Welcome to the Safe & Sound Protocol Small Group Experience
Nourish your nervous system and shift survival responses through gentle listening, group support and somatic practices.
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 welcome you to a 12 week journey to nurture and nourish your nervous system with somatics and the SSP.
Tuesday Evening Group begins April 22; Sunday Evening Group begins April 27th
What is an SSP Group?
You’re invited to a 12-week virtual container designed to help nourish your nervous system. Through specially filtered music, somatic guidance, and a trauma-informed container with a few other folks, 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)
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 neuroqueer weirdo (but the good kind) and a nervous system nerd. I did the SSP in a group and love holding group 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
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
CONNECTION IS HEALING
In an SSP Group, we listen to the SSP Playlist, and there is time and space for:
Check ins and connection with other group members
Somatic practices and nervous system learning
Sharing skills and tools to support your nervous system on the day-to-day
Integrating and digesting your experience
Your personal process (i.e. no forced sharing, time to journal, etc.)
You don’t have to do it alone, or all at once! Being in a group space means a chance for community, connection and co-regulation. And doing it over time means that the healing journey isn’t overwhelming, too much or too fast.
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
THE DETAILS
LAND is a 12 week virtual group experience.
Weekly groups are 2 hours and 15 minutes each and take place on zoom. Group time includes opening our time together, somatic and nervous system practices, and of course listening to the SSP Playlist and checking in.
Weeks 1 and 12 are opening and closing sessions and do not include listening.
Groups are small, with no more than 6 folks per cohort.
Registration includes:
➝ Twelve 2.15-hour group sessions, complete with co-regulation, nervous system and somatic support, and of course, listening
➝ Access to the SSP Playlist for listening during our 12 weeks together (I pay so you can access this)
➝ An introductory guide to the nervous system, neuroception and social engagement system to support your SSP journey and healing
➝ Access to Tracking, a self paced course to guide you through mapping your nervous system with Polyvagal Theory
➝ E-mail access to me for support between sessions when you need it
➝ Access to a gentle SSP follow-up playlist for 1 month after our SSP group closes for integration & added support
P.S. If you need more support, you can add 1-1 somatic support sessions with me for an additional fee.
Sliding scale rates:
➝ $1075+ for 12 weeks | for folks with more access to expendable or stable income
➝ $875 for 12 weeks | for folks with access to expendable or stable income
➝ $675 for 12 weeks | for folks with limited access to cash, funds, housing security, etc.
The SSP Group rate falls between $28 and $44 per hour, depending on the sliding scale rate you select. Payment plans are available at no fee.
You may choose where you fall on the sliding scale. I don’t ask for proof, just for clients to self-select the rate that is within their means.
As a note, I don’t offer sliding scale because I am financially affluent; I offer sliding scale in an effort to be as financially accessible as possible within capitalism. If you can afford to pay more, please do - this helps support others who need a lower rate. If you need the lower rates, great! That’s why they exist.
Feeling the call to join an SSP group?
♥
CURRENT ENROLLING COHORTS - SSP GROUPS 2025!
Tuesday Evening SSP Group // 6:30-8:45pm EST, Tuesdays
Meets weekly from April 22—July 15
Note: Integration break May 13 (no group)
3/6 spaces open; Registration closes April 21
No Sunday Scaries SSP Group // 6:30-8:45pm EST, Sundays
Meets weekly from April 27—July 13
5/6 spaces open; Registration is open til April 25
Reflections from clients in SSP groups & other spaces I have held
What is waiting for you in an SSP Group?
Map your nervous system so you can track what’s happening in unsettling moments and find your way back to center
Learn and practice new somatic supports that actually work for you and your neurodivergent brain and unique nervous system
Resource, regulate and tune your nervous system through listening to the filtered playlist
WHAT HAPPENS IN EACH SOMATIC SAFE & SOUND EXPERIENCE GROUP SESSION?
