Welcome to the Individual Safe & Sound Protocol Experience

Nourish your nervous system and shift survival responses through gentle listening, somatic practices and tailored support.

If you’ve tried a lot of healing modalities, but they haven’t quite clicked, or landed in your body . . .

And you’re still feeling frazzled, frayed and overwhelmed . . .

Perhaps, like so many of my clients, your brain knows you are safe but your nervous system is still freaking out . . .

I want to invite you to a Safe & Sound Protocol Individual Experience

Nourish your nervous system and shift sticky survival responses through gentle listening, custom support and doable somatic practices.

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This 15 week virtual container is designed to help nourish and nurture your unique nervous system.

Through specially filtered music, somatic guidance and attunement, you'll be supported to experience:

✦ More connection, less protection

✦ More authenticity, less masking

✦ More boundary building, less fawning

✦ More “I am here”, less “where am I?”

✦ Reaching for healing, joy, connection and what you really want

✦ Reduced stress and anxiety (even when things are stressful)

Body-based trauma therapy through virtual somatic sessions. Somatic Experiencing practitioner serving clients in Maine and worldwide.

Hi, I’m Jess (she/they) and I’m your SSP Guide!

Who you choose as your SSP Guide matters, so here’s a little more about me:

THE LETTERS AFTER MY NAME

I’m a licensed massage therapist, Somatic Experiencing and SSP practitioner and a trauma-informed educator.

MY LIVED EXPERIENCE

I’m a survivor with chronic pain and complex-ptsd, a neroqueer weirdo (but the good kind) and a nervous system nerd. The SSP helped me heal in ways other things didn’t, and I love holding space for individual SSP journeys.

MY VALUES

I care about holding trauma-informed space and affirming neurodivergent, queer, and marginalized experiences. I hold each modality I offer with wonder and a critical eye. I’m not here to spiritually bypass or whisper yell at my clients to feel safe in a world on fire.

Reflections from SSP participants

  • “I’m finding it a bit easier to make conscious choices in the moment to respond rather than react, and let things go when I would have clung to them before. In a time of living where both beauty and horror loom so very large, I’m able to turn my focus more easefully towards thoughts of hope than fear, even though I’m still holding both.“

    SSP Group Participant

  • "Jess embodies trauma-informed practice. Her approach exemplifies and amplifies being cared for within a community. The spaciousness and genuine invitation to show up as you are feels like a rare offering in today's world. It is telling, and a breath of fresh air, that Jess's embodiment of care provision, rooted in a trauma-informed ethos, is just as present in follow-up (behind- the-scenes so to speak) as it is within the groups."

    Marla, SSP Group Participant

  • “I’m so glad I chose to take this leap. I came to the SSP because I felt like a frayed rope, and even though I couldn’t tell you concretely why or how things have shifted inside of me, I do genuinely feel more resilient already, and I’m only halfway through our session series!“

    SSP Group Participant

  • Jess is an incredibly kind and skilled facilitator who makes their clients feel seen and safe throughout the process. If you get the chance to work with them, don't hesitate.

    SSP Client

  • I'm sleeping better and stressing out less, even while the world is incredibly stressful and there is a lot that could keep me up worrying.

    SSP Group Participant

READ ABOUT SAM'S SSP EXPERIENCE

Folks arrive at the SSP for unique reasons. If you’re wondering if the SSP might be supportive for you and your nervous system at this time, I invite you to see if anything on this list resonates.

YOU MIGHT BE:

➝ Struggling with things that seem easy for other folks, but are hard for you, like getting enough sleep, nourishment and movement; returning texts or calls; quieting worried thoughts

➝ Curious about exploring different aspects of your identity (queerness, neurodivergence, etc.) and looking for a modality that doesn’t need you to mask to show up

➝ Itching to embody your boundaries, but struggling with older (and brilliant!) patterns of fawning, people-pleasing and avoiding. They’re keeping you safe, but they might not be getting you what you want or need

➝ Seeking to be held in a trauma-informed space with a practitioner that affirms your body and nervous system wisdom, and partners with you as the expert of your experience during sessions

➝ Ready to make friends with your nervous system, understand your survival responses, and make space for new ways of being to unfold

APPLY to work together
Book a connection call

Wait, how does it work again?

Listening to the specialized SSP music playlist encourages the middle ear muscles to tune in to cues of safety signaled by the frequencies of human voice. For a nervous system that has been primed to detect threat and has experienced less safety, this can lead to profound transformations!

And, you’re not doing it alone! Being in an individual setting means you have real time support, and speaking of time, we can move slowly. The pace of listening is tailored to your nervous system and needs.

Listen to the specialized playlist

Therapeutic headphones used for Safe & Sound Protocol listening therapy for nervous system regulation

Receive somatic support

Peaceful horses representing the gentle, trauma-informed approach of somatic healing and nervous system regulation
MY NERVOUS SYSTEM NEEDS THIS

Throughout the SSP process, your nervous system can shift, and the ways you interact with the world around you and the people in it can become more embodied and easeful, too.

