M-RFT Coherence Metric

A persistent challenge in contemporary consciousness research is understanding how multiple layers of human functioning—from biological regulation to personal narrative—interact to support a coherent sense of self. While existing approaches have quantified neural and physiological features, fewer methods attempt to characterize their dynamic alignment. The M-RFT Coherence Metric is proposed as an initial step toward quantifying this integrative dimension.

Building on the C0–C4 architecture established in RFT (Avanzo, 2026a), this paper examines whether variation at the symbolic layer (C3) may be associated with changes in multiscale regulation. The central question is whether the introduction of structured epistemic scaffolding—formalized as Epistemic Synchrony (Kₑ)—is associated with reductions in systemic uncertainty, shifts in neural regulatory dynamics (C2), and measurable changes in physiological indices (C1). If such associations are observed, they may be reflected in longitudinal variations in the coherence of self-experience (C4).

The M-RFT metric is formally defined as M = (Φ · Kₑ) / F, where Φ represents autonomic flexibility indexed against personal HRV baseline, Kₑ = IA × NC represents Epistemic Synchrony (the product of interoceptive accuracy and narrative coherence), and F represents the fragmentation index — the regulatory burden the system is currently carrying.

Each component operationalizes a theoretically motivated construct. Φ is measured via Apple Watch HRV (SDNN) normalized against a 30-day rolling personal baseline — capturing regulatory flexibility, not population norms. IA is measured via a contactless heartbeat detection task adapted from Garfinkel et al. (2015), with randomized duration to prevent memorization effects. NC is NLP-scored free-text self-report measuring temporal and causal integration. F floors at 0.001 to prevent division by zero. The final score is normalized to a [0, 10] scale with state thresholds: FRAGMENTED (M < 2.5), STABLE (2.5 ≤ M < 5.0), RESILIENT (M ≥ 5.0).

The metric is a heuristic instrument in early-stage development — not a validated clinical tool, but a theoretically grounded framework for generating and testing hypotheses about cross-level coordination that prior instruments had not attempted to capture in integrated form. Empirical calibration of thresholds is a primary target of the planned N=20–40 validation trial.

The M-RFT Metric was developed through an iterative process of theory-building, grounded in a longitudinal N=1 pilot study that employed a neurophenomenological framework (Varela, 1996). By integrating the roles of researcher and subject, this approach allowed for the systematic documentation of physiological symptoms, reactive behavioral patterns, and cognitive-symbolic shifts — organized along a spatiotemporal timeline tracking changes in perceived internal coherence under varying conditions of stress and informational load.

A central observation was the apparent relationship between the structured organization of knowledge and shifts in internal regulatory dynamics. This led to the hypothesis that the acquisition of higher-order symbolic structure may function as a stabilizing constraint on lower-level biological and neural variability — the core mechanism the metric is designed to track.

The full technical specification, mathematical derivation, and research implications are in the full paper, available upon request until June 1. What follows is the experimental protocol and an illustrative case example.

The M-RFT metric treats Epistemic Synchrony (Kₑ) as a potentially modulable variable. The protocol is designed to test whether structured epistemic interventions — scaffolding that links somatic signals to narrative context — are associated with measurable shifts in M-RFT across biological, neural, and experiential domains.

The following scenario clarifies how structured self-knowledge functions as an epistemic tool within the M-RFT framework.

The M-RFT metric represents an attempt to move beyond the description of fragmentation toward its measurement. By treating Epistemic Synchrony (Kₑ) as a potentially manipulable variable — introduced at the symbolic layer and tracked across biological and neural indices — this framework opens a tractable research pathway into the dynamics of self-coherence under conditions of informational entropy.

Preliminary N=1 data from 321 sessions (Avanzo, 2026d) supports measurement feasibility and identifies a key pattern: M score and subjective coherence diverge (r = .186), suggesting the metric captures pre-reflective regulatory state not accessible to conscious self-report. This is a theoretically predicted finding, not a validity failure. It motivates the N=20–40 validation trial planned for 2027.