The first session holds:
➝ Setting the container, getting to know one another*, what is the SSP, and mapping your nervous system
The following sessions hold:
➝ Arriving and grounding, checking in and connecting, listening to the SSP playlist in three 10 minute portions and sharing your experience, integrating your experience and closing our container
*Getting to know one another is a process that will take time and can happen at the pace of connection and the nervous system. I know connection and relationship building can feel risky and take time, so I’ll be doing my best to nurture our group connection while honoring your individual needs, too.
In a group, we can experience co-regulation and collective support and the feeling that we are not alone. Although everyone will be listening individually (through an app on their phone with their preferred playlist) and on their own journey, there is time to share about your experience and be deeply heard.
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.
-
Group SSP sessions can be really enriching! In a group, we can experience co-regulation and collective support and the feeling that we are not alone. Although everyone will be listening individually and on their own journey, there is time to share about your experience and be deeply heard (if you want to). I strive to make space for your individual experience to be held within our group.
And, if a group isn’t your cup of tea, I offer individual sessions.
-
In an SSP group, after a somatic practice and optional check-ins, you will be invited to listen to 10 minutes of your playlist. Then, there will be time to share, connect and digest that experience.
In a 2 hour group, there will be three rounds of listening (10 minutes per round), with optional processing after.
You will have access to the SSP playlist through an app on your phone, so you can press pause, opt out, and make your own choices.
Listening happens while we’re together in the group, but you can be in your own space. I will also be there for co-regulation and support.
-
Okay, hi! So this part sounds awkward. Healing and processing in a group can be kinda awkward. But here’s what I want you to know. I ask for cameras on so I can co-regulate and attun and I know folks are connected to our zoom space, but while you listen, you do not need to stay in front of your screen!
Folks often listen while folding laundry, bopping around their house/space, moving or stretching, cozying up on the couch or with pets, being on the floor, watering plants they just noticed looked thirsty (true story) etc. I support what feels right to you!
Also - how you engage with the zoom space is something I’m always reminding you that you can change. Do your eyes need a break from the screen? How do you want to be perceived rn? Would you like to share via voice, chat or not at all? Etc. I’m often reminding us that we have choice in how we show up.
-
Yep, I get that. It can seem like a lot to commit to! And, 12 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. It also offers time to settle into our group and connect with one another at a slower pace.
-
Feeling nervous makes sense. What I can tell you is this. The SSP is gentle and I am gentle. LAND is trauma-informed, so your agency and comfort is always prioritized. The SSP is not prescriptive; there is space for flexibility and adaptability. If you want to do it, and you’re also nervous or unsure, you’re welcome to book a connection call and we can chat.
-
If you need to miss a session, you can listen on your own or schedule a make-up listening session with me at a reduced rate. I can help you determine what works best for you.
-
If a 1-1 session is a better fit for you than a group experience, please be in touch. I offer hour long 1-1 SSP sessions. It includes an orienting session with nervous system mapping and a reflective closing session, same as the group. The difference is you can take more time and listen over more 1-1 sessions. You can also experience a blend of SSP listening and Somatic Experiencing approaches and practices.
-
There are a few contraindications to the SSP. I’m happy to talk about your individual circumstance. Know I won’t recommend it if it truly doesn’t sound like the right fit for you or your life circumstances.
In general, the SSP is not recommended for:
Folks experiencing active psychosis, currently on antipsychotic medication, or with recent psychiatric hospitalizations.
Folks with active or uncontrolled seizures, active tinnitus, or who are actively reporting thoughts of suicide.
And, participants need to have a “safe enough” home environment to return to after each listening session without threat of physical harm. I recognize this is relative. Please do connect with me if you’re not sure about this one.
-
The SSP deposit (1/2 of your tuition) is non-refundable. If something arises and you need to cancel your spot within 2 weeks of the SSP group beginning, I can waive your remaining payments if I am able to fill your spot. If you need to cancel your spot after our group begins, there are no refunds. If you have extenuating circumstances, please be in touch.
Ready to explore saving a spot in this Safe & Sound Protocol Small Group Experience?
I’d be glad to have you and your nervous system along for this journey.