(Safe Sound Protocol) Have you heard of this protocol?
“FEELING SAFE IS NECESSARY TO LEARN AND RELATE TO OTHERS”. This is the main reason I offer this protocol as an integral part of the therapies I do with my patients, because it makes therapy move faster. I notice that, somehow, they feel safer “inside themselves” and with less mental noise. This lets them process past traumas more easily. They’re more resilient and are able to connect with other people. And that’s because the SSP, or Safe and Sound Protocol, is designed so that while you listen to “music” that has been carefully selected and filtered, the frequencies it carries send signals of safety to the nervous system, and this helps you feel calmer, more engaged and more balanced.
What is the SAFE AND SOUND PROTOCOL?
This protocol *(Safe Sound Protocol, SSP) or Safe and Sound Protocol was developed by Dr Stephen Porges, based on Polyvagal Theory. This theory focuses on the autonomic nervous system and its role in regulating stress, social connection and the response to danger.
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a non-invasive intervention, where you’ll listen to music you might be familiar with: classical music, popular songs from recent decades and even a children’s playlist with film themes. This music is unique because it has been filtered through a carefully designed algorithm.
HOW DOES THE SAFE AND SOUND PROTOCOL WORK?
Because of this special filtering, the music in the SSP (Safe Sound Protocol) sounds a little different from what you’re used to hearing. This music is more than just relaxing music. While you listen to it, its frequencies send signals to the nervous system that make you feel safe, calm, engaged and balanced, so that you gradually readjust and regulate. This feeling of safety will let you relate to others in a safe and assertive way.
WHY SHOULD WE DO THIS PROTOCOL?
Today more than ever, the world is living through a situation of constant uncertainty. This can be stressful and generate anxiety and depression, especially for those who’ve been through stressful and/or traumatic situations that have marked them.
Tell me, has the uncertainty we’ve lived through since the pandemic affected you?
Have you felt anxiety, fear, depression in recent months?
I have, and I have patients who say the same. And that’s because when we don’t feel safe, when we’re stressed or facing a threat, our nervous system moves into states of defence, fight, flight, freeze. And when that happens we don’t think clearly, it becomes hard to connect with our emotions and with others. Which will affect our quality of life and that of the people around us.
Our emotional and physiological states matter in how we approach different circumstances. What we hear and how we hear it is influenced by how our body responds to situations. Our capacity for listening is connected to the vagus nerve, and the SSP (Safe and Sound Protocol) is designed to stimulate the nervous system by systematically exercising and challenging the auditory system with specifically processed or filtered music.
“We look, speak and listen with the same system”. S. Porges
The SSP takes the patient from a state of hyperarousal (fight or flight, defensiveness, wariness or nervousness) to a feeling of self-regulation, safety or calm. This state allows for a better ability to listen, stay focused and interact socially with others.
“As our brain/body connection becomes more organised, we process the world around us better and become safer, happier and more engaged”
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THIS PROTOCOL:
Dr Porges says that when we feel “safe”, certain emergent properties come with it, such as being connected to yourself, to others, to spirit, to your surroundings, to intimacy, compassion, gratitude, cooperation, awe, peace, etc. We all have these abilities inherently, and the SSP is a way of helping us access them within ourselves so we can have more of these experiences. And this produces, or shows up as, more coherence in us
Each patient’s experience of the SSP will be unique, but in general these are some of the changes that can be noticed:
Better mood regulation
Will improve any psychotherapeutic process
Respond better to stressful situations, more open to whatever comes next
Respond instead of reacting to situations
Connect better socially and emotionally. Improve communication
Spontaneous social behaviours, take part socially
Improve the ability to co-regulate
Handle challenges related to anxiety and trauma better
Improved capacity to learn, self-regulate and take part
These changes can be noticed during the session or even during the weeks after the protocol is finished.
THE PROTOCOL HAS 3 PROGRAMMES
Each with unique characteristics and recommended uses.
SSP CONNECT is an introduction. The music has no filter, like the music you might hear on the radio.
SSP CORE is the more intensive and potentially more therapeutic programme. The music is filtered progressively and dynamically, and it’s important to go through it in order, without skipping or repeating any section without your provider’s recommendation.
SSP BALANCE is a lighter therapeutic programme. You can listen in any order and repeat some sections.
We all have patterns or tendencies in the nervous system that developed over time and in response to our experiences. These patterns influence how we think, feel and behave, because our experiences are unique.
In the same way, your response to the SSP will also be unique. And because the autonomic nervous system influences so many aspects of our health, the SSP can benefit a wide range of physical, emotional and cognitive experiences.
These changes can be noticed during a listening session itself, or even during the weeks after the protocol is finished.
During treatment I’m in contact with the patient almost daily, to monitor them and guide them in case emotions come up that feel too much for them. We’ll shape the protocol as we go, according to their needs.
CAN IT BE DONE ONLINE?
Yes! This protocol (SSP) can be done in person or virtually, with the support of a trained professional.
DURATION
This SSP (Safe Sound Protocol) auditory intervention is 5 hours of music, which should be listened to daily for ten to 30 minutes a day, depending on the person’s needs. Finishing the protocol can then take from 10 to 20 days.
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*Safe and Sound Protocol