Safe and Sound Protocol SSP

Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)

The science of feeling safe.

Regulate Stress and Anxiety Through Sound

Do you experience uncontrollable anxiety, difficulties sleeping, ADHD, ASD, trauma or sensory sensitivities?

The Safe and Sound Protocol can help

The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is an evidence-based therapeutic acoustic program created by Dr. Stephen Porges and is designed to reset the nervous system and return it to safety. The SSP is designed to work with other therapeutic approaches and modalities, with demonstrated benefits for individuals with trauma, anxiety, sensory processing differences, ADHD, ASD and more.

Five hours of music. Long lasting impact.

Unsafe Signs

These are signs your body might not be feeling safe and your nervous system may be more attuned to cues of danger.

Your autonomic nervous system is constantly taking in and responding to cues from other people, our environment, and even inside our bodies, that tell us if we are safe.

When you don’t feel safe, our autonomic nervous system responds by taking action. In this state, you might notice;

anxiety

fast breathing

feeling hot

quick to anger

These are normal survival responses. But are they feeling stuck?

Are you stuck in "unsafe"?

If the feeling that you are not safe does not go away, a branch of your parasympathetic nervous system will shut us down.

In this state, you might notice;

- extreme fatigue

- difficulty with digestion

- feelings of depression

This is your body doing its best to conserve our resources to keep you alive.

What is the Safe and Sound Protocol?

Feel Better

Feel more: safe, calm, resilient

Feel less: irritable, anxious, overwhelmed

Think Better

Think more: clearly, attentively, creatively

Think less: rigidly, disorganized, distractible

Connect Better

Connect more: openly, genuinely, wholly

Connect less: guardedly, distantly, oppositionally

How Does It Work?

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 allows for the repatterning of neural networks and improved regulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) for lasting change.

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

Learn more about the science behind the SSP →

The SSP interrupts chronic states of nervous system defense by stimulating the neural networks associated with listening.

The SSP uses algorithmically filtered music focused on the frequency range of the human voice that alters the way sounds are interpreted.

This ushers the nervous system out of a defensive (fight, flight or freeze) state and into a socially engaged (ventral vagal) state.

Who Is It For?

The Safe and Sound Protocol, or SSP, is a non-invasive application of Polyvagal Theory, based on decades of research and developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, Unyte’s Chief Scientific Advisor. It is suitable for children and adults, and has been designed to work with a diverse variety of therapeutic approaches and modalities.

The SSP’s effectiveness has been proven in a wide range of studies, most notably in two clinical trials involving children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Trial participants demonstrated statistically significant improvements in:

Emotional control
Behavioral organization
Hearing sensitivity and listening

The protocol is beneficial for adults and children suffering from autonomic dysregulations such as chronic anxiety and stress, trauma, auditory and sensory processing issues, and even autoimmune disorders related to digestion and elimination such as IBS.

Explore SSP case studies and research

What can Safe and Sound Protocol Do For Your and Your Family?

Reduce stress
Improve mood
Find pleasure in living
Reduce unwanted symptoms
Release muscle tension
Live healthier (with nervous system regulation, comes better immune modulation)
Repair and strengthen relationships
Engage in more satisfying relationships
Build resilience
Improve ability to focus and learn
Improve communication skills
Enhance the work of other modalities

What is involved?

The SSP program uses algorithmically filtered music focused on the frequency range of the human voice that alters the way sounds are interpreted. It interrupts chronic states of nervous system defense by stimulating the neural networks associated with listening. This ushers the nervous system out of a defensive (fight, flight or freeze) state and into a socially engaged (ventral vagal) state and involves;

There are three phases to the program.

CONNECT -unfiltered and intended to acclimate you or your loved one to the playlist and the pattern of daily therapeutic listening.

CORE - This is the therapeutic portion of the listening program. The same playlists are now filtered music designed to stimulate the middle ear muscle and conduct vibration through the skull.

BALANCE - This final phase of your SSP program will help you continue to stabilize and maintain a sense of calm and grounding, and further integrate the benefits
of SSP Core.

Each 5 hour phase consists of listening to music played from an app on your iPhone or Android through special earphones. It;