help your
nervous system feel
SAFE & SOUND
unlock a new level of healing
with the Safe & Sound Protocol
The key to any effective tool for healing from trauma and chronic stress is that it supports your nervous system to feel safe. To the body, “feeling safe” isn’t just an emotion or a mindset; it’s a whole BIOLOGICAL STATE that literally makes health and wellbeing possible. A nervous system that feels safe creates the physiological conditions necessary for your body and brain to rest, grow, and heal, and for you to feel alive, embodied, and connected to the people and world around you.
Your nervous system is wired to know exactly how to feel safe. But it’s also wired to help you survive—to move into a state of protection when it senses that danger might be here. That’s where we can get stuck as a result of trauma and stress: our body stays prepared for a threat, even when we’re actually safe.
And since your nervous system’s biggest priority is keeping you alive, those neural pathways for protection become deep grooves, and a state of survival becomes the default. Your neural pathways for feeling safe are still there, but they become far less traveled, like overgrown trails that are harder to find. For a state of SAFETY to become your default, your nervous system needs some support to rediscover and travel those pathways again and again.
the Safe & Sound Protocol
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is an evidenced-based listening intervention created by Stephen Porges, author of Polyvagal Theory, that uses specially engineered music to help the nervous system more readily and reliably access those neural pathways for safety. Like movement, touch, and other sensory experiences, sound is a language our nervous system naturally and intimately understands. By listening to progressively, dynamically filtered music with frequencies, tones, and rhythms that the body is wired to recognize as safe, the body’s physiology is supported in shifting out of a state of protective defense and into a state where feeling safe is within reach. The SSP uses sound as a doorway, or “portal,” to reach the nervous system in a unique and specific way that opens up new possibilities for healing at an autonomic level, even for individuals who’ve struggled to feel safe because of a trauma history.
the science behind SSP
In each of your ears there are two tiny muscles that adjust the tautness of the eardrum, which determines the types of sounds we’re easily able to hear. When we’re in an autonomic state of safety, these muscles contract and “tune” the eardrum to help us hear middle-range frequencies that are dominant in the human voice. The nervous system is innately wired to recognize these melodic, prosodic middle frequencies as cues of safety that prime us for connection, coregulation, and sociability—just think of the way a mother talks to their baby to help them settle, or how you talk to your pet to let them know they’re loved!
When we’re in a state of protection or defense, these same middle ear muscles become more lax, tuning the eardrum to help us hear low frequencies that our nervous system recognizes as cues of danger. This makes us more likely to notice a predator and more ready to respond to a threat, but it also makes it more difficult for us to pick up the middle frequencies that let our nervous system know we’re safe—even when there’s no danger present. So if we’re stuck in a chronic state of protection, the middle ear muscles grow accustomed to working less; the ability to contract and tune the eardrum for cues of safety isn’t lost, but it becomes less practiced, and thus less readily accessible.
The music of the Safe and Sound Protocol gradually invites these middle ear muscles to “wake up” so that they can better receive the middle-frequency sounds of safety. This progressive neural exercise increases flexibility, capacity, and resilience in the nervous system by helping the body recognize and receive safety when it’s present. By helping safety “land” in the nervous system in this way, SSP signals the body to shift out of a state of threat, and naturally creates the autonomic conditions for us to function and live with more ease.
how can SSP help me?
Since your nervous system state is the biological foundation for how you feel, think, and connect, the Safe and Sound Protocol can create positive change in a wide variety of areas related to your physical, mental, and emotional health and wellbeing. Clinical trials of SSP have shown significant improvements in nervous system state regulation (e.g. vagal tone, heart rate variability, emotional regulation, and autonomic reactivity), coregulation and social engagement, mental health (e.g. anxiety and depression), and sensory processing and sensitivities (auditory, visual, tactile, digestion, and physical movement). SSP is used by many helping professionals to support individuals recovering from trauma, chronic illness, and other challenges resulting from nervous system dysregulation. Other common signs of improvement from SSP include:
better ability to regulate emotions
improved ability to connect with self and others
greater window of capacity/less easily stressed
greater capacity for stimulating environments or activity in general
improved executive functioning (organization, focus, memory, etc.)
more ease in social expressiveness and social receptivity
reduced social anxiety/greater ease with coregulation
decrease in panic, fears, and phobias
increased self-assertiveness and self-advocacy
better ability to navigate transitions and change
greater ease in trying new things/having new experiences
enhanced sleep
improved digestion
reduction in chronic pain
reduction in sensory hypersensitivities (e.g. sound, touch, etc.)
