Introduction
The Somatic+ SSP Circle is a small group, 6-week journey that includes somatic education along with a powerful therapeutic sound experience. It’s a healing experience for all of your senses that supports positive shifts in the nervous system. Individuals who participate will experience increased embodiment and leave with somatic information and tools to support their continuing healing journey.
The 2 main anchors of this program along with the somatic learning and support individuals will receive from me (see detailed info further down the page):
- The Somatic+ SSP Course delivered in an online classroom format and with additional teaching and guidance by Katie McClain, SEP.
- The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), a therapeutic auditory intervention utilizing specially treated music (Classical or Ambient Fusion). The SSP Core provides the conditions of safety that support deep healing.
Attunement from a skilled, trauma-informed practitioner is essential when receiving the Safe and Sound Protocol and any somatic healing process. I’ll be using Somatic Experiencing, TIST-Parts Works, and Somatic Touch to support each participant with processing and integrating memories and sensations that arise during the program and the listening sessions.
Co-regulation and attunement from your group-mates enhances the process and allows you to experience and gain awareness of yourself and others in a safe container. The healing that is available within a group experience is unmatched. The Safe and Sound Protocol, the somatic exercises, and tools you’ll learn and practice will support you in moving through stuck patterns, anxiety, worry, depression and more.
In our first meeting we’ll get acquainted, set intentions, and learn somatic and polyvagal skills. We’ll delve into somatic practice and understanding of the tools we’ll use throughout the group sessions. Remaining sessions will included SSP listening and somatic skills development.
In this sound and somatic exploration you’ll have the opportunity for healing and to increase nervous system regulation. Utilizing the Somatic Skills and the Safe and Sound Protocol along with trauma informed co-regulation and support from myself and your group-mates, healing and transformation is possible.
How Does it Work and What’s Possible with the SSP?
In the early hours of the Safe and Sound Protocol, the music has been altered to remove the sound frequencies that alert the nervous system to danger or that contain signals of threat. Feelings of safety and care are felt. Clients open up to receive safe attunement and coregulation from safe-enough others. The frequencies in the music and the support of the provider creates conditions for healing of early trauma and attachment wounds.
Common results of listening to the SSP include increased embodiment, ease, reduction in sensitivities, and a desire for increased social engagement with others. Clients become more present, grounded, and less reactive. The SSP is also a beautiful tool for helping clients go deeper into healing with their therapist than they’ve gone before.
Many of my clients have healed early childhood experiences. Although this type of healing is common, a wide range of possibilities are available and can vary from pre-perinatal timelines, infancy to teenage years, and experiences that are beyond childhood.
Examples of progress with the SSP. Below are real examples of healing experiences with the SSP
- Healing of a terrifying surgery that happened in grade school
- Caring and support for the toddler self who was very alone and not attuned to in childhood
- Connections and support with and for the in utero part of self
- Processing grief that remained as a result of lack of care in childhood
- Increased compassion and self-care replaces anger at self
- A painful teenage experience is healed and integrated
- Deeply buried trauma comes safely to the surface. Client has the choice to work with it in session or later with their regular therapist
Each clients’ experience is unique. Your experiences will vary but may have similarities to these listed above. One round of the SSP tends to bring up a particular theme for each client. Multiple rounds of SSP creates the possibility for healing additional experiences.
Program Details and Who Will Benefit
The Somatic+ SSP Circle is uniquely supportive and transformative.
The Safe and Sound Protocol amplifies the healing process and reveals patterns that keep us stuck. It helps connect us deeply to our essential Self so that we can bring gentle support for early misattunement from caregivers and to the aspects of ourselves that have been left behind, forgotten, and remain hyper-vigilant or frozen. Hidden patterns, sense memories, and painful experiences are revealed and processed during the guided SSP process. With the SSP and the other somatic skills I provide, my clients have processed and integrated painful early imprints and traumas.
