Music, Relationship, Neuroscience & Magic

~offered by Cooper Stodden (they)~

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First, the practical. Then the magical.

💫The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is an evidence-based listening therapy designed to reduce sound sensitivities and improve auditory processing, behavioral state regulation, and social engagement behaviors. Systemically, this supports: 

~Trauma & PTSD Recovery
~Stress & Anxiety
~Sleep & Restfulness
~Inattention & Focus
~Auditory Processing & Sensitivity
~Physical Coordination & Balance
~Speech & Language
~Social Emotional Regulation
~Vagal Regulation of the Heart

💫 The SSP acts as a non-invasive, acoustic vagal nerve stimulator, helping folx to re-tune their nervous systems to felt safety (better supporting connection, collaboration, and resilience). 

💫 The SSP is delivered while listening to specialized music over the course of 5 hours. You are accompanied by a skilled therapist who holds the container for the work, so that you can follow your body’s birthright impulse toward healing. 

💫The SPP will activate your social engagement system, helping to accelerate and enhance therapeutic outcomes. 

💫 The SSP supports physiological state regulation, supporting greater resilience and nervous system flexibility.

💫 This powerful healing modality is helpful for people of all ages (children and adults) and can be offered in person and virtually. 

What even IS Polyvagal Theory and how can ritual help? 

Cynthea Jones offers our favorite definition of ritual, “a multisensorial prayer that allows us to lay new patterns in our soul.” In the language of neuroscience this is known as neural plasticity, allowing us to forge new neuropathways in our brains, making new meanings and associations that support nervous system flexibility and resilience. In the language of witchcraft this is known as changing all the worlds between the worlds.

Safe and Sound Protocol Intensives with Cooper are for folx seeking a ritual container in which to experience transformative healing. Like all rituals, we ground our bodies, set a container of sacred space, spellcraft an intention that we move toward, and trust our magic as our intention takes root in our lives, bodies and relationships. As a part of this personalized ritual, you’ll be invited to create an altar to support your healing intention, identify and draw on the support of your personal allies and guides, and bring in the wisdom of divination to help integrate the meaning making that is a part of transformative healing. Intensives in this configuration offer us intentional spaciousness to metabolize and integrate healing at the pace of the body, laying new patterns in our soul and forging new neuropathways of resilience.

This is an integrative therapeutic package that bridges neuroscience and witchcraft. 

Dr. Arielle Schwartz teaches that “The polyvagal theory describes three neural circuits that underlie different ways of negotiating with our environment.“  Bringing curiosity to how activation moves through your own particular body helps us to map the pathways of your nervous system. Your nervous system is very good at running its course along these familiar neural circuits! But as humans with nervous systems that are innately flexible (neuroplasticity), WE are very good at queering what is possible. (Hint: magic is also very good at this).  When we offer a stressed nervous system the gifts of co-regulation, relational attunement, the anchor of self-attunement and the gift of regulation while listening to the SSP, we open ourselves up to a repatterning of felt safety that has the ability to transform our learned cues of danger into knowings of “I am safe. I am worthy. I am not alone. I belong.”

Polyvagal theory teaches us to understand how and why our nervous system responds to cues of danger and what to do about it. Or, stated differently, this understanding helps us build a secure foundation from where we can reach for regulation, creating and deepening neuropathways of safety. 

Regulation is our birthright. 

The Safe & Sound Protocol is Applied Polyvagal Theory. Stephen Porges, the original scholar of polyvagal theory (along with his team) designed the Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP) from a deep understanding of the medicine of nervous system flexibility. Porges describes the SSP as a Portal to felt safety, amplifying our access to the deep well of nervous system flexibility and resilience.

Over the course of treatment, the SSP helps to shift our nervous system out of a learned state of defense and into one of connection. This transformative healing protocol helps clients of all ages to receive and affirm cues of safety from their environment. This medicine re-tunes our nervous system for connection. 

In the journey of re-learning how to feel at home, the SSP is like a bullet train! Held within the container of relationship & music, the Safe and Sound Protocol has the power to profoundly transform our relationship with (and access to) regulation by doing what relational neuroscience continues to reinforce and therapy helps us to rediscover: healing happens in relationship. 

Your Personalized Safe & Sound Experience Includes:

~Safe and Sound intake session (60 minutes): Meeting with Cooper to assess fit, create a map of your nervous system as a personalized guide for your healing, and spellcraft your intention.

~First listening session (60 minutes): Attuned co-regulation for inner healing and transformation. This protocol retunes your nervous system to felt safety, and increases your capacity for nervous system flexibility & regulation.

~Individualized listening plan: Pacing tailored to your nervous system and other life factors, adjusted as needed throughout the listening protocol. Please note there are varying completion times for the SSP with a minimum of 10 separate listening sessions.

~Support and accompaniment during your Safe & Sound experience: Cooper will check in regularly with you via secure messaging. They are available to support you via messaging, phone, and in scheduled sessions, during the protocol.

~Care Coordination: Collaboration with your primary therapist to establish increased safety, support, and therapeutic integration throughout your SSP journey.

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Deep regulation for bodies of all ages.

**Cost:
~$195/therapy hour with Cooper. Typically folx will have 3 therapy sessions with Cooper when starting Safe & Sound. The first session is a therapeutic intake that includes individualized autonomic mapping. The 2nd and sessions are typically an opportunity for attuned co-regulation, accompanied listening and includes the creation of an ongoing listening plan for the Safe & Sound Protocol.
~$0 material fee the first month, followed by a $200 monthly material fee while working through the 5 hour listening intervention. This includes regular check ins via secure messaging, and 30 minute phone calls at regular intervals and as needed.
~Many folx are able to listen at home with a secure listening partner. We are here to help you create a safe and secure listening plan. However, Cooper does offers listening accompaniment in 15 min increments both nature based (in person, outside) and virtually.

**Cooper is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and offers SSP to adults, children and people of all ages. The SSP is a clinical intervention offered within a therapy container. We are happy to provide a superbill for any therapy visits over 16 minutes. This allows you to request possible reimbursement from your insurance company.

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