Safe and Sound Protocol

The protocol, a sound-based (auditory) intervention, was developed by Dr. Stephen Proges based on his Polyvagal Theory. SSP is designed to support social engagement and emotional regulation.  The SSP involves listening to specially processed music or auditory stimuli that are designed to stimulate the vagus nerve and regulate the autonomic nervous system.  SSP can enhance or accelerate occupational, physical, speech, or mental health therapies, although the primary goal of the SSP is to improve social communication, emotional regulation, and overall well-being. It aims to reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation. The auditory stimulation used in the SSP is believed to help calm the nervous system by promoting the SES over the sympathetic and dorsal vagal responses.

Has two components

• Structuring a safe context in which it’s given – which is managed by the provider or caregiver – for the intervention to be effective, it is necessary for the listener’s nervous system to be in a state of safety

• Delivering acoustic features that serve as a neural exercise – which is provided by the clinician

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There are a variety of reasons that might lead an individual or family to consider completing the Safe and Sound Protocol.  Here are a few examples of where listeners might see benefits: 

• Social Communication and Engagement: By stimulating the vagus nerve through auditory stimulation, the SSP aims to promote feelings of safety, trust, and connection with others. This can lead to improved social interactions, communication, and the ability to form healthy relationships. Furthermore, some individuals may experience improvements in attention and focus as a result of the SSP. By helping regulate the nervous system, individuals may find it easier to concentrate and maintain attention on tasks.

• Physiological States and Emotional Regulation: The SSP seeks to improve emotional regulation by helping individuals better manage their 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 help individuals experience a greater sense of calm and relaxation.  The SSP has shown the potential to assist individuals who have experienced trauma. By promoting a sense of safety and regulation within the nervous system, the SSP can support emotional healing and recovery from traumatic experiences.

• Sound sensitivity and auditory processing: The SSP may benefit individuals 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. 

Many people will ask why Safe and Sound Protocol?

We strongly believe that our clients make quicker progress and make greater gains when combining SSP with other services such as Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, Counseling, Trauma therapy, tutoring, etc.  This protocol has made a huge difference in many of the listeners we have worked with.  

Stress, trauma, and other situations can overload our nervous system leaving us in a state of fight/flight/freeze, which impacts our physical health as well as impacting how we interact with others and our emotional well-being. There can be some improvements in:

• Spontaneous speech

• Hearing sensitivity 

• Emotional regulation 

• ANS regulation 

• Increase in social engagement

Feedback from those who have completed the protocol has reported that their daily interactions feel different. Here are the direct things they are reporting: 

• “I have been less reactive…”

• “…easier time focusing in school. My concentration has improved.”

• “I have less emotional swings of really high highs and really low lows, I feel more balanced”

• “…improvements in speech therapy.” 

• “I have been able to engage in EMDR therapy with my therapist”

• “…eating with my family is less stressful” 

• “I enjoy being around people”

• “My child has started connecting with other children on the playground at school”

• “…sleep has improved. I can fall asleep and stay asleep better than before.”

• “My child is having fewer digestive issues and appears to be more regulated.  She is finally potty trained at six years old!”

Investment of Time.

Participating in the Safe and Sound Protocol is an investment in your child, their relationships, and their future. Or yourself, your relationships and your future.  

When considering Safe and Sound Protocol ask yourself the question, do we have the time to dedicate to this opportunity?   

The process: 

• Prior to beginning, there is an intake session with the SSP clinician.    This is to go over the history of the client, the background of SSP, expectations, good fit, etc.

• SSP Connect

  • Provides a gentle and “safe” introduction when needed

  • The playlist is curated to be calming and grounding

  • The recommended first step for those with a highly dysregulated nervous system

• SSP CORE

  • Traditional 5-hour listening protocol 

  • Split up into smaller listening sessions

  • If for a child: filling out our caregiver report each week on what’s going well, what they struggled with, and feedback as well as 

  • coordinating communication between the group therapist and the child’s pre-school, daycare, and/or early childhood center

• SSP Balance

  • Listeners can begin up to 8 weeks after completing SSP Core

  • Largely unsupervised and can be used at home on one’s own time

  • Can be used for ongoing, daily support or sporadically when needed 

  • May be used as a “warm up” before SSP Core repeat

Investment of Money. 

SSP Individual:

• SSP Intake/Assessment – $150  (required for everyone)

• SSP Connect

  • Minimal support – $75/month (Unlimited access to SSP Connect protocol) 

  • With monthly session included – $150/month (unlimited access to SSP Connect protocol)

• SSP Core

  • $350 for 5 hours (without SSP provider present) 

  • $650 for 5 hours (with SSP provider present)

• SSP Balance

  • Minimal support – $75/month (Unlimited access to SSP Balance protocol) 

  • With monthly session included – $150/month (unlimited access to SSP Balance protocol)

SSP GROUP:

• $450 for intake, 5 listening sessions, and group recap.

• $75/month (Unlimited access to SSP Balance protocol)  if a group member wants to utilize that after SSP completion 

Please note:

• Insurance will not typically cover the cost of the SSP program but will allow families to use their FSA or HSA cards.

• There are no additional “user” fees for accessing SSP outside of the fees above.

We understand there is a financial impact of SSP on any household and can put a strain on the family’s finances.  As you know, physical and mental health conditions can have significant impacts on a person’s life, including their ability to work, form relationships, and engage in daily activities. Without proper treatment, health conditions can worsen over time and become more difficult and expensive to treat.  While it may be difficult to make financial sacrifices in the short term, the long-term benefits of treatment can be invaluable. 

Complete the form to start the conversation and explore the next steps!

Use the contact form to inquire about SSP. 

