What is the safe & sound protocol?

What is the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)?

The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a non-invasive and pleasant music intervention that reduces stress, lessens auditory sensitivity, facilitates social engagement and resilience, and promotes well-being. SSP works at a neural level and tones the nervous system to reduce stress and promote calm. Similar to the physical exercise you do in the gym, SSP gently stimulates and exercises the neural pathways related to sociability and connectivity.

How does it work?

Based on years of research by Dr. Stephen Porges and his Polyvagal Theory, the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a five-hour therapeutic listening intervention designed to support the client's emotional regulation and neuroception (i.e. sense of one's safety), as well as decrease the client's auditory sensitivity.

The music is designed to stimulate the vagus nerve, which is responsible for calming the nervous system. This allows for enhanced social engagement and resilience in children and adults. The purpose of SSP is to create new, positive connections in the brain that allow the client to regulate oneself by "stretching the nervous system, not stressing the nervous system."

Who is the Safe and Sound Protocol beneficial for?

The Safe and Sound Protocol can be very helpful for children and adults who are going through life transitions, such as changing careers or starting a new school. SSP is great for emotional regulation and calming the nervous system, and can help you feel a greater sense of safety within yourself and the world.

Dr. Porges first began using the SSP with children with autism and it resulted in some incredible changes. Throughout the years, SSP has been proven to help individuals with:

Auditory sensitivity
Sensory Processing Disorders (SPD)
Anxiety disorders
Attention/deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD/ADD),
Depression
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Relationship difficulties
Social anxiety
Separation anxiety
Anger
Reading comprehension issues
Sleep problems
It continues to be helpful for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

What does the process of SSP look like?

SSP is intended to be used as an additional form of therapy, not as the primary method of therapy. It works great when used as a complement to the types of therapies the individual is already engaged in.

The Safe and Sound Protocol involves a total of five hours of specially processed music that can be administered in 1-hour increments over 5 consecutive days or 30-minute increments over 10 consecutive days.

Is SSP right for me?

Ask yourself these questions to see if the Safe & Sound Protocol could be beneficial for you:

Have you tried mindfulness but can’t figure out how to turn your brain off long enough to focus, and you feel frustrated and just want to give up? SSP can help you quiet your mind and train your brain to be more focused.
Do you feel tired but can’t sleep a full night? If you’re tossing and turning, wake up exhausted, and have difficulty staying alert and relating to people the next day – there’s hope.
Do your loved ones describe you as defensive and having a short fuse, but you long for connection? Exercise helps you feel better in the short term, but the looming feelings of guilt, shame, and anger return almost immediately. You worry that if you don’t change, your marriage will end in divorce and your job will suffer.
Do you want to feel calmer, more resilient, and able to go with the flow of family and work-life? If you’re tired of feeling overwhelmed by day-to-day activities and chores and are ready to experience a sense of serenity and calm – SSP could be worth exploring.
Do you get overwhelmed and stressed being in social situations? Maybe the thought of going to a busy event makes you feel anxious. Perhaps being in a large crowd of people makes your heart race and head spin. If you’re sensitive to your surroundings, SSP can help you regulate those feelings.
Do you find it difficult to stay calm when there’s a lot of background noise? The Safe and Sound Protocol can help you manage your reactivity when there are a lot of stimuli.
Are you always on alert and tend to feel unsafe in situations that do not require you to be on alert? SSP can help bring your nervous system back to homeostasis and retrain your mind that it doesn’t need to be on constant alert.
Rather than connecting with people, do you prefer to stay away from them? It’s not necessarily that you don’t enjoy connecting with people, it’s just that being around people, particularly new people, feels too overwhelming. You deserve to feel calm and safe connecting with people, and SSP can help.