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About the Provider
Name: Summer McGowan
Disciplines/credentials: LPC
Modalities: Cognitive behavior therapy, mindfulness, Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems, art therapy, Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), Integrated Listening System (ILS)
Client Background
Name: Ellen (pseudonym)
Age and Gender: Woman, 69 years old
Program Delivered:
- Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
- SSP Connect: Hours 1-5
- SSP Core: Hours 1-5
- SSP Balance: Hours 1-5
Ellen presents with a complex medical history, including diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Sjogren’s syndrome, congestive heart failure, and interstitial lung disease. Additionally, she suffers from severe, chronic arthritis in her neck, which has been deemed too medically unstable for surgical intervention. Consequently, she struggles significantly with chronic pain, balance, mobility and general movement.
Socioemotionally, Ellen lives with her husband and maintains close relationships with her children, grandchildren and twin sister. However, she and her sister recently experienced a profound relational betrayal by their brother. This situation did not fully come to light until after the passing of their mother, leaving the client deeply hurt and holding a significant amount of unresolved anger.
The provider, Summer McGowan, who is also Ellen’s daughter*, noted that she appeared trapped in a physiological “fight” state due to the anger surrounding this family betrayal. Inspired by other providers’ reports of chronic pain improvement shared in social media groups, Summer sought to use the SSP to support Ellen’s autonomic regulation, with the primary therapeutic goals being to alleviate her chronic pain and reduce emotional reactivity associated with her familial anger.
*Before considering Unyte program delivery to a family member, it is important that providers know and follow all relevant ethical, legal and regulatory requirements in their jurisdiction.
Implementation of the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
Given Ellen’s complex medical presentation, the listening sessions were delivered entirely in person, using a cautious, titrated approach. Summer had Ellen begin the SSP with an initial listening duration of just two minutes. After verifying two days later that Ellen experienced no adverse side effects, the next session was extended to four minutes. Following an additional two days of stable integration, the duration was increased to seven minutes, with a gradual, data-driven upward titration for each subsequent session.
The vast majority of the listening sessions took place in the comfort of Ellen’s home while she relaxed in her recliner. To ensure high relational safety and co-regulation, each session began with a clinical check-in. The provider and Ellen discussed her day and any physiological or emotional experiences since the previous session. They then engaged in deep-breathing exercises before activating the playlist. Each session concluded with targeted processing to integrate the experience.
Response
Ellen demonstrated remarkably rapid and significant physiological shifts. After just three brief, highly titrated sessions, she contacted Summer to report that she could suddenly “feel her feet.” Upon further clinical inquiry, Ellen clarified that while she had long been aware of her severe balance and gait difficulties, she had not realized the true extent of the numbness in her feet until the sensation returned.
As the intervention progressed, Ellen reported continuous improvements in her balance and notable gains in her cervical neck mobility. Her overall chronic pain decreased dramatically; within two weeks of commencing the SSP, she was able to reduce her daily prescription pain medication from three Tramadol tablets per day down to one. This significant reduction in pain medication remained consistent throughout the duration of the intervention, except for a brief, temporary symptom flare-up that occurred after the client felt well enough to overexert herself by walking extensively on an indoor gym track. Once this acute overexertion flare-up subsided, her baseline improvements returned, and she resumed her stable dosage of one Tramadol per day.
Following these rapid initial gains, further progress slowed to a steady baseline. Ellen completed SSP Balance after finishing SSP Core. While she did not report additional symptom changes during SSP Balance, her clinical gains remained stable with no physiological regression.
Summer objectively noted several distinct physical transformations during Ellen’s treatment:
- Significantly improved gait and balance stability while walking.
- A visibly brighter complexion and healthier hair color, suggesting improved systemic circulation or reduced oxidative stress.
- A marked reduction in physical stiffness, allowing for freer, less restricted movements of the neck.
These systemic shifts were highly apparent to Ellen’s social network. Her husband was so impressed by the tangible outcomes that he requested to undergo the SSP himself. Members of her church community commented on her revitalized appearance, and a close friend — completely unaware that Ellen was undergoing listening therapy — remarked to Summer that she was walking significantly faster and looked the healthiest she had in years.
Furthermore, Ellen’s nurse practitioner (NP) was also impressed with her progress. After Summer explained the SSP and how it works, the NP noted the vagus nerve’s significant implications for medical conditions and explained how the location of the pathways was related to the client’s physical shifts. The NP observed that having more feeling and sensation in her feet brought better balance and posture, which most likely helped with her neck mobility. The NP asked for information about the SSP and also expressed interest in trying it for herself.
Discussion
As a licensed professional counselor (LPC), Summer typically delivered the SSP through a traditional mental health lens to support psychological and emotional processing. Using the SSP to target severe somatic and autoimmune conditions represented an entirely new clinical application for her practice. Due to the close familial relationship, Summer maintained heightened vigilance, titrated conservatively, and constantly communicated to ensure safety.
Reflecting on the case, Summer noted that the intervention yielded results far beyond her initial expectations. The rapid stabilization of Ellen’s autonomic nervous system appeared to successfully interrupt the chronic “fight” response driven by familial grief and betrayal, thereby down-regulating the systemic inflammation associated with her autoimmune conditions. Ellen is already eager to participate in a subsequent round of SSP Core as a clinical booster when appropriate.
Moving forward, Summer intends to monitor Ellen’s upcoming laboratory work to evaluate whether these profound somatic and symptomatic improvements are reflected in objective changes in her inflammatory markers and lab values.
This case serves as a compelling example of how addressing autonomic dysregulation can yield profound systemic benefits for individuals navigating comorbid autoimmune and chronic pain profiles.
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