What is the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)?
The Safe and Sound Protocol is a gentle, music listening therapy, that makes physical changes to the way our ears hear sounds, and our brain processes those sounds, and also stimulates the Vagus Nerve, meaning that our nervous system is more regulated and we’re able to move out of the fight, flight and freeze states. It isn’t airy-fairy magic, but rather deeply rooted in neuroscience, and developed by the renowned Dr Stephen Porges, who developed Polyvagal Theory, helping us to understand how important connection is for humans to survive and thrive and how our bodies react when we don’t feel this safety.
The Safe and Sound Protocol does the work through a specially filtered playlist, where the high and low frequencies of the music are removed in varying degrees, leaving the safe middle frequencies, like in the human voice. When we hear these frequencies, our body and brain relax – think of the voice we use to talk to a baby or puppy and how they respond to those sounds. But for an individual, adult or child, who is constantly in a stress state of fight, flight or freeze, their ears and brain do not easily recognise nor interpret these sounds accurately. Their ears need to be re-tuned and their nervous system is reminded how to feel safe.
Key benefits of the Safe and Sound Protocol therapy
Safe and Sound Protocol has been shown to support:
- Anxiety
- Sound sensitivity
- Processing difficulties
- Social engagement struggles
- Emotion regulation
And, of course, once these foundational needs are taken care of then there will naturally be improvements in learning abilities, so reading and writing, executive function skills and the ability to make choices and decisions.
Who can benefit from Safe and Sound Protocol therapy?
The Safe and Sound Protocol is beneficial for both adults and children as the programme is specifically tailored to the individual, by the practitioner. The mantra is always ‘less is more’ and so a slow and gentle approach is taken and the responses of the individual’s nervous system used to determine the listening time and frequency. The aim is always to stretch the capability of the nervous system, so as to increase its flexibility, but never to do that so that this causes dysregulation. We work to make the listener’s nervous system feel safe and to spend more time in regulation, so that this becomes more of the norm for them.
What are the side effects of the Safe and Sound Protocol?
Some nervous system dysregulation can be part of the SSP process – feelings of anxiety and activation; perhaps some feelings of disconnection and shutdown. There are powerful changes happening in the nervous system during this process, so this shows that things are changing! But this should not be extreme dysregulation, for a long period of time, and the strong relationship with the practitioner ensures this, so that if any dysregulation happens, the facilitator can quickly support you to change the listening for a period until things settle – maybe a bit less listening time, maybe a bit less often, always remembering that less is more with SSP.
The role of connection in SSP
The relationship with the practitioner is an essential part of SSP, as they need to know how the listener’s nervous system is responding – i.e. how the person is feeling and able to function in everyday life, so that they can titrate the listening. The facilitator acts as a co-regulator for the listener so that their nervous system feels the safety in that relationship and also helps the listener to get to know their own nervous system better, so that they understand themselves and are able to work out ways to support their own regulation more easily. Learn more about Complex Connexions’ SSP facilitator, Shelley Farnham.
How to get started with SSP
The Safe and Sound Protocol is not a quick fix and it takes time and consistency to be effective. I always have a conversation with an interested adult or parent of a child, to find out if they are in a good place to proceed with the programme and able to make the commitment for several months that are needed for the gentle input, that will make such a huge difference going forward.
Here at Complex Connexions, I offer Safe and Sound Protocol therapy as I’m trained and certified as a Safe and Sound Protocol Practitioner through Uynte. We would have a free initial conversation to explore if SSP is the best fit for you, which is at no charge and certainly no commitment, but if you do feel that this is a helpful step for you, we would arrange an intake session where you can choose from 5 playlists as part of the Safe and Sound Protocol Pathways, and begin your SSP journey.
We’d make a plan for the first week of listening that you’d do yourself, for around 5-10 minutes a few times that week, and then make a plan to meet again for a catchup the following week – in-person or on Zoom. We’d continue this pattern of remote listening and catching up, as we move through the Connect, Core and Balance parts of the programme and any observations, questions or concerns you have at any time in between our sessions can easily be communicated by message – I want you to feel constantly supported.
The Safe and Sound Protocol has benefitted thousands of people around the world since 2017, supporting them to find regulation that means they are no longer in a constant stress state, and living with all the ramifications of that, within themselves and with their families. This filtered music works gently but effectively to change lives and allows the listener to then be in a much more regulated state to be able to make connections with others more easily, to make choices for their own benefit and for those around them, which enhances wellbeing. This music can become a trusted resource that they can also use going forward as a tool for regulation.
Learn more about the Safe and Sound Protocol therapy with Complex Connexions, here