During each SSP round, some clients may experience very subtle changes. Others will encounter a particular experience or ‘theme’ that is ready to be worked with. The client always has the choice of whether to work with and process what is coming up. For example, a client may have had a surgery or have sustained some type of injury (minor or traumatic) or there may be a particular and problematic attachment pattern that developed in their childhood. As the client progresses through each hour of the protocol, different aspects of the pattern will arise and the opportunity is there to meet it and work with it so it can be integrated fully. Processing and Integration is where healing happens.
Who can be supported by the SSP?
- Those with ancestral, in utero, baby, toddler, school age, teenage, or any other time of life experiences covering a wide range that can include difficult or traumatic birth, stressful or traumatic family life, injuries, surgeries. Basically, the symptoms and unwanted patterns that develop as a result of stressful events. An important note is that while two people can share the same or a similar life experience; one person may be harmed by it while the other is not. What matters is what happened to You and how you were affected by it.
Before the Group Classes begin, you’ll receive access to the Somatic+ SSP course
The self-paced Somatic+ Course will be ready approximately 2 weeks prior to class beginning. In the course and in our group classes, you’ll learn somatic healing basics such as:
- Cultivating attunement with others. Healing in community.
- How to regulate and stay present in the face of life’s challenges.
- Connecting with your authentic self and how to support the parts of you left behind.
- The science of safety: SSP and Polyvagal Theory developed by Dr Stephen Porges.
- Important Keys: the Autonomic Nervous System and it’s role in your life and experiences.
- Somatic tools and practices that support shifting from stuck-ness to embodied agency.
- Good, bad, and neutral – Working with it all.
The Group Classes
Within this small group, you’ll listen to the SSP Classical Flow or Freely (ambient fusion) playlist with your own over-ear headphones and smart device (phone or tablet) while we are all together in a private Zoom meeting. Each listening session will begin with a guided practice to support your connection to the present moment. The timing of all will be guided and supported by me and will ensure that you are not taken beyond your capacity at any point. The SSP music is designed to bring a sense of safety and comfort and can also reveal past experiences that are ready to be healed. With your consent, I’ll gently support you in processing these memories, emotions, and sensations using SE, TIST-Parts Work, and Intentional Touch. Throughout the class experience, there will be many opportunities to deepen your somatic connection to yourself.
Benefits:
The combination of somatic learning and the SSP is powerful. Clients will have a wide range of experiences, however typical results with the Safe and Sound Protocol are listed below. Please remember when reading this list that your results may vary:
- New or increased sense of feeling grounded, present, and/or embodied
- Increased desire and comfort with social connection
- Connection with the: observer self / wise mind / adult self / current age self / higher self… which results in the ability to really notice, ‘unblend’, and be compassionate with wounded parts inside of you
- Painful experiences/memories/parts of self arise from recent or distant past to be understood and gently processed
- Reduced symptoms of anxiety, worry, depression
- Improvement in sensory issues
- Improvements in sleep, body awareness, emotions and sensations.
This Program is For You if
- You are interested and willing to be vulnerable and supportive in a community healing environment
- You are committed and active in creating change in your health and well-being
- You are eager to develop and deepen your somatic skills and may already have some experience
- You’re actively working to increase your capacity and resilience
- You’d like to learn tracking of sensations and/or to work with patterns of activation/dysregulation
- You have at least one safe-enough human or animal as emotional support in your life
- You live in a safe-enough (non-dangerous) environment
- You have participated in group classes or other group experiences in the past
- You’re not actively struggling with an addiction(s), DID, Bipolar, BPD or other serious mental health issues
What’s Included + What’s Required
- Access to the 3 pathways of the Safe and Sound Protocol music before, during, and for 1 month after the program ends. Music will be released to you on a specific schedule.
- Access during the program to an online companion Somatic+ SSP program with detailed information and exercises to support you throughout your experience and beyond.
- Co-regulation from myself and your group-mates. Somatic Experiencing, TIST-Parts Work, and Intentional Touch support from me as needed.
- TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENT: For the online group, you must be able to attend live meetings via Zoom on a laptop or desktop computer. In addition, you’ll need to download the SSP app onto your smartphone or tablet device so you can listen to the SSP during our meetings. Both a computer and a smart device are required. Strong wifi and a quiet place to participate is highly recommended.
Optional:
- Individual one-on-one session(s): Extra support during or after completing the Somatic SSP Circle. $200.00 per session with me. Timing for one-on-one sessions depends on my availability and yours.
What is the SSP?
Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, the Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP), is an auditory intervention consisting of specially treated classical or popular music which is designed to reduce stress and auditory sensitivity while enhancing social engagement and resilience.
The SSP uses the auditory system as a portal to the vagus complex, which controls our physiological state. Once physiological state is regulated, we can accelerate or enhance subsequent therapy. There are 3 Pathways as part of the SSP: Connect, Core, and Balance. These pathways are delivered in a thoughtful way to provide the best outcomes for the client.
The SSP is a research-based therapy showing significant improvements in the following areas:
- Client’s ability to stay in the present moment
- Anxiety, worry, depression
- Trauma related challenges
- Stressors and emotional difficulties
- Social anxiety / Connection with others
Click this link to learn more about the Safe and Sound Protocol. (link will open in a new tab)
The Details
What You’ll Need in order to Participate:
- You’ll need one set of non-noise cancelling, over-ear headphones. If your headphones have noise cancelling, you must be able to turn it off while listening to SSP.
- Ideally, your headphones are wired and able to connect to your smart device or tablet. This may require an adaptor that can be purchased at Best Buy or Amazon. Bluetooth headphones are acceptable as long as you can turn off noise cancelling.
- An account will be created for you in My Unyte which will allow you to access the SSP music. You will be downloading a free app to your phone or tablet to access the music.
- Music will be available for a couple of weeks prior to start of course and for 4 weeks after meetings end. (music is released in a specific manner)
Group Size, Time Commitment, Fees:
- Group size: 4 participants, with myself leading.
- Time Commitment: 6 sessions. All sessions are 90 minutes equaling a 9 hour commitment over 6 weeks (see dates below).
- Cost Per Participant: $675.00 for the 9 hour program includes access to an online multi-part somatic healing program. Limited discounted spots available for BIPOC individuals, reach out for more info.
- $300.00 deposit required to hold your spot. Balance of $375.00 is due 10 days prior to program start date.
Refund Policy:
- Please make sure you can attend all dates of the program. Missed session(s) cannot be rescheduled or refunded.
- Refund of full tuition paid minus $75 plus transaction fee if cancellation is made 4 weeks prior to start of course.
- 50% refund of tuition paid minus $75 plus transaction fee if cancellation is made 2 weeks prior to start of course.
- No refund if cancellation is made 13 days or less before the start of course.
Available Dates
Space is limited. The times shown are in Pacific Time zone (Los Angeles). Please check your local times with TimeandDate to make sure these sessions will work for your schedule. Please also take into consideration standard and daylight savings times.
2024 Schedule
If you would like to be notified of future class dates, please complete the application and include your day/time preferences for the program in your application.
Summer 2024: Wednesdays – SOLD OUT
- July 10, 2024 2:00-3:30pm
- July 17, 2024 2:00-3:30pm
- July 24, 2024 2:00-3:30pm
- July 31, 2024 2:00-3:30pm
- August 7, 2024 2:00-3:30pm
- August 14, 2024 2:00-3:30pm
Application Process:
Please complete the application below. Once your application is received, I’ll reach out and schedule a complimentary 30 minute conversation/informational meeting. In this meeting we’ll discuss your needs and how the program will work in order to discern if this program is a good fit.
**Pasadena, CA In Person Group Cohort!**
If you’d like to join an in-person cohort for this program, please apply and share the dates/times that will work for you.
Apply to Schedule Your Enrollment Conversation with Katie
Please read all of the details above before completing the application.
Somatic SSP Circle
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