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About the Provider
Name: Debbie Mole
Disciplines/credentials: Mental health nurse
Modalities: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), trauma therapy, Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
Client Background
Name: Steve (pseudonym)
Age and Gender: Man, 40 years old
Program Delivered:
Steve lives alone with his animals in a rented home. He has been married and lived with a partner in the past, but the relationship ultimately failed.
He presents with a clinical history of trauma, anxiety, depression and ADHD. He has previously undergone extensive treatment that included cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and specialized trauma therapy. Despite these interventions, he demonstrated a strong resistance to engaging fully in the therapeutic process, operating under the deeply held core belief that he was “too broken to fix.”
His primary reason for seeking further support was to address severe trauma-related symptoms, specifically presenting as chronic anger and violence. These behavioral challenges had escalated, leading to legal complications and court appearances. Steve remained in a constant state of hypervigilance and perceived threat, which severely impacted his daily functioning and interpersonal relationships.
Implementation of the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
The SSP was delivered in person, starting with SSP Connect, followed by SSP Core, then SSP Balance. As Steve and his provider, Debbie, had already engaged in a lot of therapeutic work to build his resilience, his capacity for listening to the SSP was increased.
The delivery structure consisted of three weeks of in-person listening, followed by three weeks of independent listening. The therapeutic approach was heavily grounded in Polyvagal Theory and nervous system regulation. Debbie taught Steve regulation strategies utilizing the vagus nerve to shift states and helped him establish a grounding daily routine. Intensive psychoeducation was provided regarding the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the mechanics of the fight-or-flight response.
Trauma therapy was concurrently integrated to explicitly link past adverse childhood events to his current behavioral patterns. Debbie used Deb Dana’s Polyvagal Ladder concept to help Steve identify when his nervous system was shifting between autonomic states, providing him with the practical tools necessary to bring himself back into a state of safety. The overarching clinical focus remained centered on building self-regulation and fostering self-compassion.
Response
Steve experienced a profound change: he became significantly calmer, happier, and more responsive. His body felt safe enough to become aware of the real life occurring around him. The clinical shifts were deeply emotional; Steve wept and hugged Debbie as he began to consciously recognize and feel these physiological transformations within his own body. This progress was corroborated externally, as friends and other professionals noted that Steve appeared visibly calmer, possessed a newfound ability to sit still, and could simply “be.”
A striking example of this shift involved his hypervigilant safety behaviors. Since the age of 14, Steve has slept with a knife for protection. Following the SSP, he went on a camping trip and forgot to bring his knife, only realizing upon his return home. This marked the first time he was able to sleep peacefully without a weapon by his side since adolescence. Steve realized that he had spent his entire life living in a “trauma world” where he felt under constant, imminent threat. Through therapeutic work with Debbie, he learned that those historical threats no longer applied to his present life, allowing him to take chances, lower his defenses, and believe that he was no longer under attack.
Debbie continually encouraged rigorous self-care, self-compassion, exercise, proper diet and a structured routine. This deliberate framework allowed Steve to feel genuinely secure, enabling him to accurately evaluate the people in his life for who they actually were, rather than viewing them through the distorted lens of an anticipated threat.
Discussion
Recent diagnostic testing indicated that Steve no longer fits the DSM-5 criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. Debbie strongly attributes this significant diagnostic shift to the SSP’s impactful role, as well as to pacing, established clinical trust, and foundational trauma work. Because of Steve’s preparation work and intrinsic motivation to see change in himself, Debbie believes the SSP was able to help him realize his goals of regulation and felt safety more effectively.
Reflecting on professional practice and experience with the SSP, Debbie emphasizes that every client requires a highly individualized pace. If the intervention does not seem to take hold initially, she advises clinical teams to pause, return to background stabilizing work, and attempt the SSP again later. Comprehensive nervous system education and thorough emotional processing are absolutely essential components to unlocking the full therapeutic potential of the listening therapy.
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