Because your body and history are unique, your experience and improvements with SSP will also be unique! The potential benefits of SSP are numerous and varied, and it’s impossible to predict exactly which improvements any one person will experience with SSP, or to what degree. You may notice improvements with SSP while you’re listening, or in-between listening. You may notice improvements very early and consistently through the protocol, or you may see more cumulative improvements as the protocol progresses. Improvements from SSP can even appear several weeks after listening is completed, as the nervous system has more time and space to integrate the changes that have been taking place.
It’s important to know that SSP is not a panacea. Improvements may happen to varying degrees in some areas, but not in others. SSP is also not intended to be a standalone intervention; it’s best used alongside other healing modalities and healing work, and has been shown to increase the effectiveness of other interventions as a result of creating more accessibility within the nervous system.
If you know or suspect that nervous system dysregulation plays a part in your current struggles or symptoms, it’s likely that SSP can benefit you in some way. We’ll get to discover together what those exact benefits are once we get your listening underway :)
what’s the process?
When you decide you’re interested in doing the Safe and Sound Protocol, the first step is to complete this form, which will give me a sense of factors we may need to consider in creating a safe and effective listening plan for you. I’ll contact you within a few days to address any immediate concerns and to schedule a 30-minute online consultation, and we’ll chat to confirm together that moving forward with SSP feels right.
From there, you’ll complete an intake form and consent form, and we’ll arrange payment and schedule your SSP Initial Session, a 90-minute online session in which you’ll begin listening to SSP through the Unyte Health app. We’ll create a plan for you to continue listening on your own, including simple adjustments and ways you can resource yourself to enhance your system’s receptivity to the music. After that, you’ll be listening to SSP independently, checking in with me frequently by email so that I can support and supervise your experience through the entire process. You’ll let me know about any changes with things like sleep, mood, focus, energy, digestion, sensitivities, symptoms, etc., so I can understand how your nervous system is responding and guide you to modify your listening to keep the process as gentle as possible, while allowing for the best possible improvements.
The Safe and Sound Protocol is 5 hours in length, but you’ll be listening to it in small segments at a time, and we’ll figure out together what the right amount and frequency of listening is for you. Delivering SSP at the pace of your unique nervous system is essential. Because many people with trauma histories, complex health conditions, or sensitive nervous systems will often need to begin listening in rather small increments, listening independently with my remote support allows for the greatest flexibility in your listening plan so your nervous system can feels as safe as possible receiving SSP. We’ll discuss all of these details and more in your consultation and SSP Initial Session, and I’ll be available to answer questions and address concerns throughout your time with SSP.
I decided to become a Certified Unyte Safe and Sound Protocol Provider in 2023, not just because I had such a positive experience doing SSP myself, but also because I had some genuinely bad experiences with it too…
I learned about SSP not long after I was introduced to Polyvagal Theory, and I was intensely curious about this intervention based on Porges’ theory which explains so well the nervous system’s role in trauma and healing. From 2018 to 2020 I completed SSP twice and attempted a third, all without success, experiencing various degrees of adverse responses each time. No one could give me an explanation for what I had experienced, which seemed in stark contrast to all the success stories I was hearing about SSP in polyvagal-informed communities. It seemed like another case of “I guess this works for everyone except for me,” an experience that a lot of trauma survivors are unfortunately familiar with.
As I continued to explore and understand the nervous system in my personal healing and professional work as a somatic coach and educator, I began to have ideas about why my system had responded so negatively to this music that was supposed to help me feel “safe.” In early 2023 I was led to a SSP provider who not only was able to help me make sense of my experiences with SSP, but also had started to specialize in using SSP with people like myself, whose nervous systems were differently sensitive as a result of trauma, chronic illness, or otherwise complex histories.
She guided me through trying SSP once again, but this time the pace and approach was dictated by my direct nervous system responses, instead of blanket protocol recommendations. The result was an expansion in my capacity and a stabilization in my regulation that I hadn’t previously been able to achieve after a series of life changes and challenges over the previous six years, including a major relationship betrayal, the illness and death of a parent, and social isolation as a result of the pandemic. After doing SSP in a way that worked for my nervous system, I was able to engage with life and with others in ways that hadn’t felt anywhere near accessible in a very long time, and without an adverse response.
I understand now firsthand how truly powerful a tool SSP can be for people with sensitive nervous systems struggling with the effects of complex trauma, early trauma, or chronic health issues, when it’s carefully tailored to the person who’s listening. And because I also understand firsthand the consequences of not letting the client’s nervous system lead the way, I believe I’m in a unique position to guide others with similar challenges more safely and effectively through the SSP process. In late 2023 I completed the training to become a Certified Unyte SSP Provider, and in early 2024 I trained further with the practitioner who led me through my first successful SSP experience, so I could learn more deeply and specifically how to deliver SSP in the most gentle manner to create the best possible outcome. I’d love to talk with you about how SSP might support your own healing. If you’re interested, let me know here, and I’ll be in touch soon.
