Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP)
Regulating Your Nervous System for Better Well-being
Online Therapy in Washington State, Utah, & Florida
you feel stuck with constant unease
You struggle to commit to solutions that you don’t fully believe will work
You try to be positive, but you don’t really feel it. You try the strategies, and even if you have some success you struggle to be consistent. You’re just not sure that anything is really changing. You struggle to feel supported because you don’t feel fully connected.
Maybe you tried therapy and it helped, but you didn’t feel like you were benefitting deeply from it.
You’re ready to make changes in your life, you just need guidance to make it all connect.
The SSP is a listening therapy to increase
felt safety, social connection, and emotional regulation.
The Safe & Sound Protocol can help with
- Decreased anxiety and stress
- Greater ability to self-regulate emotions
- Improved mood stability
- Enhanced capacity to handle life's challenges
- Better recognition and interpretation of social cues
- Enhanced ability to build positive social relationships
- Improved communication and connection with others
- Reduced social anxiety and increased comfort in social situations
- Creation of a physiological state of safety necessary for trauma processing
- Reduction in trauma-related symptoms
- Enhanced effectiveness of other trauma therapies
- Greater overall resilience and capacity for recovery
- Decreased auditory sensitivity and sound hypersensitivities
- Improved ability to filter background noise
- Better sensory processing and integration
- Reduced overwhelm in stimulating environments
How it works
The SSP promotes a sense of security and enhances your ability to think, feel and connect more effectively by regulating their nervous system. Developed by neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges, the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a research-based listening therapy used to reduce stress and auditory sensitivity while enhancing social engagement and resilience. This non-invasive application of the Polyvagal Theory helps you access a physiological state conducive to well-being, positive engagement with others, and growth in learning and therapy. While you listen, you get to sit back and relax or engage in a soothing activity. SSP uses vibrations from filtered popular music to exercise your inner ear muscles.
Who can benefit
SSP can be used with children, adults and dogs! SSP is a music-based intervention that can address dysregulation experienced with sensory sensitivities, anxiety, depression, trauma, sleep disorders, and other factors that cause an overactive or underactive emotional state. By reducing auditory sensitivities and improving the ability to process human speech, the goal of SSP is to calm the autonomic nervous system so that the individual can become more social, engaged, and responsive to their own emotional needs. Other benefits may include improved digestion, improved sleep, and improved vocal tone.
While every individual's experience with the Safe and Sound Protocol is unique, many clients report:
Why Choose Me for Your SSP Journey
When seeking an SSP practitioner, it's important to work with someone who understands both the technical aspects of the protocol and the nuanced experience of nervous system regulation. As a therapist specializing in somatic and nervous system-based approaches, I offer:
How we’ll work together
We’ll start with a complimentary 30-minute video consultation. Taking the first step can be scary and I want you to feel like you’re with the right person to guide you on this journey. If we decide to work together, we’ll have an in-depth intake session. This will give me an opportunity to learn more about you and your goals, answer any questions you have, and co-create a plan to track your progress throughout our work together.
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If you prefer to make progress steadily over time, we can meet on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for 50-minute sessions.
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For accelerated results, concentrated therapy in the form of intensives may be a good fit for you. Like a large dose of therapy at once, you can experience rapid relief and healing with a relatively small time investment. 1- and 2-day options available. Click here to learn more.
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If you’re already working with another therapist and finding the work there helpful, great! Brainspotting can be a powerful addition to your work by helping to break through a specific barrier or accelerate your healing as you continue working with your therapist. Adjunct therapy can occur via ongoing or intensive therapy.
Why I do this work
Music that helps so you don’t have to do all the work
Integrating SSP with the other therapies I use has led to increased access to possibilities, creativity, openness and overall calm. I know you have potential and the SSP can help you shed some of the barriers to access it!
Frequently asked questions
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The Safe and Sound Protocol works directly with the autonomic nervous system rather than primarily through cognitive or verbal processing. This physiological approach creates a foundation of safety and regulation that enhances the effectiveness of other therapeutic methods.
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Changes that occur with the SPP can be unfamiliar and completely new. Sometimes these shifts can feel destabilizing and require more support to understand and integrate. It may challenge core beliefs about ourselves, our capacity for healing, our recovery and our future.
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SSP listening sessions typically last up to one hour and involve:
Using comfortable over-the-ear headphones to listen to specially filtered music
Engaging in simple, calming activities during the listening period
Regular check-ins to monitor your comfort and responses
Integration of the experience into your overall therapeutic process
I closely monitor your responses and make adjustments as needed to ensure you receive the maximum benefit from the protocol. The evidence-based algorithm backed approach allows for a consistent yet personalized experience.
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A complete SSP program involves completion of a 5-hour Core playlist over multiple listening sessions, spread over several weeks. Many clients repeat SSP programs several times a year or use the SSP Balance pathway for on-going and exponential benefits. The specific structure depends on your individual needs, but generally includes:
An initial assessment to determine if SSP is appropriate for you
A series of listening sessions using the specially filtered music
Integration sessions to help you process and apply the changes you're experiencing
Ongoing support as you adjust to the shifts in your nervous system regulation
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The number of sessions varies depending on individual needs and goals. Some clients experience significant benefits after 5-10 listening sessions, while others may benefit from a more extended protocol. During our initial consultation, I can provide a more personalized recommendation.
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Yes, the Safe and Sound Protocol can be adapted for individuals with sensory sensitivities or hearing concerns. The filtered music can be adjusted in volume and duration to accommodate your specific needs, making it accessible for most people.
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Many clients begin to notice subtle changes after the first few listening sessions, with more significant shifts becoming apparent as the protocol progresses. The timing and nature of these changes vary based on individual factors and the specific conditions being addressed.
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Yes, SSP is supported by scientific research on Polyvagal Theory and the autonomic nervous system. The protocol uses an evidence-based algorithm developed through clinical research to ensure its effectiveness and safety.