Bringing Hope & Connection:
How Sensitive Approach and SSP are transforming the lives of those with Parkinson’s Disease

Discover how Dr Liz Charles uses her innovative Sensitive Approach to deliver Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) for clients with Parkinson’s disease, transforming outcomes and redefining support for those living with chronic conditions.

“After just one SSP session, I noticed positive changes in my Parkinson’s symptoms – clearer vision, stronger voice, more facial mobility, wider shoulders.”
PD Client, USA

Parkinson’s Disease & SSP

Parkinson’s Disease

Living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) can feel overwhelming, affecting movement, social connections, mood, energy levels, and overall well-being.

Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)

The Safe and Sound Protocol is a powerful, evidence-based listening therapy that helps regulate the nervous system. It is showing great potential in enhancing the physical, mental and emotional well-being in individuals with PD.

Dr Liz Charles

Dr Liz, a medical doctor and early adopter of SSP, brings years of experience to support Parkinson’s clients with a unique approach to enhance quality of life and overall well-being.

New Training

A new Parkinson’s-specific training and mentoring program for Sensitive Approach is available to help SSP providers improve outcomes for clients with PD. Guided by Dr Liz, this dedicated pathway aims to meet the growing demand in this important work.

How Can SSP Help Clients with Parkinson’s & Chronic Illness?

When carefully delivered using Sensitive Approach: Client at the Core, SSP can improve the quality of life for PD clients and their loved ones, offering connection, hope, and enhanced emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

SSP & Parkinson’s Disease

Improvements often include clearer speech, more expressive facial movement, better swallowing and digestion, and increased flexibility and ease of movement.

Positive outcomes can spark an upward spiral, easing anxiety and replacing hopelessness with a renewed sense of possibility. SSP also offers potential for:

Jerry’s Journey with SSP

Jerry lives in the US and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2020

Jerry lives with his wife of over 50 years, Judy, on the west coast of US. Judy learned about SSP through her interest in Polyvagal Theory. Concerned about the deterioration in Jerry’s PD symptoms, she reached out to Dr. Liz in June 2021. This marked the beginning of a transformative journey. Dr. Liz carefully titrated micro-doses of SSP to suit Jerry’s sensitive system, with Judy providing close support during weekly online sessions. As you will see this led to remarkable results

2021 2022 2025

Video 1

The first video, ‘Before and After SSP’, offers a glimpse into this journey. It begins with clips from Jerry’s first three sessions in June 2021 followed by footage from a call 15 months later, in September 2022, after Jerry had completed three hours of listening. The transformation is truly remarkable and deeply moving.

Jerry then continued his regular self-listening with support from Judy, making steady progress. With ongoing guidance from Dr Liz, he completed the fifth hour of SSP Core after 22 months. He then transitioned to SSP Balance before returning to SSP Core.

Video 2

The second video shows clips from a review call in February 2025, where Jerry and Judy share their joy and amazement with Dr. Liz about the progress Jerry has made – and the positive impact it has had on their daily lives. Friends, family, and even healthcare professionals have noticed and commented on the improvements in Jerry.

In April 2025, Jerry underwent a four year follow-up evaluation at his local Neurology Movement Disorders Clinic. The neuropsychologist’s summary stated: “Overall, his current performance reflects a significant improvement in cognitive, functional, and psychological functioning.”

Following the evaluation, Judy wrote to Dr. Liz:

“Despite his nerves, Jerry was in exceptional form for the full three hours. You would be so proud of him! Thank you, a million-fold, for making this all possible.”

Here’s what Jerry had to say about PD & SSP:

‘’So, I still have symptoms to remind me that I have PD but, as my support group says, I’m not fighting PD, I’m working with it to manage its progress. I have Dr. Liz to thank for that. She has given me the support, the tools, and the skills to reclaim my life and my love of living.”

Looking for more client transformations?

How can Sensitive Approach: Client at the Core help those with Parkinson’s Disease?

Improving the quality of life for clients is at the heart of Sensitive Approach. This relational model provides compassionate support that encourages curiosity, shifts perspectives, and nurtures hope and enhanced well-being.

Carefully titrated SSP listening with Sensitive Approach can support:

Improved mobility

Greater flexibility, smoother movement, and improved balance.

Improved facial expression

A softer gaze, wider smile, more spontaneous movements to express emotions.

Improved speech

Stronger, clearer voice for easier communication and understanding.

Improved mood

Increased confidence and a greater sense of hope.

Improved quality of life

Easier movement, better relationships, more activities, and enhanced overall well-being.

Improved connection

Increased curiosity, self-awareness, and meaningful engagement with family and friends.

"The SSP has been incredibly effective for me. After 6 months, I can swallow normally, my rigidity has improved so much—I can now roll in bed, my arm moves freely, and I don’t shuffle when I walk anymore. and just move much better overall. Dr. Liz has also helped me understand how my childhood has shaped my nervous system and how it’s been impacting me all these years. I truly feel like a weight has lifted off my shoulders, both literally and figuratively.”