Due to the influx of referrals, please be patient with us, as we will respond as quickly as we can.  The messages are checked daily, if you do not get a response in 24 hours please resubmit.

We appreciate you reaching out to us, we look forward to working with you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Additional SSP Resources

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• Synopsis

• Process

• Resources

• Caution

• Helping professions SSP group

• Research

This protocol was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, based on his Polyvagal Theory, SSP was originally a 5-hour sound-based (auditory) intervention calming the physiological and emotional states. This is derived from 4 decades of research on the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and socio-emotional processes. SSP was designed to reduce stress and auditory sensitivity, enhancing social engagement and resilience.  This intervention can boost or accelerate other therapies such as counseling, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.  

Our brain and body’s first priority is to keep us alive. When our body or brain feels or perceives a threat, our nervous system moves into states of defense (fight, flight, or freeze). When a nervous state remains in a chronic state of defense it affects the way we feel, think, and connect with others. This can adversely affect our health and how we experience the world around us.  Our emotional and physiological states are important to how we approach various circumstances.  When we have better regulation, therapeutic outcomes are improved. The regulation or calmness brings balance to our physiological and emotional systems allowing the client to feel safe.  This intervention is known as passive, meaning that the client can benefit from just listening as long as the client feels calm and safe, focusing on the music. However, this intervention isn’t passive! Shifts are happening within the autonomic nervous system and within the vagal nerve systems. It is highly recommended that a parent or caregiver be present while the child listens and that they are actively engaging in activities together. What a great opportunity for families to have uninterrupted time with their loved ones.

When the middle ear muscles are inactive, lower frequency sounds (background noise) perceive stronger than human speech.  The middle ear muscles are primarily fast-twitch and they fatigue easily.   Illness and aging also reduce the function of the middle ear muscles. When the Middle ear muscles work properly, the background noise is dampened and the nervous system is not activated as easily, thus preventing flight/fight/freeze more easily.  The listener is able to focus and hear human speech (higher frequency) easier.  Listening is connected with the vagus nerve, our body’s internal control center for processing and responding to cues and signals from our environment. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the autonomic nervous system traveling from the brainstem to the colon. Polyvagal suggests that we have two branches of the vagus nerve (front & back).  The ventral vagal (front) is activated when we feel safe in our environment and connected with others.  The dorsal vagal (back) is activated when we are in a life-threatening situation, or flight/fight/freeze. The vagus nerve helps to regulate blood pressure, digestion, and heart rate. As the body monitors and receives information, the vagus nerve processes these signals/cues from the environment and determines how to react. SSP brings the client from a state of hyperarousal (fight or flight, defensiveness, cautious, or nervousness) to a feeling of safety or calmness.  What you hear and how you hear it, influences how the body responds to situations. 

SSP is designed to stimulate the nervous system by exercising and systematically challenging the auditory system with specifically processed or filtered music.  This intervention uses prosodic music that has been filtered to train the middle ear muscles to focus on the frequency found in human speech…which leads to improved connection, communication, and therapies. The music trains the auditory pathways by focusing on the frequency of human speech.  At times, sometimes the music may sound quiet or difficult to hear – this is due to the filtering that occurs and that lower frequencies have been eliminated.   

As the client learns to process speech-related frequencies, they improve the functioning of two cranial nerves.   First, the Cranial nerve VII helps focus on the human voice and tune out irrelevant frequencies.    Cranial nerve X enables autonomic nervous system regulation.     When the client’s hyperarousal state (fight or flight) is decreased, their social engagement system can work properly.  In essence, SSP aims to calm the child’s nervous system so that the client can be more socially engaged.

Studies suggest that attention, state regulation, and the ability to engage socially are improved. Following the SSP Protocol, ideally, children will be better able to focus in school, therapy, and daily life as they experience a calmed emotional and physiological state.    The research of various clinical trials shows that many neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions share common behavioral features such as compromised social engagement system, over-aroused autonomic nervous system, and auditory hypersensitivity or difficulty filtering out background sounds or noises in order to tune into the human voice.

The state of calmness or self-regulation allows clients to have a better ability to listen, stay focused, and engage with others socially. These clients are able to take in and process what is needed to keep up with social situations. The polyvagal theory shares its the perception of difficulties that our children have with social interactions and processing speech. It states that when the child’s emotional state is stressed, the nervous system is working overtime to regulate or settle down.  This then affects the client’s ability to notice or learn details that accompany social interactions such as reading emotions or processing language.

SSP is a researched-based intervention showing significant results in the following areas: 

• • Social & emotional difficulties

  • Auditory sensitivities

  • Anxiety & trauma-related challenges

  • Inattention

  • Stressors that impact social engagement

Frequently Asked Questions

What age can SSP be used with?

In our office we can use SSP with anyone over the age of 18 months, to adults.

Can my child only complete part of the protocol?

What are some of the areas that can be improved?

What are characteristics of common clients?

Is it true that you can have stomach issues during or after SSP?

Can the protocol be repeated?

Can the protocol make behaviors worse?

I have heard of SSP horror stories, having an extremely rough time during the protocol. Does that happen for everyone?

Can I listen to the music at the same time as my child?

Is this protocol appropriate for those who have experienced trauma?

Can SSP fix my child's learning disability?

Can you expand the science behind SSP?

Which cranial nerve is effected?

Why is the effect stronger in adults than children?

If my child does not like a song can we skip that portion of the music

We've heard that SSP can be useful with clients who have experienced trauma, is that true?

What types of therapies does SSP help with?

Who is my practioner and what do they do?

What is considered a stressful life event?

What are some ideas for resourcing after SSP?

What are some ideas for resourcing after SSP?

How long do improvements last?

How long before I start seeing results or improvements?

What does the SSP music sound like?

How long do improvements last?