Safe & Sound Protocol

What is The Safe & Sound Protocol?

Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges and based on the Polyvagal Theory, the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is an auditory intervention designed to address a number of common struggles experienced by children and adults such as anxiety, irritability, anger, social interaction and auditory sensitivity. The SSP stimulates the vagus nerve, which calms the physiological and emotional state leading to improved communication, emotional regulation and learning.

The intervention uses prosodic vocal music that has been filtered to send sounds that are soothing to the nervous system. In addition, the filtered music trains the middle ear to tune out signals of danger (low frequency sounds) and instead take in more signals of safety (high frequency sounds such as human voice). The music is heard through headphones in your own home while you engage in a relaxing activity. A therapist trained in administering SSP will be available via telehealth to answer any questions you have and intervene if necessary (initiate a break, change volume).

Some of the changes that occur with SSP may occur immediately. Most changes occur over 3 months or more as the individual is able to engage and relate in new ways. Support from other therapies (play therapy, art therapy, psychotherapy, OT, PT) increases gains tremendously. SSP is not a cure-all, but it can create physiological changes that are otherwise difficult to attain, which can then improve the benefits of other therapies.

Who might benefit from SSP?

Stephen Porges first began using the SSP with children and adults with autism, resulting in sometimes remarkable changes. Now we know that SSP can also benefit individuals with:

• Auditory sensitivity

• Chronic anxiety

• Depression

• Post-traumatic stress disorder

• Relationship difficulties

• Social anxiety

• Separation anxiety

• Behavioral acting out

• Anger

• Learning problems

• Sleep problems

• Self medicating (overeating, shopping, gambling)

Caveats for the use of SSP

As Stephen Porges has described, the SSP is a “potent” intervention. Many people experience stronger emotions for a short time as their defense mechanism lower. There are some indications that SSP is not an appropriate intervention if the following is occurring:

• Living in a home or work situation that is not currently safe

• Current life upheaval

• Trauma that has never been addressed in therapy

• History of disassociation

• Ongoing substance abuse

• Current self harm

** If you have questions about whether SSP would be helpful for you, please refer yourself and we can gather more information and give you our recommendations.

How does SSP work?

The first thing to understand is the importance of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS is best described as our “personal surveillance system”, always determining and responding to the question “Am I safe?”

If our ANS is continually aroused through trauma or toxic, chronic stress, the muscles of our middle ear shifts away from listening for human voice and instead listens for low-frequency background noises in preparation for the need to respond (fight or flight). This makes us much less able to be socially engaged and much more likely to be reactive.

The specially calibrated music in SSP trains the auditory pathways to focus on the frequency of human speech and to tune out the frequencies of background noises. Once the ear begins to work more normally, we are more available for social engagement (we must feel safe to be socially engaged) and thus can experience the safety of our relationships much more fully.

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SSP Videos