The Safe and Sound Program
A music based therapy
Safe and Sound is a program rooted in neurobiology and specifically designed to retune the nervous system and boost your child’s sense of equilibrium. Over the last decade, brain research and the field of relational neuroscience has discovered that nervous system health is essential to overall wellness. Gaining the ability to internalize a sense of felt safety and connection is a powerful foundation for how we interact with the world around us and begin building resilience. Safe and Sound can help to pave the way for this to happen.
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Feeling safe allows for a better interaction with the world
When your child feels overwhelmed, dysregulated, depressed or anxious, this is a cue from the nervous system that it is out of the safe and connected zone known as the ventral vagal parasympathetic state. The Safe and Sound Program is a tool that can help to reset the nervous system and help the body regulate. This allows for more internal regulation, improvement of overall emotional function and supports ease of social interactions.
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Why the Safe and Sound Program and acupuncture together?
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​​Acupuncture(shonishin too!) and SSP are the perfect intersection of easing the nervous system into safety and regulation and allowing the body to receive the information reinforcing this shift through acupuncture or shonishin. (more about shonishin here) Acupuncture and shonishin for children gives their bodies a way to settle into a new way of being. During a treatment they learn to trust their bodies and relax into the the nervous system shift that happens. This promotes safety and confidence without the overlay and stress that often accompanies western medicine. Acupuncture is a silent language that the body already knows. This is especially helpful for kids who don't have the words for talk therapy and for whom methodologies like cognitive behavioral therapy are not the right fit.
The Safe and Sound Protocol is rooted in the polyvagal theory which explains and dives deeply into the role of the vagus nerve in self regulation of our emotional state as well as the ability to heal from inflammation and disease. Our emotional and physical conditions are not in isolation. We now understand that the way our nervous system perceives stress (all forms of stress!) is beyond our cognitive awareness. Chinese medicine inherently sees this and within the medicine this is layered into it's very teachings. In Chinese medicine we work to bring the body into balance, to remind the body of what it knows and the state it wants to be in. To be able to layer acupuncture treatments with the music therapy of the Safe and Sound Protocol is an amazing catalyst to promote the change you or your child needs.
a therapeutic musical program rooted in neurobiology. It has a global effect on the brain and nervous system via the inner ear. It is an evidence-based therapeutic tool designed by Dr. Stephen Porges, a world renowned researcher and neuroscientist, to reset the nervous system. As their brain and body connection becomes more organized and less stressed as the program progresses, they can better process and interact with the world around them and become more confident, happy and engaged.
This practical application of the Polyvagal theory is designed to reduce sound sensitivities and improve auditory processing, behavioral state regulation and social engagement behaviors through specially filtered music by specific layers of musical prosody.
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By listening to the music in the Safe and Sound Protocol, in an organized and tailored process, it will bring your child’s nervous system back to the calm and connected safe zone.
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Carrie will be there step by step along the way to help gently and safely guide your child back into the physiological state that is conducive to:
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Improved stress resilience,
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Improved emotional and behavioral regulation by allowing the brain to pattern organized thought
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Increased ability to process information taken in, and appropriately decide what to do to convey thoughts and feelings outwardly.
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Not only does Carrie draw on years of experience as a pediatric Chinese medicine practitioner to guide the process but her over 25 years as a pediatric nurse give her a unique insight to resources needed and next steps to take to support you or your child.
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The Safe and Sound Program focuses on the impact of behavior based on what is happening within the body and nervous system regarding a sense of safety, danger or perceived threat. SSP is simple and effective. The auditory program is broken down into segments over a personalized timeframe. Eight acupuncture or shonishin treatments are scheduled to support the integration of sense of safety and to promote regulation.
Benefits of SSP
By helping your child access this new grounded state of mind, things can shift for your child.
You can see changes and improvements if your child struggles with the following (and more!)
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Anxiety
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Auditory Processing
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Auditory Sensitivities
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Behavioral regulation and resilience
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Emotional difficulties
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Inattention and focus
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Physical coordination and balance
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PTSD
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Reading
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Sleep
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Social difficulties
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Speech
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Stressors that impact social engagement
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Trauma​
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Digestive issues (constipation, diarrhea or alternating)
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SSP supports the nervous system with:
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increased regulation,
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improving overall nervous system function
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reducing separation anxiety
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calming aggressive behaviors
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reducing noise/auditory sensitivity and other sensory challenges
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soothing irritability and mood swings
You can see changes manifest as:​
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increasing the awareness and interpretation of non-verbal cues and social signals
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reducing potential family and friend conflicts and recovering from upsets sooner
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handling big emotions, transitions and milestones with less upset
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tolerating change and new routines
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navigating anxiety sparked by social situations
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developing more flexible communication skills and the capacity to express needs appropriately
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SSP is the path to preparing the nervous system for a shift while helping your child feel safe and more steadily connected. Acupuncture reinforces that and eases the body into a new way of interacting with the world.
Who is Stephen Porges?
Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. is Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, and Professor Emeritus at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland.
Details for the SSP and Acupuncture program
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Unlimited access to the Safe & Sound Protocol customized to fit the needs of you or your child. This includes all support.
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8 acupuncture or shonishin treatments (spaced as determined for need and schedule)
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Essential oil roller blend to regulate the nervous system
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1:1 support (text/email)
Carrie Crimin, RN, L.Ac is a certified and trained provider in offering the Safe and Sound Protocol, an acoustic vagus nerve regulator, based on the Polyvagal Theory by Dr. Stephen Porges. Through this combined auditory program and acupuncture/shonishin she is able to help clients access a physiological state conducive to well-being, positive engagement with others, and organized learning. SSP also supports existing therapies that may already be in place for your child.
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Cost: $550
Email for more information or questions
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Carrie Crimin
Carrie is a pediatric nurse and licensed acupuncturist who specializes in pediatrics and families. She is the owner of Little Owl Medicine, littleowlmedicine.com, a private practice, and serves families with a wide range of health needs. She loves integrating multiple modalities and blending Eastern and Western Medicine to provide the best outcomes for children and their families.