THE SAFE AND SOUND PROTOCOL (SSP)
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), is a non-invasive listening therapy program designed to reduce stress and auditory sensitivity, while enhancing social engagement and resilience through filtered music. Based on Dr. Porges’ Polyvagal Theory, the program is derived from nearly four decades of research on the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and social-emotional processes.
Who may benefit from using the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)?
There are many reasons that can lead to consider completing the Safe and Sound Protocol for yourself or your child. Here are a few examples of where listeners might see benefits:
Social Communication and Engagement: By activating the vagus nerve through auditory stimulation, the SSP aims to promote feelings of safety, trust, and connection with others. This can result in enhanced social connections, communication, and the capacity to cultivate healthy relationships. Additionally, there can be improvements in attention, concentration and focus due to the effects of the SSP. By supporting to regulate the nervous system, individuals may find it easier to focus and maintain attention on tasks.
Physiological States and Emotional Regulation: The SSP aims to enhance emotional regulation by supporting the management of emotional responses to stressors and triggers. By promoting a balanced autonomic nervous system, the SSP can reduce emotional reactivity, allowing individuals to respond more calmly and effectively to challenging situations. Furthermore, the auditory stimulation used in the SSP is intended to calm the nervous system and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. By downregulating the sympathetic nervous system’s fight-or-flight response, the SSP can support the experience of a greater sense of calm and relaxation. The SSP can support the recovery from all levels and types of trauma, including developmental and complex trauma. By promoting the sense of safety, connection and regulation of the nervous system, the SSP can support emotional healing and recovery from traumatic experiences.
Sound sensitivity and auditory processing: The SSP may benefit children and adults with auditory processing difficulties. By providing carefully processed auditory stimuli, the intervention aims to improve the brain’s ability to process and interpret auditory information, leading to better auditory comprehension and processing skills. The SSP may also have positive effects on sensory integration, helping individuals process sensory information more efficiently and reducing sensory sensitivity or aversion.
The SSP’s effectiveness has been proven in a wide range of studies. Those with the following features might benefit from using the SSP:
Social and emotional difficulties
Auditory and other sensory sensitivities
Auditory processing difficulties
Anxiety and trauma-related challenges
Inattention
Reactivity
Stressors that impact social engagement
Difficulties in regulating physiological and emotional state
Chronic pain and fatigue
Depression
Difficulty sleeping
Gut issues
Low resilience
Why? The SSP exercises the neural pathways associated with regulating behavioral state and social engagement. These are aspects of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). And just as the brain is plastic and can change based on experience, the ANS is also plastic and can change.
The SSP has been shown in peer-reviewed research to significantly increase vagal regulation of the heart. This has the effect of better control of state.
State is critical to how we approach the task at hand. So when a client has better state control, not only can they be more socially engaged, they are more open to therapy. Better state regulation improves therapeutic outcomes.
Regardless of diagnosis, clients have seen improvements in the features mentioned above. See our Clinical Results and Case Study pages for examples of the kinds of results you may see.
Can the SSP be administered remotely?
Yes the SSP can be administered remotely, in person, or a combination of the two. We will develop the appropriate plan based on your unique situation and what is most effective and appropriate for your needs.
What do I need to know about administering the protocol at home for myself or my child?
Only administer the protocol with the correct headphones; the intervention will not work without the adult/child being able to listen to the varying volume and sound.
Choose a relaxing and quiet space to administer the SSP.
Activities during the protocol should be calm, proprioceptive (hands-on) and playful: knitting, fidget toys, drawing, play-doh, coloring books, finger paints, trains & cars, legos, puzzles, quiet games.
It’s best not to include electronic toys, screen use, loud activities such as instruments, competitive games,
and over-stimulating activities (jumping, running) that induce stress or over-arousal. Dancing and singing to the music can interfere with the effectiveness of the intervention. Walking around the room would be acceptable.For parents doing an SSP session with their child: Follow your child’s lead- it is not necessary for you to be interactive with them if they prefer to play alone; however, it is important that you are PRESENT for the entire intervention. If your child seems uncomfortable, or does not want to continue, DO NOT FORCE THEM TO CONTINUE. You can pause the music and have them take a break and press pause. Do some stretching or some gentle movement and offer the opportunity again. If your child does not wish to continue, they are letting you know that they are done for the day and this MUST be respected. It does not matter how long it takes us to complete the intervention; however, your child feeling safe before implementing it is crucial.
The SSP is best used together with other therapies
Changes from the SSP can be cumulative and will be enhanced by the social support the client receives and the learning opportunities they are presented. While you may notice some very positive changes while using the SSP, it is not meant to be used in isolation. The changes you see can potentiate neuroplasticity and functional change from subsequent therapy modalities. By sending cues of safety through specially filtered music, the SSP engages a system of muscles and nerves that support social engagement, stimulating the vagus nerve. This opens the door for other therapies to become more accessible, impactful and accelerated. Somatic Experiencing is the perfect companion support for the physiological and emotional integration and stabilization of the SSP Protocol. All your SSP sessions will be integrated with the foundation of Somatic Experiencing, and if working in person, we will also use the support of touch via Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, Co-regulating Touch and other on-site somatic resources.
Headphone Recommendations:
VIDEO FAQ CATEGORIES
Science Behind the SSP | Implementing the SSP | Client Experience of the SSP | Integrating Other Therapies with the SSP | SSP Usage FAQs with Doreen Hunt
One SSP, 3 Pathways: Connect, Core, Balance
Each of the SSP pathways is composed of different filtered, unfiltered and calming 5-hour music playlists for either children or adults.
The SSP pathways are designed to help the nervous system to better receive, process and respond to the cues and signals from the world around us. This helps us learn how to more easily and consistently feel better regulated in the face of life’s challenges.
SSP CONNECT
SSP Connect includes three new 5-hour playlists of full spectrum, unfiltered music. It is offered as a suggested, but optional, pathway to give context for the client, and to provide a less demanding introduction and foundation for listening to the SSP. This pathway provides the opportunity for the client to connect with the experience of listening to music as a part of therapy.
If used as an entry point for SSP Core, SSP Connect is an invitation or warm up to the SSP for those who would benefit from a slower and gentler introduction. It can help develop familiarity with the music and listening process, thereby providing a sense of comfort and safety for the client to experience the music, and set up a sense of expectancy for what is to come.
SSP CORE
The original 5-hour listening program is designed to reduce stress and auditory sensitivity while enhancing social engagement and resilience. It presents music that has been acoustically modified based on a specific algorithm that triggers physiological states of safety and trust.
Calming the physiological state helps to promote social engagement and self regulation and further therapy is enhanced or even accelerated. It presents music that has been acoustically modified based on a specific algorithm that triggers physiological states of safety and trust.
SSP BALANCE
SSP Balance includes the same underlying 5-hour adult playlist as SSP Core Adult, but with a lighter frequency modulation algorithm. While not the same potency as SSP Core, SSP Balance will support continued practice of the neural networks associated with listening for further toning. Many find it to be calming and grounding and use it as a state shifter and support. SSP Balance was developed as a follow up to the SSP Core to offer an opportunity to return to music as a calming and grounding experience with a less strenuous neural workout. Speakers or headphones of any type may be used.
What you hear, and how you hear it, influences how the body responds.
Listening is connected with the vagus nerve, the body’s internal control center for processing and responding to cues and signals from the world around us. The SSP uses specially-filtered music to train the neural network associated with listening to focus on the frequency range of the human voice.