This means you might notice changes in your relationships, boundaries, embodiment, and sensory experiences.

DURING AND AFTER THE SSP, FOLKS OFTEN NOTICE THEY ARE:

➝ Embodying their boundaries through more communication and less body armoring

➝ Advocating for their needs in relationships

➝ Feeling less sensory overload, overstimulation and startle responses

➝ Engaging in connection, creativity and relationships with more ease

➝ In tune with their body and nervous system’s yeses and nos.

➝ Feeling big feelings without the overwhelm that usually accompanies the emotion

➝ Aware of hunger cues and shifting their relationship around food and nourishment

➝ Expanding their capacity for excitement, discomfort and growth (a.k.a. expanding their comfort zone)

➝ Resting rather than shutting down and numbing out

Reflections from SSP participants

  • "Jess did a wonderful job facilitating our group and creating a space where everyone was encouraged to show up as they were. I enjoyed the SSP process and found it helped me relax, find more ease in my day, and rebound faster from stress. I highly recommend it and would do it again."

  • "The SSP experience has been tender and open; a gentle space to land each week and spend intentional time tending to my nervous system. I relax and my breath deepens as I arrive into this unique space with an open invitation to find the experience I need that day with the music and the group, but no expectation to do so in a specific way. "

  • “I’m more aware of my nervous system now. I make more sense to myself. And more than that, I have more self-compassion.”

  • “The SSP is helping my nervous system live in the present, and has quieted the alarm bells that were always going off inside me.”

  • “Part of what I loved about the SSP was Jess’s invitation to show up exactly as we were. Just before SSP began, I experienced some trauma in a group setting and felt hesitant about the group dynamic of this process. I was able to show up completely nonverbal and in tears the first day, and felt warmth and welcomed in this experience. As the weeks progressed, I was able to connect outward more to other members of the group as my nervous system allowed, and even initiated conversations and cracked some jokes! The SSP was healing on multiple levels for me, and this group dynamic was just one slice of the pie.”

  • “I was surprised by how much changed! And I was nervous about doing the SSP, but it didn’t feel as overwhelming as I thought it would.”

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THE DETAILS

The individual SSP Experience Package includes 15 sessions.

We meet weekly, so you and your nervous system receive consistent, steady support.

Inside our 1 hour virtual sessions, we will move at the pace of your nervous system.

Listening happens within our sessions so you have support, co-regulation and a consistent and compassionate container. Our first session (or two!) is for intake, nervous system mapping and preparing to listen to the SSP playlist.

The SSP can be completed in as few as 15 sessions and as many as 20 sessions. Weekly sessions (same time and day each week to keep it steady for both of us!) take place on zoom with cameras on some of the time (so I can best co-regulate with you. If you’re nervous about this part, let’s chat! I want you to feel as comfy as possible.).

Session time includes: somatically settling in, 5-10 minute rounds of listening and processing, and integration. Our time together is tailored; sometimes you might need more listening, sometimes you might need more somatic support and less listening. I am here for you all the way.

When you say yes to your SSP Individual Experience, here’s what’s waiting:

➝ 15 weekly 60 minute somatic listening sessions, complete with co-regulation, suggested tools and integration practices

➝ Access to a gentle SSP follow-up playlist for the month after you complete SSP, for integration & added support

➝ Access to Tracking, a self paced course all about Polyvagal Theory, nervous system states and mapping and tracking your nervous system

➝ An introductory guide to the nervous system, neuroception and mapping techniques to support your SSP journey and nervous system healing

➝ E-mail access to me for support between sessions when you need it

➝ The option of blending somatic support with listening in sessions, so listening can happen at a slower pace, and you can receive somatic tending and processing along the way

Individual SSP Experience Price for 15 Sessions:

➝ $2360 | $155 for per session |$500 initial deposit | for folks with access to expendable or stable income

➝ $2060 | $135 per session | $440 initial deposit | for folks with limited to expendable or stable income

➝ $1760 | $115 per session | $380 initial deposit | for folks with limited access to cash, funds, housing security, etc.

You may choose where you fall on the sliding scale based on your financial access and needs. I don’t ask for proof. I offer sliding scale due to my values, not my financial circumstance.

For the Individual SSP Experience, you may invest with one payment, or make your initial deposit to secure your spot and enroll in a weekly payment plan to pay per session.

A one-time fee of $35 for access to the SSP playlists is included in the initial deposit.

Feeling the call to begin your SSP journey?

2 spaces are available and I’d love to explore working with you.

Unyte iLs logo with text and a vertical line separating the two words.
Apply here, and I’ll be in touch.
Book a connection call

♥

Reflections from SSP and Somatic clients

  • “Jess is an incredibly kind and skilled facilitator who makes their clients feel seen and safe throughout the process. If you get the chance to work with them, don't hesitate.”

    SSP Client

  • "Jess clearly possesses a nuanced understanding of how the subtle/energetic and physical body holds and expresses trauma wounds. She is a gifted facilitator."

