# HealFrame — Extended Documentation

> HealFrame is a trauma recovery support application based on Judith Herman's 3-stage model (Stabilization, Transformation, Reconnection). It provides AI-guided therapeutic exercises, peer support circles, and evidence-based recovery tools. Available in Korean, English, and Japanese at https://healframe.app.

This is the extended version of llms.txt with full FAQ, detailed therapeutic methodology, pricing, safety pipeline, and technical overview. For the summary version, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt).

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is HealFrame?

HealFrame is a guided trauma recovery app built on Judith Herman's evidence-based 3-stage model. It walks you through breathing and grounding exercises, memory reframing, and reconnection to daily life — all at your own pace.

### Is my data safe?

Yes. All your data is encrypted in transit and at rest. We never sell or share your personal information. Images uploaded for transformation are deleted from our servers immediately after processing and are never stored.

### What are the 3 stages of recovery?

Stage 1 — Stabilize: calm your nervous system with 4-7-8 breathing and 5-4-3-2-1 grounding. Stage 2 — Transform: reframe a meaningful photo using Imagery Rescripting. Stage 3 — Reconnect: write recovery notes and build an action plan for daily life.

### What's the difference between the Free and Pro plans?

The Free plan includes all core exercises and access to one Recovery Circle. Pro adds unlimited image transformations, personalized AI recovery reflections, full recovery trajectory reports, and access to two circles.

### What is the Recovery Circle?

Recovery Circle is an anonymous peer support group matched by your current recovery stage. Members check in weekly with a short reflection and optional commitment, and can offer warm responses to each other. All content passes through our AI safety pipeline.

### What happens if I'm in a crisis?

HealFrame automatically detects crisis signals in your text. If one is found, all content is immediately blocked and emergency resources — including local crisis hotlines — are shown on screen. Your safety always comes first.

### How do I delete my account?

Go to your Account settings, scroll to the bottom, and select "Delete Account". You'll be asked to confirm by typing DELETE. All your data will be permanently removed. If you have an active Pro subscription, it will be cancelled at the same time.

## Core Features

### Stage 1: Stabilization

AI-guided breathing exercises and sensory grounding techniques to establish safety. Users select their current emotion (anxiety, sadness, anger, numbness, fear, confusion, or "I'm not sure"), then receive personalized guidance including 4-7-8 breathing and 5-4-3-2-1 sensory grounding. Available at `/en/stabilize`.

### Stage 2: Transformation

Image Rescripting (ImRS) — upload a meaningful image and receive AI-assisted reframing of traumatic memories. The AI analyzes the image and generates a therapeutic reframe that helps the user see the memory from a new angle without erasing what happened. Images are deleted immediately after processing. Available at `/en/transform`.

### Stage 3: Reconnection

Structured recovery planning and daily action commitments. Users organize their recovery journey into concrete steps they can carry into daily life. The focus is on small, achievable actions rather than grand gestures. Available at `/en/reconnect`.

### Recovery Circle

Anonymous peer support groups based on the GPS Model and SAMHSA's 6 Trauma-Informed Principles. Members are matched by recovery stage (Stabilization, Transformation, or Reconnection).

Weekly round structure:
1. Mindfulness gate — brief centering exercise before writing
2. Check-in writing — structured reflection prompt (15-20 min, based on Pennebaker Expressive Writing)
3. Peer reading and responses — members read each other's check-ins and offer warm, supportive responses
4. Personal commitment — set a small, achievable goal for the coming week

AI features include content safety classification on every post, personal recovery reflection (Pro), weekly group summary, recovery trajectory report (Pro), and stage transition assessment (Pro).

### Personal Recovery Goals

Users can set up to 5 preset and 3 custom recovery goals on their dashboard. Goals can be weekly or monthly, and progress is tracked over time.

### Voice Integration

Browser-based text-to-speech (Kokoro TTS) and speech-to-text (Whisper STT) via Web Workers. Three levels: none (default), native (Web Speech API), and premium (Kokoro + Whisper). All voice processing stays on the user's device.

## Therapeutic Methodology

### Herman 3-Stage Model (1992)

Proposed by Dr. Judith Herman in "Trauma and Recovery" (1992). The sequence of stabilization, remembrance (transformation), and reconnection remains the standard framework for trauma treatment. HealFrame maps its entire user journey to these three stages.

### Imagery Rescripting (ImRS)

Developed by Arntz & Weertman (1999). A Lancet Psychiatry study (2021) found 78% PTSD symptom reduction with ImRS. In HealFrame, users upload a meaningful photo and receive an AI-generated therapeutic reframe that helps reshape the associated memory.

### 4-7-8 Breathing

A breathing technique that stimulates the vagus nerve and activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds. Used in the Stabilization stage to calm the nervous system.