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You’ll need two electronic devices for your SSP Initial Session: one on which you’ll download the Unyte Health app and listen to the SSP music (e.g a smartphone or tablet, Apple or Android) and a separate device (e.g. a laptop or desktop) on which we’ll connect over Zoom.
You’ll also need over-the ear headphones (ear buds will not work) that completely surround and cup the ear, without noise-cancelling and without bass-enhancement (unless those features can be turned off). The headphones will need to connect to the device on which you’ve downloaded the app; if they don’t have Bluetooth, you may need a special adaptor to plug them into your device. If you don’t currently have headphones that fit these criteria, OneOdio A70 (bluetooth + wired) and OneOdio A71 (wired only) are two that Unyte recommends.
Once you have the headphones you’ll be using, be sure to test their connection with your device BEFORE your SSP Initial Session, to ensure our scheduled time can be used as intended!
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Because we don’t know how your nervous system will respond to SSP, it’s unfortunately not possible to accurately predict how long it will take for you to complete listening to the 5 hours. Clients with a trauma history, complex health issues, sensory sensitivities, or a sensitive constitution in general typically need to begin listening in relatively small segments—often a minute or a few minutes at a time, and sometimes less than a minute to start. It’s common for listening time to gradually increase over the course of SSP as the body becomes accustomed to the frequencies and to the process. You may also find that some hours of SSP need to happen at a slower rate, while others can be comfortably completed a bit faster.
We want SSP to “drip” sounds of safety to your nervous system, not “blast” sounds of safety at it(!) so as not to risk overwhelming your body with strong discomfort or dysregulation. Moving at the pace that’s appropriate for you might mean completing SSP in a few weeks, or over several months. Your payment allows you 6 months of access and supervision for one round of SSP, which is sufficient for the majority of clients. Additional time to complete the protocol is available if needed for a much smaller fee.
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There are some conditions and circumstances under which SSP may not be indicated or ideal:
If you’re currently in crisis and/or feeling a strong sense of urgency about needing relief as soon as possible, SSP isn’t the best place to start. While improvements can show up with SSP early on, there’s no way to predict or guarantee when or to what degree this will happen. It’s often a better idea to seek different support to help stabilize the nervous system a little bit more before considering beginning SSP.
If your current living situation or other primary life circumstances are unsafe or highly unpredictable, this may not be the best time to do SSP. SSP helps your nervous system learn to feel safe when relative safety is actually present. Trying to tell the body to feel safe when safety isn’t available is incongruent, ineffective, and not what SSP is designed to support.
It’s recommended to hold off on SSP if you’re expecting to have major dental work (aside from routine cleanings). If you have any other invasive medical procedure or surgery on the horizon, we also may need to wait to begin SSP.
SSP is contraindicated for those experiencing psychosis, suicidal ideation, or self-harm, as well as for people with active or uncontrolled seizures. Tinnitus is also generally contraindicated, with some exceptions.
If you’re interested in SSP, I’m happy to talk with you about your particular situation. Your safety is primary, and I’ll only agree to work with you if I believe SSP can be delivered safely and with adequate support ✨
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It’s important to understand that the Safe and Sound Protocol isn’t a treatment for any particular condition. It’s an intervention that supports better nervous system regulation, and better regulation creates the possibility of a wide variety of improvements in your mental, emotional, and physical health. If nervous system dysregulation is a factor in the particular condition you’re struggling with, it’s likely SSP can support you in some way, and I’m happy to talk with you about this further.
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You’re welcome to read more about SSP directly from Unyte Health here.
your SSP program includes:
✦ One 90-minute SSP Initial Session with me on Zoom to begin your listening, support you in feeling at ease with the process, and create a plan for your independent listening to be as safe and beneficial as possible.
✦ Access to SSP on the Unyte Health app for up to 6 months to complete 1 round of SSP Core (the primary and original SSP pathway).
✦ Email support and supervision with me throughout your SSP process.
✦ My SSP Getting Started Guide and SSP Guide to Independent Listening, to provide you with important information and reminders all in one place.
✦ If needed, additional time to complete one round of SSP Core is $50/month (includes access to app + email supervision and support).
✦ If desired, supplemental 1:1 SSP Support Sessions may be scheduled with me on Zoom for $120/hour or $60/30 minutes.
$630
payment plans available