The Safe & Sound Protocol

An evidence based intervention used in conjunction with therapy, that supports the nervous system in experiencing more safety, flexibility and regulation.

 
 

The Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP)

What is the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) ?

The Safe and Sound Protocol is a non invasive, evidence-based listening therapy designed to reset the nervous system and return it to safety. Designed to work with other therapeutic approaches and modalities, the SSP features specially filtered music that stimulates the vagus nerve and helps the nervous system feel safer, become more flexible, resilient and better regulated.

Dr. Stephen Porges created the SSP to help people learn to achieve a grounded state where they feel safe, connected, calm and social. The SSP comes out of nearly four decades of research, on the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and the social emotional processes underpinned by Dr Porges’ Polyvagal Theory and has demonstrated benefits for individuals with trauma, anxiety, sensory processing differences, and much more.

I currently offer the SSP as part of regular therapy sessions for adult clients over 21 years of age only.

If you are looking for an Australia SSP provider for your child please click HERE for a list of other Australian providers.

safe and sound protocol for trauma in Brisbane
 
 

Using the Safe and Sound Protocol Alongside Therapy for Trauma


The SSP was designed to be used in conjunction with therapy and not as stand-alone modality. This means that regular therapy sessions are combined with SSP.

Before starting the SSP, There is an initial session that includes a short assessment and intake to discuss your goals and ensure the SSP would be a good support for you.

The first few minutes (up to half an hour) of listening to the SSP is always done in a therapy session together. This way we can assess how the SSP feels and also work with anything that comes up.

After this session, we decide if you will listen to the music in your therapy sessions, at home via an app or a combination of both.

You can read the answers to some of the most common questions about the SSP below.

If you are a new or existing client looking to work with me and would like to include the SSP in our therapy, please click the button below to email me to discuss this opportunity further.

Please note I often have a 3-6 month wait time for new clients.

Common Questions

  • The Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP) is the only practical application of Polyvagal Theory, and is designed to improve sound sensitivities and auditory processing, behavioral state regulation, and social engagement behaviors through specially-filtered music.

    The SSP works in conjunction with therapy and allows for the repatterning of neural networks and improved regulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) for lasting change.

    Based on the hierarchical recruitment of the ANS, the SSP trains the middle ear muscles to tune in to cues of safety signalled by the frequencies of the human voice, which stimulates the social engagement system through the neural network associated with listening.

  • The total cost to access the SSP is $1330. This includes:

    An initial 50-minute session including an assessment and intake. $180

    Access to the SSP program for 1 month (The SSP contains 5 hours of music) $295

    Five in-person 50-minute sessions used to listen to the SSP in person or as follow-up regular in-person therapy sessions $900

  • The protocol involves five hours total of listening that can occur over the course of days or weeks, depending on what is right for your body and nervous system. Before starting the protocol, we will go through an assessment and together we will work to find the optimal amount of listening time that works for your nervous system and schedule. We will adjust the time spent listening as required.

    As the SSP intervention is tailored to the functioning of the middle ear muscles listening during the intervention may fatigue the middle ear muscles and you may feel tired. You may find that you benefit from shorter listening sessions spread over a longer period of time.

    Together we will be checking in and monitoring any changes you might be experiencing and we will adapt the session schedule accordingly. It's totally ok to pause or skip a day and we can pick up where you left off when you are ready.

  • Over-the-ear headphones are required (no buds or air pods) and noise cancelling should be turned off. A wifi connection and a mobile phone along with your email will be required if we decide the SSP will be used in your own time as well as in your therapy session.

  • The SSP is a portal to the Social Engagement System, and it can have powerful impacts on how you interact with the world. Resulting in new behaviours reflecting an increased sense of safety in the world,

    Some things to look for over the 2-8 weeks following the completion of the program include:

    You may now be making more eye contact with your family, friends and/or coworkers. Eye contact is a sign that you are feeling safer and are receptive to social behaviour.

    You may now understand others’ speech on an improved level. You may not have to ask others to repeat themselves when others ask you something.

    You may also notice that loud noises may not bother you as much. Once you complete the SSP, your ear muscles will be learning how to “ignore” loud noises, and this allows you to focus on speech and communication.

    You may now have better control over your emotional expression. Meltdowns and outbursts are typically a sign of dysregulation or uncontrollable feelings. Meltdowns can occur for a lot of reasons, some of which may be addressed by the SSP.

    You may now feel that you have improved social interactions. Being social involves reciprocal interactions, and communication between people is amplified by eye contact and active listening.

    You may now be able to show and be more expressive of love and affection for other people, including being more comfortable giving smiles and hugs.

  • The SSP is designed to be used in conjunction with regular therapy. After completing the SSP we will assess your progress together and continue to work in therapy.

    There are some additional SSP listening programs that you may like to purchase and access that can support nervous system regulation and help you continue on with the gains you have made.

    You may also like to repeat the protocol after a period of eight weeks to three months. We allow this amount of time as changes to the nervous system need time to integrate and the changes you experience may also continue to become apparent six to eight weeks after the protocol.