Blog #safe and sound protocol

This article explores the relationship between the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) and tinnitus—clearing up common misconceptions, explaining potential risks, and highlighting how thoughtful pacing and expert guidance can make SSP safe - and in some cases, even beneficial for those with tinnitus.

In this podcast interview, I share how I work as a therapist using Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting, SSP, RRP, and intuition to support deep, lasting change. We explore nervous system healing, provider alignment, polyvagal-informed therapy, and even using SSP with pets.

Discover how the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), sometimes in combination with Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting, and the new Rest & Restore Protocol (RRP), can support those living with misophonia and misokinesia. Drawing from real-life case examples, this article explores how nervous system regulation can lead to profound shifts—even after years of struggle—and why healing often begins by helping the body feel safe again.

No matter what healing approach you offer, your presence is part of the medicine. This article shares three essential pillars that help any provider build a practice that feels joyful, sustainable, and truly aligned—with support for both your clients and your own nervous system.

Worried about “side effects” with SSP? You’re not alone—but what many call side effects are actually signs of a nervous system in motion. In this post, I share why I get excited (not alarmed) by temporary dysregulation, how exquisitely sensitive clients often respond most powerfully, and why titration is the key to success. Whether you’re a provider or a client, this perspective might just shift how you view the process—and the possibilities.

A story about how an interaction with a warm, funny personable nurse affected my nervous system during a time of stress and fear, in a way that mirrors what the Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP) does for our physiology.

Watch the recording of "How Anxiety Manifests in the Nervous System". Unyte Health welcomed Carol Ann Brayley, neurodivergent clinical social worker, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and expert Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) provider to this Provider Spotlight webinar. This session highlighted her clinical use of the SSP within the context of anxiety, the nervous system and physical health. Exploring the evolutionary basis of anxiety and what happens to our nervous system when we’re anxious, this webinar shared considerations for approaching SSP delivery with anxious clients and how their nervous system may respond. We discussed how the SSP can lessen anxiety by cultivating an internal state of safety and social engagement and discussed practical success stories. You can expect to learn: What the purpose of anxiety is and how it can manifest in the body and nervous system. Strategies for grounding anxious clients. Effective SSP titration for maximized therapeutic impact. How adding the SSP can add to your practice.

People often wonder what activities are OK to do during SSP listening. Carol Ann Brayley, MSW, RSW, SEP recognized expert in delivering SSP to the most complex people discusses various possibilities.

By sending cues of safety To our physiology, Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) has the potential to improve or resolve extremely diverse physical and mental health related symptoms with no diagnostic process being necessary.

Carol Ann Brayley, MSW, RSW, SEP discusses common fears and concerns in relation to trying SSP, how to maximize the effectiveness of SSP while preventing dysregulation from occurring, what to look for in an SSP provider, and more.

There are many different - and equally wonderful - approaches to how SSP is offered. Some providers are present for all of SSP listening. Some are not present for any of their client's SSP listening. And some use a hybrid approach to delivering SSP where the provider may be present at some times but not others. Read more to understand the pros and cons of different approaches.

Regardless of the level of complexity or sensitivity of the individual, Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP) can be an incredibly effective and positively life changing approach for almost anyone when SSP delivery is carefully titrated to the nervous system of the individual. However, there is also significant risk that SSP can become incredibly uncomfortable or that someone can be less in a (most often, temporarily) much worse situation, when someone chooses to work with a provider who is less well informed about SSP. Learn what things to watch for and how to recognize if a provider you are considering accessing SSP through is likely to be a good choice for you and your family.