Methods
Somatic Experiencing® was established by Dr. Peter Levine, and is inspired by his studies of wild animal behavior and their natural recovery processes from high stress states. It is a body oriented, trauma integration approach that helps facilitate the completion of self-protected motor responses and the release of thwarted survival energy bound in the autonomic nervous system and the body. Somatic Experiencing® supports people in attuning to their bodies, settling their nervous system, integrating experiences, and developing greater capacity to be with a range of emotions and body sensations.
Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) developed by Dr. Stephen Porges is, at its essence, about improving nervous system regulation. It is an auditory healing intervention that involves listening to an intentionally curated playlist that includes specific sound frequencies designed to bring more safety and settling to the nervous system.
Listening is connected to the vagus nerve, the bodies internal control center for processing and responding to cues and signals from the world around us. The SSP uses specifically filtered music to train the neural network associated with listening to focus on the frequency range of the human voice. As we learn to focus on the sound frequencies of the human speech, the vagus nerve becomes stimulated and the state of feeling safer and calmer becomes more accessible.
While the outcome is sensitive to each individual’s personal history, research suggests that following the completion of the 5 hour protocol, broken down into listening segments, can support a deeper connection to self and others, greater access to safety in the body, behavioral and emotional regulation, and feeling more grounded and resilient.