    Meg, Life Coach

  • “My last session with Jess was truly a heartfelt experience. Jess is intuitive and very nurturing. don’t often feel safe enough to get emotional around people, but Jess is so understanding. She is a joy to work with.”

    E.B.

  • "Jess did a wonderful job facilitating our group and creating a space where everyone was encouraged to show up as they were. I enjoyed the SSP process and found it helped me relax, find more ease in my day, and rebound faster from stress. I highly recommend it and would do it again."

  • "Jess held a very thoughtful and respectful space and encouraged everyone to adapt and do what feels good. I have some range of motion limitations so I always appreciate when that is acknowledged and/or adaptions are provided. I learned some good techniques for grounding and being gentle with myself."

WHAT HAPPENS IN EACH SOMATIC SAFE & SOUND PROTOCOL EXPERIENCE SESSION?

Our first session (or two) holds:

➝ Setting the container, getting to know each other*, connecting about your goals and intentions and the SSP, and mapping your nervous system

The following sessions hold:

➝ Arriving with a somatic practice, checking in and connecting, listening to the SSP playlist in 5-10 minute portions and sharing and processing your experience, integrating your experience and closing our container

Please know there is spaciousness for flexibility. Some clients need multiple sessions before they begin listening, and I always hold space for that possibility. Some folks will complete the SSP in 15 sessions, some will take longer. I trust the pace of your nervous system and what you need.

*Getting to know each other is a process that will take time and can happen at the pace of connection and the nervous system. We have time to meet each other, there is no rush. I know connection and relationship building can feel risky and take time, so if you feel shy just know I’ll be doing my best to honor your introverted or internal needs and trust your timeline. Also, I don’t expect trust right away. After all, that’s not trauma-informed.

In our sessions, we will work with pacing, titration and pendulation, following body sensations, and resourcing to bring in more stability, support and safety. We will focus on resourcing and establishing safety as well as honoring the feelings and sensations that come up. My intention is to support clients in being with the waves [emotions + sensations] and wearing floaties and a wet suit [resources] so the waves aren’t too big or too cold. Instead of deep dives, we’ll be splashing toes in the water.

This is a wonderful time to let your nervous system unfold and unwind, allow rest to happen, and practice new tools that might support different nervous system states.

STILL HAVE MORE QUESTIONS? FIND AN ANSWER HERE:

  • SSP stands for the Safe and Sound Protocol. This is a supportive healing modality developed by Dr. Stephen Porges (who also created Polyvagal Theory). This listening tool bathes the vagus nerve and stimulates the social engagement system. How does it work? Listening to the SSP encourages the middle ear muscles to tune in to cues of safety signaled by the frequencies of human voice. This can lead to profound transformations in relationships, boundaries, embodiment, sensory integration and overall nervous system wellness.

  • You will need an internet connection and a zoom account, an iPhone or android smartphone and the unyte app, and around-the-ear headphones. You might also like to have some supportive tools with you while you listen. I’ll share potential tools (many you might already have around) in our welcome materials.

  • Maybe you’re zoomed out, which is so valid. But the very cool part of virtual sessions is that while you are experiencing the SSP, you’re in your own space! So hopefully this means you have tools, creature comforts and what you need nearby. Lots of folks lean on their environment as a resource during the SSP, and the virtual experience lends itself beautifully to that.

  • I honor that 15 weeks is a long time, and SSP is not a one-and-done experience. 15 weeks offers time to experience the medicinal qualities of the listening, track changes in your nervous system, and show up to new tools and new ways of being. Over time, the transformation/s can be profound.

    And, if you need more time, we can spread out our listening over more sessions, too! I trust the pace of your nervous system.

  • Feeling nervous makes sense. What I can tell you is this. The SSP is gentle and I am gentle, too. We can adjust the pace (listening less, for example) until we find what is “just right” for you and your nervous system. We can supplement with Somatic Experiencing, we can laugh, we can take breaks.

    And I am trauma-informed, so your agency and comfort is always prioritized. The SSP is not prescriptive and your needs and feelings won’t be in the way, they get to be here, too. There is space for flexibility and adaptability. There is space for YOU and what your nervous system needs.

    Also, you get to be nervous! I can welcome that, and other feelings you bring, too.

  • I invite you to notice (if it’s possible) what comes up when you consider or imagine doing the SSP in a group … and what comes up when you consider or imagine doing the SSP in a 1-1 format.

    I also invite you to consider your schedule and financial needs.

    Our SSP groups are very magical, it’s true, and 1-1 sessions offer really specific support. You can take longer than 12 weeks to listen. Space will be held just for you. So if you’re feeling like you might need a lot of care as things come up during the process, a 1-1 container might be the best fit for you.

Want to connect before committing? I get it!

Choosing a healing container is no small thing. I’m happy to connect and see if the individual SSP is the right fit for you. Feel free to schedule a connection call below.

Feeling hopeful about healing with the SSP?

Apply and we can connect about whether 1-1 SSP Sessions will be the right fit for you, your life, and your nervous system. I’ll be here every step of the way, whatever you decide.

apply right here