Client with early-stage Parkinson’s

"As I continued listening to SSP, I began to notice what was happening in my body—where my muscles were tense and where they were beginning to release. One way to describe what SSP has done for me is that it’s helped me become more in touch with myself. I’m more aware of my feelings and where I’m holding tension in my body.”

A retired lawyer with PD

"After about 40 SSP sessions, I’ve regained control over my life. My social life has improved, I feel significantly better, less anxious, and far more optimistic about the future. Many of my Parkinson’s symptoms—like tremor, flat affect, slurred speech, and rigidity—are noticeably reduced when I’m feeling regulated. I never imagined this kind of progress when we first started SSP.”

A client living with advanced Parkinson’s symptoms

"Before SSP and Dr. Liz, I was desperate. Depression, anxiety, and Parkinson’s were overwhelming my life, and I was using all my energy just to get through each day. But right after the first sessions, things started to improve. Dr. Liz’s careful titration of SSP, combined with her deep knowledge, professionalism, and genuine enthusiasm, made it easy for me to work with her. This, in turn, helped me address difficult issues with my somatic therapist.”

PD client experiencing depression

Enhancing Outcomes Through Compassionate Support

By using this gentle, attuned approach – where close observation and ongoing support are central – SSP providers can significantly enhance client outcomes by:

Providing practical tools to use regularly, helping reclaim a sense of agency and well-being in their lives
Building trust and rapport, offering a foundation of safety and hope
Creating space to be seen and heard, allowing clients to move at their own pace
Inspiring curiosity and confidence, opening the door to meaningful and lasting change

How can SSP help those with Parkinson’s Disease?

Through carefully titrated delivery of SSP listening, the signals of safety within the algorithm-filtered music help to unlock the patterns of fight/flight, freeze and shutdown states held in the nervous system, gently engaging the body’s innate capacity to heal. As these survival states begin to shift, clients often experience:

This process supports the body and mind to move from a ‘stuck’ mode toward a more connected, regulated, and flexible state.

Roy’s Journey with Parkinson’s & SSP

Roy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019 at the age of 77, though he believes his symptoms began several years earlier. In 2017, he was also diagnosed with osteoporosis, which resulted in compression fractures in his lumbar spine that made it difficult for him to stand for long periods.

Motivated to explore supportive approaches, Roy began studying the Alexander Technique which included work with Betsy Polatin. Aware of Liz’s work with Parkinson’s, Betsy introduced Roy to her in 2023. Roy began working online with Liz in June 2023, and he noticed positive effects from the carefully titrated SSP in the very first session.

This video shows clips from Roy’s first SSP session, when he expresses his delight at noticing positive changes after just over three minutes of listening. It then shifts to a call with Dr Liz 10 months later, as they reflect on the continued improvements resulting from his ongoing practice of regular, short SSP listening segments.

Roy now continues his regular SSP listening independently, with occasional check-ins with Dr Liz to monitor titration and supportive activities. He continues to experience ongoing benefits and improvements in his overall well-being.

Roy shares the impact of Parkinson’s disease:

“Parkinson’s disease is a life changer. Every case is different, but in one way or another it seeks to shut the person down. A walk becomes a shuffle. When you stop when walking or approach a narrow area, you might “freeze,” meaning you feel like you cannot lift either foot off the ground. A face loses its expressiveness. A voice becomes so soft it is difficult to hear. Drooling occurs because you don’t swallow as frequently as you did.

It takes so much effort to accomplish an everyday task. It seems like everything you do takes much longer than it did before Parkinson’s arrived. Which leads to frustration, which creates stress. And stress makes Parkinson’s symptoms worse. If you try to hurry, you are likely to take longer than if you took your time. And Parkinson’s is relentless. It is always there and tends to get worse over time.”

Roy describes his experience with SSP:

Roy describes the impact of Parkinson’s disease as a gradual but persistent challenge, affecting not only his physical abilities – like movement, balance, and speech – but also his emotional well-being and sense of independence. He speaks to the frustration of declining function, the fatigue that often accompanies daily tasks, and the emotional toll it can take. Yet, through supportive practices like SSP, Sensitive Approach and the Alexander Technique, he’s found renewed hope and a greater sense of connection to himself and those around him. Here’s what Roy had to say:

“My experience with SSP has been very positive. From the first listening session, I experienced beneficial changes as the session progressed: clearer and broader vision, stronger voice, more mobility in facial features, wider shoulders. These effects diminished between listening sessions, but quickly reappeared during the next session. In addition, when I moved around between sessions, I felt that my movements were more fluid. With the passage of time, the inter-session drop-off lessened until it disappeared. Listening to SSP has enabled me to be more in touch with myself. I am more aware of my feelings, as well as where in my body I am experiencing tightness.”

You can read more about Roy’s experience in the Spring 2024’s AmSAT Journal here

I am indebted to Jerry and Roy for their commitment to this work and for their generosity in sharing their experiences in this way.

Dr Liz's special interest in Parkinson's Disease

Compassionate. Insightful. Trauma-informed.

