What is the ssp?


The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a music-based intervention that supports nervous system regulation.

Dr. Stephen Porges developed the Polyvagal Theory. The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges as the practical application of the Polyvagal Theory, which explains how the nervous system works, but with more refined insights than previously understood. 

The SSP is an auditory intervention designed to reduce distress and auditory sensitivity and restore greater function in the nervous system via the vagus nerve. The SSP helps re-pattern our sensory pathways to be more effective at processing and responding to our environment. External triggers might not change, but how our nervous system responds to those triggers can change (because of neuroplasticity - the brain can change when we train it). 

The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body, stretching from the brainstem (into the autonomic nervous system) all the way down into the stomach. The state of our autonomic nervous system influences how we feel, think, behave, and function (breathing rate, blood pressure, digestion, tissue repair, etc.). 

The nervous system develops over time - it is not completely developed at birth. The nervous system continues to develop throughout childhood and into young adulthood (fully maturing around age 25). The most intense nervous system develop happens in the first 18 months of life, and most of the substantial development occurs within the first 6 years of life. However, at any time during a lifespan, the nervous system "wiring" can be re-trained by significantly challenging events (car accident, chronic illness, divorce, etc.) to become more sensitive/reactive and hypervigilant. When this happens, the autonomic nervous system becomes highly biased to identifying and interpreting environmental cues as a danger/threat (to an inaccurate extent), even cues that should be identified and interpreted as neutral or positive. 

Sound is key to safety. The first experience we have of the regulating capability of sound is when we were developing in our mother's womb. Before birth, a baby can hear the mother's voice and later, after the baby is born, this helps the baby to pair the voice to the face of the mother. Then, the mother's voice and face become the sound and image of safety for the developing young child. 

The SSP influences the nervous system through specially filtered music that activates the auditory neural network (including a branch of the vagus nerve) to train the auditory processing system to tune into sound cues of safety (the sound frequencies of the human voice). The music is filtered to only contain tones and frequencies that are associated with safety. These mid-range tones mimic a normal speaking voice, as opposed to higher and lower frequencies, which might be associated with something more threatening, like crying, growling, sirens, or yelling.

By playing this filtered music at a low volume, the muscles of the middle ear are encouraged to “work” a little harder to tune into these external cues of safety. You can learn even more about SSP by clicking here.

What will you do while listening? 

Listening is your main priority, but you can pick a chill activity to do "in the background" of your listening:

  • draw

  • color

  • knit/crochet

  • do a puzzle (something simple while you listen to the music)

  • self-massage

  • fold laundry

  • doodle in a notebook

  • play with a fidget toy

  • do breathing exercises

  • spending time with a pet

  • simply daydream

  • let your hands/eyes explore a leaf, flower or rock from nature

Which Playlist will you choose? 

You will pick 1 Playlist to listen to for the 5 total hours of music listening. We will listen to 15-60 minutes per session. 

  1. Freely: ambient fusion music. (non-vocal, just instrumental) 

  2. Original: contemporary songs you're likely familiar with. (vocal, with human voices singing lyrics) 

  3. Wonder: playful songs that appeal to children and those who prefer "Disney" music  (vocal, singing lyrics) 

  4. Classical Flow: non-vocal playlist of classical music  (non-vocal, just instrumental) 

Do you have what you need?

Here is your checklist. 

  1.  A co-regulation partner with someone grounded & present. Kelsey will be your co-regulation partner for the SSP. 👉🏽 Schedule an intro call with Kelsey to ensure the SSP is right for you. 🤗

  2. 🤫 A quiet, safe space for listening.  

  3. Over-Ear Headphones: if you don’t have or cannot borrow, here are two good options:

  4. 📲 Download the Unyte app on your phone or tablet (login before our first SSP session)