Rest and Restore Protocol
Shift out of survival and into deep rest, regulation, and reconnection
Online Rest and Restore Protocol for Adults in Florida and Illinois
When your nervous system needs more support with rest and regulation
You may have already tried to slow down, rest more, or make changes that once felt supportive and still notice your body feeling depleted or on edge. Insight, effort, or even ongoing therapy can bring awareness, yet your nervous system may still feel worn down or unable to fully settle.
Some people arrive here feeling wired and tired at the same time. Their system moves between activation and shutdown, or carries a kind of exhaustion that rest alone doesn’t seem to touch. Others notice they get tired very easily and feel like they are always tired. You might notice low energy, difficulty settling, or a body that stays on alert even when you want to slow down.
At certain points in therapy, the next step isn’t doing more processing. It’s allowing your nervous system more space for rest and stability so deeper work can feel more supported.
The Rest and Restore Protocol is not a standalone service or quick fix. I offer it within ongoing somatic therapy when your system would benefit from additional support with regulation, rest, and capacity.
What is the Rest and Restore Protocol (RRP)?
The Rest and Restore Protocol (RRP) is a gentle, listening-based therapy designed to support your nervous system through music embedded with natural physiological rhythms, such as breath, heart rate, and digestion. The music follows steady, repeating rhythms that give your nervous system something consistent to settle into while you rest.
Developed from the work of Dr. Stephen Porges and Anthony Gorry, the music is filtered in specific ways that offer cues of safety and regulation to the body without requiring effort or analysis.
RRP is passive. You listen through headphones while resting comfortably, allowing your nervous system to receive support through sound rather than through talking or active exercises. This can help create more space for rest and stability when exhaustion, shutdown, or feeling wired and tired have made it harder for your system to settle.
I offer RRP as part of ongoing somatic therapy rather than as a separate service. We decide together when it fits, based on what your nervous system is showing and what feels supportive for the phase of work you’re in.
Listening while resting may look different for each person.
About Me
Hi, I’m Amy Hagerstrom, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, and certified Rest and Restore Protocol (RRP) Provider.
Many of the people who find their way to this work have already tried different approaches and still feel like their nervous system never fully settles or restores.
I know what it’s like when the things you’re doing aren’t creating the shift you’re hoping for, and that experience shapes how I hold this work, with patience and respect for each person’s pace.
My approach integrates somatic therapy and nervous system support within a grounded, collaborative process. Rather than pushing for change, we follow what your system is ready for and build steadiness step by step.
RRP is an emerging nervous system intervention, and our understanding of how it works continues to evolve. Early pilot data and clinical experience suggest it may support rest, regulation, and recovery when used alongside other therapies, including somatic therapy.
During somatic therapy with me, there are moments when we talk, reflect, and track what’s happening in your nervous system. The Rest and Restore Protocol introduces a different phase of the work, where you aren’t processing verbally. Instead, you rest while listening to music created to follow the body’s natural rhythms.
You listen to five hours of music over time using a smartphone or tablet with over-the-ear headphones. The goal isn’t to do anything or figure anything out. Your role is simply to rest while your nervous system takes in the music.
What Early Research Shows About RRP Benefits
Early pilot data shared by Unyte suggests promising shifts across areas such as sleep, mood, nervous system regulation, and overall internal balance.
Participants reported improvements in:
• Sleep quality
• Symptoms of anxiety
• Symptoms of depression
• Trauma-related stress
Rather than promising specific outcomes, these early findings suggest that RRP may help create conditions for the nervous system to settle and restore. Some people notice improved rest, emotional steadiness, or a greater sense of internal balance as they move through the protocol.
For more information on research results, click here.
How Rest and Restore Protocol Therapy Works
This part of therapy looks different from talking sessions. During RRP, you rest while listening, allowing your nervous system to respond to steady rhythms without needing to process verbally.
We begin by listening together during sessions. You rest comfortably while listening through over-the-ear headphones, and we decide together if and when listening outside of sessions feels supportive.
RRP uses music with steady, repeating rhythms that your nervous system can track. The pacing is intentional and follows patterns related to the body’s internal timing, including heart rhythms and digestion. As you rest and listen, your nervous system has something consistent to organize around, which can support a gradual sense of settling and rest. Over time, these steady rhythms can support your nervous system in settling and feeling a little more regulated while you rest.
