequence on its own, so we describe it as a widely used coping habit rather than a proven intervention. This is the thinnest evidence base on the page and we flag it deliberately. Cheap, safe and popular is not the same as proven. Emerging - [NHS, Anxiety, fear and panic: self-help techniques](https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/anxiety/) Structured self-checks (GAD-7) Quick Anxiety Check A short standard questionnaire that helps you put words to how anxious you have felt over the past two weeks. The GAD-7 was developed and validated in a study of 2,740 primary care patients and showed good reliability and validity, with a cut point reaching 89% sensitivity and 82% specificity for generalised anxiety disorder in that setting. A later systematic review and diagnostic meta-analysis confirmed its screening accuracy across studies. We use it as a self-check so you can notice change over time. A questionnaire score is not a diagnosis, and only a clinician can make one. Well established as a screening measure - [Spitzer et al. (2006), A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7, Archives of Internal Medicine](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16717171/) - [Plummer et al. (2016), Screening for anxiety disorders with the GAD-7 and GAD-2: a systematic review and diagnostic metaanalysis, General Hospital Psychiatry](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26719105/) **Well established** means several meta-analyses, a national clinical guideline, or (for questionnaires) a large validation study confirmed by diagnostic meta-analysis support the technique. **Moderate** means randomised trials support it, but the effects are small to medium or the evidence base is still thin. **Emerging** means the technique is widely used and low risk, but we could not find controlled trials of the specific format we use. Every row describes evidence for the technique. None of it is evidence for Anima Felix. No study listed here evaluated our app. ## The techniques we build on The exercises and conversational support in Anima Felix draw from widely recognized frameworks for anxiety management. We do not invent new psychology; we make existing tools accessible. ### Cognitive-behavioral pattern spotting A core element of cognitive-behavioral approaches is learning to identify recurring thought patterns (like catastrophizing or mind-reading). Anima Felix helps you notice when you are in an unhelpful loop. - [The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses (Hofmann et al., 2012)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23459093/) ### Guided slow breathing Paced breathing exercises are used to down-regulate the nervous system and manage physiological arousal during high stress. - [How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing (Zaccaro et al.)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30245619/) ### Sensory grounding (5-4-3-2-1) When a panic attack occurs, redirecting attention to immediate sensory input can help anchor the mind in the present moment. - [NHS guidance on anxiety, panic, and self-help techniques](https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/anxiety/) ### Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) Our body relaxation guides are built on the principles of PMR, a method of systematically tensing and releasing muscle groups to lower physical tension. - [Relaxation training for anxiety: a ten-years systematic review with meta-analysis (Manzoni et al., 2008)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18518981/) ### Structured self-checks We use standard questionnaires (like the GAD-7) purely as wellness self-checks to help you articulate how you feel, not as diagnostic instruments. - [A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder: The GAD-7 (Spitzer et al.)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16717171/) These studies evaluate the technique, not our app. ## How our AI works and its limits The conversational support in Anima Felix is powered by large language models that are carefully prompted to act as an empathetic, non-judgmental companion. It is trained to validate your feelings and guide you toward regulating exercises. However, AI has strict limitations. It does not understand you like a human would. It cannot formulate a care plan. We have strict guardrails in place: a moderation system stops the AI from engaging with self-harm and other high-risk topics. The app cannot detect an emergency or call for help on your behalf, so in a crisis moment you need human support, not a chatbot. For more on this topic, read our articles on [trusting AI with mental health](/blog/can-you-trust-ai-with-your-mental-health/) and [AI vs. human support](/blog/ai-therapy-vs-human-therapy-what-ai-can-and-cant-do/). ## How we create and review content Every article and guide is written with human accountability. Our content is drafted by our team (sometimes with AI assistance to outline or structure), but it is always reviewed and finalized by a human. For health claims, we only cite authoritative sources such as the WHO, NIMH, NHS, or peer-reviewed medical literature. If a claim does not have medical consensus, we soften the language or remove it entirely. ## Who is accountable Anima Felix is built and maintained by a small, dedicated team. Sebastian Cochinescu is the founder and leads the technology direction, including his background research in time-aware conversational AI ([SCN-LLM](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392556656_SCN-LLM_An_SCN-Inspired_Temporal_Architecture_for_Rhythmic_Entrainment_and_Adaptive_Retrieval_in_Large_Language_Models)). If you have questions about our methodology or find an error, you can reach us directly at [support@animafelix.com](mailto:support@animafelix.com). ## How we measure whether it helps We monitor aggregate, anonymous usage signals to see if people find the app helpful enough to keep using it, and we ask for direct user feedback through in-app check-ins. We do not currently have independent, peer-reviewed studies on the Anima Felix app itself. If we do in the future, we are committed to linking them here with full transparency on sample size, study design, and limitations. ## Safety and crisis boundaries Anima Felix is not designed for emergencies. Its moderation system keeps the AI from engaging with conversations about self-harm, but the app cannot recognise an emergency or act on your behalf. If you are experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please reach out for human help right away. If you are in distress, please seek immediate help. In the US, dial **988**. For other regions, we strongly recommend reaching out to [findahelpline.com](https://findahelpline.com/) or your local emergency services. Read our full guide on [getting help for anxiety](/anxiety-help/). ## Data and privacy Your conversations are your own. We do not sell your personal data. We use consent-gated analytics to understand how the app performs. For complete details, please read our [Privacy Policy](/privacy/) and learn how you can [delete your data](/delete/) at any time. ## How to cite this page Journalists, educators, clinicians and researchers are welcome to quote, screenshot or link anything here, including the parts where we say the evidence is thin. Attribution and a link back are all we ask. Suggested citation Anima Felix. "How Anima Felix works: methodology and technique-level evidence". Anima Felix, updated 29 July 2026. https://animafelix.com/methodology/ You may reproduce the evidence table in full, with attribution, in reporting, teaching material or research. If you need a claim clarified, a source double-checked, or a comment on the record, write to [support@animafelix.com](mailto:support@animafelix.com) and a human will answer. If you find something on this page that is wrong or overstated, tell us. We will correct it and update the date above. [https://animafelix.com/methodology/](https://animafelix.com/methodology/) ## Questions to ask any mental health app When evaluating digital tools for your mental wellbeing, it helps to ask hard questions. Here is how we answer them for Anima Felix. ### Is Anima Felix a medical device? No. It is a self-management and emotional support tool. ### Will this cure my anxiety? No. Anxiety is a normal human emotion. Our goal is to give you tools to manage it and reduce its impact on your life, not to cure it. ### Who writes your advice? Our content is written by our human team and strictly references authoritative sources like the NIMH and NHS for factual health claims. ### Has Anima Felix been tested in a clinical trial? No. There are no peer-reviewed studies of the Anima Felix app. The techniques it uses have published evidence, but the app itself has not been evaluated, so we do not describe it as clinically validated or clinically proven. ### Can I cite or reproduce this page? Yes. Quote it, screenshot the evidence table, or link to it, with attribution to Anima Felix and the page URL. The "How to cite this page" section gives a ready-made citation line and a contact address for questions on the record.