With her warm and welcoming style, Liz is a medical doctor and experienced SSP provider known for her compassionate yet practical approach with clients and in supporting fellow clinicians. An early adopter of SSP, she offers online SSP to adults with complex trauma and chronic illness using micro-titration and has a special interest in Parkinson’s disease.

Drawing on her medical background, neuroscience knowledge, and deep understanding of Polyvagal theory, Dr. Liz thoughtfully tailors each client’s SSP journey to the unique challenges of living with Parkinson’s. Her Sensitive Approach: Client at the Core offers attuned connection and gentle, effective tools that foster trust, safety, and nervous system regulation.

Endorsed by SSP creator Dr Stephen W Porges:

After meeting Liz in 2019, Dr Porges reported that she had “cracked the code on implementing the SSP with individuals with severe trauma histories”.  

In July 2024 he continued to support her work: “I continue to be a big supporter of your work, Liz, and I am sure your Sensitive Approach will continue to expand its influence and impact.”

Watch insights from Dr Stephen W Porges about Dr Liz’s SSP work with Parkinson’s Disease.

“Liz Charles is a physician in the UK who is using the Safe and Sound Protocol with adults with a variety of clinical histories. She is a generous and compassionate person and is especially committed to using SSP with adults who have a trauma history. She has a deep understanding of trauma that provides her with the insights to support the courage of her clients and has been very successful in adapting the SSP to give good outcomes with trauma survivors.”

Stephen W Porges, Ph.D.

In 2025, Dr. Liz contributed to Safe and Sound: A Polyvagal Approach for Connection, Change & Healing by Dr. Stephen W Porges and Karen Onderko, published by Sounds True. Chapter 12 features her work with a Parkinson’s client, along with reflections from Dr. Porges himself—offering a powerful glimpse into how SSP can transform the lived experience of those with Parkinson’s disease.

Pictured left: Liz and Karen celebrated the release of the book over Zoom in April 2025!

You can find a copy of the book available to purchase here.

Training for SSP Providers

The Sensitive Approach to Parkinson’s Disease: Client at the Core

Looking to Enhance Your SSP Practice? Boost Your Confidence? Improve Client Outcomes?

This new Sensitive Approach Training and Mentoring Program focuses on supporting clients with Parkinson’s disease, closely guided by Dr. Liz. Designed to equip SSP providers with the tools and confidence to deliver effective SSP to clients with PD. The techniques learned in this program can also be applied to other chronic illnesses and complex trauma, expanding your therapeutic toolkit.

Through hybrid training and personalised mentoring from Dr Liz, you’ll gain practical strategies to carefully titrate SSP and support clients to improve their outcomes. Liz’s approach emphasises trust, connection, and regulation, making it adaptable across diverse client populations and settings.

This training offers:

Enhanced Tools & Techniques

Deepen your understanding of SSP’s impact on Parkinson’s and apply new strategies across all areas of your practice.

Versatility Across Conditions

While designed with Parkinson’s in mind, these insights can be applied to a wide range of chronic illnesses and client needs.

Increased Confidence

Gain a clearer framework for working with complex cases, helping you navigate sessions with greater ease and effectiveness.

Stronger Client Relationships

Build safety and trust, creating a therapeutic environment where clients feel secure, understood, and supported.

A Supportive Community

Join Dr. Liz a network of like-minded SSP providers who are passionate about making a difference, sharing insights, and growing together.

Read about Dr Liz’s client experiences using this approach:

"Parkinson’s is a cruel illness. Often, others notice the changes before you do. You don’t get the choice of privacy—it’s not something you can hide. And it doesn’t just affect you—it deeply impacts the people you love. For me, Parkinson’s took away my sense of privacy and control. It felt like a downward spiral. What’s different about Dr. Liz and her Sensitive Approach is the compassion, which gently interrupts that spiral. It offers a more hopeful path forward—with kindness, support, understanding, and practical tools to help improve your quality of life from the inside out.”

PD client, diagnosed 5 years ago

"Being referred to Dr. Liz for SSP to support my Parkinson’s was one of the most important and meaningful moments of my life. Working with her has been truly precious.”

PD client, diagnosed 10 years ago

"I believe the combination of SSP with a Sensitive Approach has been key to the improvement in my symptoms, especially with my history of complex trauma. Being able to trust while being seen and feeling safe was—and still is—crucial for me. That’s why the way the SSP provider interacts with me as a client is, in my view, incredibly important.”

Client living with Parkinson’s and complex trauma

"So many approaches tell you to ‘fight’ Parkinson’s—pushing, forcing, marching on. But that only tightens your body, drains your tolerance and keeps you stuck in trying to get back to who you used to be. This approach is different. It offers understanding, and space to acknowledge both the loss and the grief. You're encouraged to be kind to yourself, to honour the frustration, and to keep going—not with a battle cry, but with quiet resolve and persistence. It’s not about denial—it’s about investing your time and energy in what’s possible now, with curiosity, compassion, and courage. This approach turned my struggle into an unexpected adventure.”

PD client finding hope

How does the Training and Mentoring work?

1. Online Training

2. Ongoing Mentoring for PD Client Work

3. Managing Demand & Referrals