How the Safe and Sound Protocol Breaks Down Your Walls and Leads to More Effective Mental Health Counseling
“Garbage in, garbage out.”
We all know this saying–we have either used it ourselves or have heard others use it. Not only is this saying used in daily life, it is often used in sciences, including neuroscience. The more time, presence and effective methods we can put into the foundation of our mental health, the better we will feel and the more connected we will be with others.
To avoid making our brains a “garbage” dumping ground, we can focus on identifying the “good stuff” and finding ways to build our mental health foundation with that good stuff. One tool we have found that assists in creating a sustainable mental foundation is the Safe and Sound Protocol.
In addition to mental health counseling, the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is an auditory intervention designed to reduce stress and auditory sensitivity while enhancing social engagement and resilience.
This protocol involves listening to altered music playlists which helps to stimulate the vagus nerve and ultimately helps to regulate and calm your nervous system. When we have a calmed nervous system, we are able to accomplish more in each of our mental health counseling sessions, with the goal of achieving the positive mental health foundation that we all need to feel good and connect well with those around us.
We all have walls built up around us; around our minds, around our hearts, and around our entire beings. Some people’s walls are higher than others. Some are stronger than others. Whether our wall is high or small, strong or weak–the Safe and Sound Protocol is designed to help break down our barriers to reach a sense of security within our nervous system to then ultimately reach our mental health goals with more ease and more efficiency.
According to Integrated Learning Systems, “Higher brain functions such as learning, communication, and focus are dependent upon how well we are able to process incoming information at the sensory and emotional levels.”
The Safe and Sound Protocol regulates our nervous systems so that when we are processing this incoming information, we are able to process it at the sensory and emotional level with a sense of calm. As mental health counselors, we focus on the body-mind integration as we support and walk alongside our clients as they heal from depression, anxiety, trauma or loss. We know the Safe and Sound Protocol has the potential to help to break down walls thus allowing our clients to reach their destination of mental health healing with more ease.
If you are interested in learning more about the Safe and Sound Protocol and to determine if it is a good fit for you, please give us a call. We would love to schedule a free 15-minute consultation to discuss this option with you.
Resources:
Why effective processing and regulation are the essential ... (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://integratedlistening.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ils-ebook-processing-regulation.pdf?sslid=szQ0tjC3MDS1NLYEAA&sseid=M7Q0NDUzsDSwNAQA&jobid=80fb0021-5571-48c6-86b5-bb0878ca9c8a
Amy Stenger-Sullivan (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor-Supervisor, trainer and CEO of Rooted Compassion Counseling and Consulting, LLC. As a Certified Trauma Responsive Counselor, Amy understands and applies knowledge of interpersonal neurobiology, Polyvagal Theory and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). She specializes in utilizing and teaching about the nervous system to help people move into post-traumatic healing and growth.
The Rooted Compassion team is made up of a group of counselors who have a variety of specialties in order to best serve our clients. We recognize that every person has his/her own personal and unique life experiences and that one modality will not work for every client. Listed below is a summary of our counselors’ specialties at Rooted Compassion:
Emotional Freedom Techniques
Grief Counseling
Somatic Focused Counseling
EMDR
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Practices
Trauma Responsive Care Techniques
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Motivational Interviewing
Gottman Couples Counseling
If you are interested in learning more about what Rooted Compassion is all about, please contact us today, look through our website, or find us on Instagram and Facebook.
Rooted Compassion Counseling is Ohio’s leading practice for trauma therapy through the lens of the nervous system. Our focus is to walk alongside clients as they heal from depression, anxiety, trauma, grief and/or loss. If you or someone you know are seeking to explore and build an inner sense of calm and safety, please contact us today. We would love to help you to find a counselor and counseling techniques that will guide you on your mental health journey to healing.
