I want to share a piece of my own journey with the Rest & Restore Protocol (RRP), because it taught me — in a very personal way — just how important pacing and titration are.
The reality is, I did really well with RRP — even on Level 3 — for several months, until something shifted. After that point, I experienced the most severe dysregulation of my life. It was frighteningly intense, and I honestly feel lucky to have survived it.
I know that sounds dramatic, but I share it because it highlights something crucial: with RRP, just like with SSP, pacing, coregulation, provider support and skill set matters. We are doing very deep physiological work, and when it goes too fast, the nervous system can become overwhelmed.
RRP doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It helps drop us more fully into our body — which is also where trauma, implicit memory, and emotion live. I often find that it seems to connect us directly with the earliest layers: infancy and even in utero.
I had a particularly difficult start in life. Looking back, I believe RRP opened access to those very early wounds. For anyone with early or complex trauma, this kind of resurfacing is not unusual. What makes it especially tricky is that there often isn’t a clear narrative attached — only the emotion and felt sense. It can feel like it’s happening in the present, when in fact it’s old memory, and in that way it can be particularly hijacking. The good news is that once recognized for what it is, it can be worked with and gently healed, ultimately bringing someone to a better place in the end.
This doesn’t mean people should be afraid of RRP. Everything is fixable. The nervous system is adaptive, and even difficult responses can usually be resolved if we notice them early and adjust carefully.
But it does mean that caution is essential. Especially for those with complex trauma histories, it’s wise to work with someone skilled who can help pace and titrate the process. I often remind clients that RRP and SSP are like peeling back layers of an onion: sometimes what comes forward is uncomfortable, but each layer offers an opportunity for profound healing.
In my own case, because I was doing RRP alone, I didn’t recognize how far I was going until I was already deep in it. If I had been my own client, I would have spotted the need to dial things back — but it’s always harder to see clearly in ourselves.
The hopeful part is this: although I eventually needed to step away from RRP altogether for a bit, that break gave me the space to do a lot of other work to support my nervous system. When I was ready to reapproach, I had to start from the very beginning — even the introduction — and move with extreme care. I used micro amounts of SSP, incorporated iLs Calming, and slowly figured out what to do when someone goes too far into dorsal - so that I can now apply this learning to help my clients and other providers.
Over time, I was able to gradually rebuild my capacity with RRP: first the intro again, then carefully working with Level 1, then longer and longer amounts of Level 2. Only after months of building capacity by cycling through increasingly longer sessions of Level 2 repeatdly was I finally able to return to Level 3.
Now, Level 3 is going fantastically. I can listen for 15 minutes nightly, and instead of overwhelming me or pulling me into dorsal, it leaves me feeling incredible — more energy, sharper focus, lighter mood, and an overall sense of uplift.
What’s especially striking is that this shift is happening in early autumn — usually the time when Seasonal Affective Disorder begins to hit me hard. Instead, I feel better than ever. The uplift in mood and energy reminds me of what I often see with SSP: once the nervous system gets a foothold in regulation, it can create a positive cycle.
For me, it looks like this: more energy → less pain → feeling more upbeat → being more active → going on hikes → getting more sunlight → and back again to more energy and a brighter mood. Each step builds momentum and keeps things in motion.
After everything I’ve shared about the intensity and the need for caution, you might wonder: why would anyone with early trauma do RRP at all?
For me, the answer is simple: because the potential benefits are extraordinary.
RRP has been absolutely life-changing for me. After a lifetime of severe chronic insomnia — and decades of needing large amounts of sleep medication just to get any rest at all — I am now sleeping better than I ever have before, even in childhood. I only rarely use any medication at all anymore.
And the changes go far beyond sleep. I’ve experienced:
What’s remarkable is how these changes create a positive cycle. Better sleep and mood give me more energy. More energy allows me to be more active, go on hikes, and get more sunlight — which then feeds back into even better sleep, energy, and mood. It’s very similar to what I see with SSP: once the nervous system catches hold of regulation, it can spiral upward into health.
This is why, despite the potential challenges that may - or may not - arise, RRP is worth it. With careful pacing and skilled support, it doesn’t just help us survive old wounds — it helps us thrive in ways we may never have thought possible.
If there’s one takeaway, it’s that SSP and RRP are incredibly powerful tools. They can open the door to healing layers of trauma that talk therapy alone may never reach. But because of that power, it matters deeply how they are delivered — and how we respond along the way.
With the right pacing, careful titration, and the support of a skilled provider, the nervous system usually finds its way to a better place than where we began.
If there’s one thing my own journey has reinforced, it’s that no two nervous systems are alike — and the way forward is rarely linear. That’s part of what makes SSP and RRP both so powerful and so complex.
For providers, I offer group and individual SSP & RRP consultations to help you navigate these nuances with your clients, especially when things feel tricky or uncertain. And for clients, I’m honored to personally facilitate RRP journeys, tailoring the pacing and support to what your nervous system most needs.
Because with the right support, these protocols don’t just help us peel back old layers — they can open the door to deeper healing and a richer, more regulated life.
Are you a provider looking to expand your SSP and RRP practice? I’ll be sharing practical strategies and supportive tools in my upcoming “Expanding Your SSP and RRP Practice from the Inside Out” webinar — just a few spots are still open if you’d like to join us!