The protocol involves five hours of listening over time using a smartphone or tablet. Throughout the process, we pay attention to how your body responds and adjust the pacing together so the listening stays supportive for your nervous system.
Working With Clients Across Florida and Illinois
I work with adults primarily online across Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, West Palm Beach, and surrounding areas. Meeting virtually allows you to listen and rest in a familiar space, which often helps your nervous system feel more settled during this work.
There is also select in-person availability in Delray Beach for clients who feel supported by occasionally meeting face to face as part of therapy.
I am also licensed in Illinois and offer online sessions throughout the state, including Chicago.
Rest and Restore Protocol FAQS
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Both RRP and SSP use listening-based approaches to support the nervous system, but they work in different ways.
SSP focuses on how the nervous system responds to sound and social engagement, often helping with sensitivity, anxiety, or feeling overwhelmed around people. RRP is slower and more rest-oriented. It uses rhythmic music designed to support regulation while you lie down or sit comfortably and allow your body to settle.
Some people benefit from one more than the other. Sometimes both are used at different phases of therapy, depending on what your nervous system needs.
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RRP is not an active exercise. You rest while listening through headphones, giving your body time and space to experience rest without needing to do anything or figure anything out. Some people feel deeply relaxed or notice their body slowing down in a way that feels unfamiliar. Others become more aware of breathing, heartbeat, or other internal cues that usually stay in the background. Every nervous system responds a little differently, so the experience can feel subtle, steady, or simply like a quiet pause in the middle of therapy.
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RRP may be supportive if you feel wired and tired, chronically exhausted, or unable to fully rest even when you try. Many people who explore this work have already tried therapy, self-care practices, or lifestyle changes and still feel stuck in survival mode.
It can be helpful for people navigating stress, trauma-related patterns, anxiety, or nervous system overwhelm who are looking for a quieter, body-based way to support regulation.
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The short answer is no. In my practice, RRP is part of somatic therapy rather than a stand-alone service. We continue working together in sessions, with space to talk, process thoughts and emotions, and notice how your experiences show up in your body and nervous system.
Some clients are able to listen to the music outside of sessions, but we don’t know that ahead of time. That decision happens after we begin working together and depends on your nervous system, needs, and how you respond to the process.
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The protocol includes five hours of listening spread out over multiple sessions. Individual listening periods are usually short, often around 15 minutes at a time, and we adjust the pacing based on how you and your nervous system respond to the music.
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Possibly. Some people reach out because they’re curious about RRP and decide to begin therapy so we can explore whether it’s a good fit together. In my practice, RRP is integrated into somatic therapy rather than offered on its own, so we would start by getting to know your nervous system and what you’re looking for before deciding if and when to include listening.
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RRP is generally gentle and adaptable, but it isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Certain medical, neurological, or sensory considerations may affect whether or how the protocol is used.
Before beginning, we’ll talk through your history, current symptoms, and goals to determine whether this approach feels supportive for you.
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There is a one-time $150 fee to begin the protocol and receive access to the listening app for your phone or tablet. During the listening phase, there is also a $50 monthly fee that includes email support while you move through the protocol.
RRP is integrated into ongoing therapy. Regular therapy sessions are $200 per session and continue alongside the listening process.
When your nervous system has been running on stress or exhaustion for a long time, real rest can feel hard to access. You may already be doing many things that should help and still feel like your system never fully settles.
The Rest and Restore Protocol is integrated into somatic therapy with me. Alongside the parts of our work where we talk and track what’s happening in your body and nervous system, the listening phases give you space to rest while your system slows down.
If you’re curious whether this approach could support you, the next step is scheduling a brief consultation. We’ll talk about what’s bringing you here and whether this feels like a good fit.
Get Help from a Certified Rest and Restore Protocol Provider
I’m Amy Hagerstrom, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional (CIMHP), and certified Rest and Restore Protocol (RRP) provider. RRP, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges and Anthony Gorry, is a passive listening therapy that uses specially designed music to support nervous system regulation, helping the body shift out of chronic stress and into deeper states of rest. I offer RRP within an integrative, mind-body approach to therapy, often alongside somatic work when it supports greater stability and capacity. I work with adults online throughout Florida and Illinois.