### 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding

A sensory anchoring technique for dissociation and flashback recovery. Name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, and 1 you taste. Brings attention back to the present moment.

### GPS Model (Group Peer Support)

A structured approach to peer support combining mindfulness with structured check-in processes. Used as the foundation for Recovery Circle's weekly round structure.

### SAMHSA 6 Trauma-Informed Principles

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's six key principles guide all HealFrame interactions:
1. Safety — physical and psychological safety in all features
2. Trustworthiness and Transparency — clear communication about what happens with user data and content
3. Peer Support — Recovery Circle enables mutual aid between people at similar stages
4. Collaboration and Mutuality — users choose their pace; AI suggests but never forces
5. Empowerment, Voice, and Choice — users control their recovery journey
6. Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues — multilingual support, culturally sensitive crisis resources

### Pennebaker Expressive Writing

Based on James Pennebaker's research on the health benefits of structured writing about emotional experiences. Recovery Circle check-ins use structured prompts designed for 15-20 minute writing sessions.

### Mohr Supportive Accountability Model

Peer-to-peer accountability through Recovery Circle commitments. Members set weekly goals and report back, creating gentle mutual accountability without judgment.

### Yalom Therapeutic Factors

Two key factors from Irvin Yalom's group therapy research are central to Recovery Circle:
- Universality — discovering that others share similar struggles reduces isolation
- Instillation of hope — seeing peers at later recovery stages provides hope for progress

## Pricing

### Free Plan — $0

- 4-7-8 breathing and 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercises
- 3 image transformations per month
- Recovery notes and action planning
- 1 Recovery Circle membership
- Basic weekly circle summary
- Last 4 weeks of circle history

### Pro Plan — $9.90/month or $8.25/month billed yearly ($99/year, save 17%)

- Everything in Free, plus:
- Unlimited image transformations
- 2 Recovery Circle memberships
- AI personal recovery reflection on each check-in
- Full recovery trajectory reports
- Personalized circle prompts
- Stage transition assessment
- In-depth recovery analysis
- Priority support

## Safety Pipeline

Every piece of user-generated text in HealFrame passes through an AI safety classification system powered by Google Gemini.

### GREEN — Safe Content

Emotions, personal growth, daily life experiences, recovery reflections. This content is published normally.

### AMBER — Sensitive Content

Specific trauma details, excessive self-blame, or content that could be re-traumatizing. The user receives a soft redirect with psychoeducation about why detailed trauma narration can be counterproductive in a peer setting. The user can choose to revise or proceed.

### RED — Crisis Content

Suicide or self-harm intent, threats to self or others, or acute crisis signals. Content is immediately blocked and CrisisResources are displayed with local emergency contacts.

### Crisis Resources

Country-specific crisis hotlines are shown based on the user's configured country:
- Korea: 1393 (Mental Health Crisis), 1577-0199 (Suicide Prevention)
- United States: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), 741741 (Crisis Text Line)
- Japan: 0120-279-338 (Inochi no Denwa)
- United Kingdom: 116 123 (Samaritans)
- Canada: 988 (Suicide Crisis Helpline)
- Australia: 13 11 14 (Lifeline)

AI prompts in HealFrame never ask users for trauma details. The focus is always on safety, growth, and recovery practice.

## Multilingual Support

HealFrame is available in three languages with full translations of all UI text, AI prompts, and therapeutic content:

- English: `/en/` paths (default locale)
- Korean (한국어): `/ko/` paths
- Japanese (日本語): `/ja/` paths

Users can change their language in Account settings. The app auto-detects browser language on first visit.

## Technical Overview

- **Framework**: Next.js 16 with React 19 and App Router
- **Styling**: Tailwind CSS 4 with custom CSS variables
- **Database**: PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM
- **AI**: Google Gemini API (gemini-2.5-flash for text, gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview for images)
- **Authentication**: NextAuth v5 with Google and Kakao OAuth providers
- **Payments**: Stripe (subscriptions with monthly and yearly billing)
- **Internationalization**: next-intl with locale-based routing (ko, en, ja)
- **PWA**: Service worker with offline fallback page
- **Accessibility**: WCAG compliant, keyboard navigation, ARIA labels, focus indicators
- **Hosting**: Vercel (production at healframe.app)
- **Error Monitoring**: Sentry
- **Analytics**: Google Analytics 4, Vercel Web Analytics
- **Email**: Resend (check-in reminders, weekly summaries, peer response notifications)

## Legal

- [Privacy Policy](/en/legal/privacy): GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, PIPA, and APPI compliant. Full data encryption, no data selling, immediate image deletion, account deletion with data export.
- [Terms of Service](/en/legal/terms): Medical disclaimer (not a substitute for professional therapy), age requirement (14+), refund policy (7 days).
- Contact: contact@soursea.io