Trever's Story

My journey started in my teens when I was prescribed antidepressants instead of getting the emotional support I needed for a rough childhood.  Without the right help, I fell—as many people do—into unhealthy habits like substance abuse, toxic relationships, and overwhelming stress. The meds + the self-medication + constantly recreating my traumas as a young adult left me battling brain fog, severe insomnia, chronic pain, mood swings, and feeling emotionally numb.

Years of talk therapy and chasing my tail with symptom relief got me nowhere, and my physical and emotional health hit rock bottom before it got better. At my lowest point, my symptoms included debilitating food sensitivities (at one point I could only tolerate 5 different foods), exercise intolerance, and crippling panic attacks. I had to stop working for a full year.

In my mid-30s, I decided that I had had enough, and embarked on an intense healing journey. I spent years and tens of thousands of dollars (worth every penny) with a holistic therapist who understood the nervous system and taught me about trauma, somatic unarmoring, TRE, biodynamics, sacred masculinity, and more. After over 20 years, I finally went through the gut-wrenching process of weaning off the antidepressants. I stopped self-medicating, switched to an animal-based whole food diet, and worked with a functional medicine doctor to optimize my hormones.  

My health began to recover, and I met my wife and future SSP Wellness Center co-founder Emma, who was on a similar journey of her own. Together we discovered that the nervous system played an even bigger role than we previously realized.

We found that nervous system dysregulation and trauma wasn't just behind the mental and emotional symptoms. It was the root cause for the physical symptoms too. So we delved even deeper into exploring nervous system regulation. I learned everything I could about it, reading books, doing courses, and working with practitioners. To further regulate my nervous system and get a handle on my remaining symptoms, I started mapping my nervous system states and spending up to 2 hours a day with simple practices like resonance breathing, humming, and vagus nerve exercises and began to notice a difference right away. 

But, the real breakthrough came with the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP). My SSP practitioner suggested going slow and steady with 10 minute sessions, but I quickly realized I needed to go even slower than recommended. I ended up doing sessions as short as 30 seconds in order to avoid side-effects. But I found that the shorter my sessions, the more rapid my improvements.

Within a few weeks, my long-standing symptoms started to ease, I became less sensitive, and I could eat a wider variety of foods. Over the next few months, I tackled some lingering CPTSD symptoms and flashbacks that had been tough to manage. 

After six months essentially "microdosing" SSP, my life changed dramatically. I got back into exercising, gained healthy weight that I had lost, and even started my own business. The biggest win was finally being able to sleep through the night for the first time in 12 years. This restful sleep made a massive difference in my health, work, and daily life.

Throughout my long healing journey, various practitioners told me that I would look back on this ordeal as my "initiation" into becoming a healer in my own right. And while I don't identify with the word "healer" (I think of myself as someone who facilitates the process to help other's unlock their own innate ability to heal), they weren't far off the mark. I discovered a passion for guiding others along the healing path, and changed careers to become a health coach specializing in nervous system regulation, chronic health issues, unexplained medical symptoms, and men's health.

Several years later, I'm now a certified SSP practitioner who has helped numerous clients to finally get a handle on their symptoms and start feeling better. I'm one of the very few Safe and Sound Protocol practitioners (I know of only 1 other aside from Emma) who's discovered the power of microdosing SSP to maximize benefits and minimize side effects. With this approach combined with a focus on helping clients learn to self-regulate and co-regulate effectively, we're able to help even clients with very complex cases—some of whom had been told they were too sensitive for SSP music therapy—to build a foundation of safety and resilience for their nervous systems and finally start living again.

Muldoon's Story

Hey there, I’m Spotty Muldoon, but you can call me Dooney for short. I’m a little feral fella who rocked up at Emma and Trever’s finca one day, and never left! They very kindly let me stay, but as much as I loved the company and the food (mostly just the food), being around humans was a bit of a challenge for me. I was super nervous and really didn’t know how to handle it all. Getting too close? Nope! Touching? Absolutely not! Honestly, I didn’t even know how to meow—I just hissed at everything that moved.

One day they closed all the doors and windows in the house. Not gonna lie, I totally freaked out. I felt like I had no escape route, so I took off like a rocket, scaling a window in my attempt to make a grand exit. And don't even get me started on the time they trapped me to get me to the vets. Too much. Way too much.

But then came SSP, and it was a game changer for me! Now, I can chill with them in the same room without the defensive tail action or hissing. When they close the doors, I’m totally cool with it. In fact, I’ve even discovered the joys of being snug and cozy inside! Dinner time? It’s a whole new level of awesome. I happily sit next to Emma on her chair, and I don’t even mind a little touch here and there.

I’ve gained some healthy weight, and guess what? I’ve started meowing too! Who knew I had it in me? Oh, and don’t tell Emma I said this, but I’ve got her totally wrapped around my little paw. I even have my own bedroom now. Life is pretty sweet for a feral cat on SSP!