What is The Safe and Sound Protocol?

Talk Therapy doesn’t feel safe or accessible to everyone, especially kids, who don’t always have the words for what they are experiencing. When this is the case, nervous system interventions are a great place to start. The nervous system is what drives our reactions and behaviour when under stress. And let’s face it, we have all been under a lot of stress. Prolonged stress makes it harder to think clearly, and control our emotions and behaviour. It also makes it harder for us to reach out for help, even when we need it most. Luckily, there are ways, such as using the Safe and Sound Protocol, to look after your nervous system and make the help you need feel more accessible. The Safe and Sound Protocol is a great place to start if you or your child is struggling with ADHD, Anxiety, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Trauma-related difficulties, and/or Auditory Sensitivities.

What is the Safe and Sound Protocol?

The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a non-invasive listening intervention designed to help you feel better, think better, and connect better.  The Safe and Sound Protocol is an application of Polyvagal Theory which was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, a Distinguished University Scientist and Professor of Psychiatry, after decades of research on the human nervous system. Polyvagal Theory has been celebrated in the field for bringing a new understanding to many challenges people face.

How Does Safe and Sound Protocol Work?

The Safe and Sound Protocol works by exposing the nervous system to the full range of the human voice by delivering specially treated popular music through headphones.

So basically, you download the SSP app to your phone, put some headphones on, and listen to music that has been specially treated to deliver a “re-set” to your poly-vagal nervous system. There are different playlists to choose from. Kids can listen to music from popular Disney films. Adults can listen to familiar favourites that you would hear on the radio, classical music, or you can listen to Disney music if you prefer - especially if you’re listening alongside your child.

The music you are listening to has been specially treated to expose the part of your hearing system that connects to the fight/flight/freeze part of your nervous system, while you are in a calm environment and in “co-regulation” with a therapist or support person. This serves to “re-tune” or re-set your nervous system so that it is less easily triggered and you feel safer on a subconscious level, making it easier for you to feel better, think better and connect better with others.

Before completing the Safe and Sound treatment, we do an assessment to ensure that the treatment is indicated for you. You then listen to some of this music on your own and some with one of our therapists.

While listening to the Safe and Sound Protocol Music, it is common for some physical sensations to come up in the body such as pressure in your head or butterflies in your stomach. When these sensations come up, you pause the music and engage in co-regulation with your therapist.  Co-regulation is when the therapist engages with you through a variety of techniques to help you bring your body back to calm. You then resume the listening.

You can complete the Safe and Sound Protocol at home, or in our office space, which has been designed to offer comfort to adults and children alike. We provide the Safe and Sound Protocol to anyone living in Ontario.

What Can the Safe and Sound Protocol Help with?

The Safe and Sound Protocol helps adults and children to better regulate their emotions and their behaviour, as well as helping them to better engage socially. This means that it is appropriate to use the Safe and Sound Protocol to complement other therapies for ADHD, Anxiety, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Trauma-related difficulties, and Auditory Sensitivities.

Special Considerations for The Safe and Sound Protocol:

My child won’t sit still

Our office is designed for children who won’t sit still! We invite children into a space where they can draw, play, move, and take comfort in our Sensory Swing. Movement is part of regulation so we are really not into restricting movement and we work with your child to establish patterns of movement that work with the listening, or take listening breaks to blow off some steam. We are located beside a park, so when needed, we take it outside!

If your child is completing the Safe and Sound Protocol at home, we work with you to set your child up for success with the listening and accommodate any need for movement.

Safe and Sound Protocol Side Effects

While listening to the Safe and Sound Protocol Music, it is possible to experience physical sensations or tiredness during and after listening such as pressure in the head or headache, butterflies in your stomach or stomach ache, a racing heart or other feelings of anxiety. You may also be reminded of difficult memories or emotions.

Many people complete the Safe and Sound Protocol without experiencing side effects. Your therapist is there to help you monitor and notice any reactions you have to the listening so that together, you can manage these to minimize discomfort and maximize benefits. This is also a great opportunity process and heal any difficult emotions or memories so that you can move forward in life calmer and more connected.

Why does my nervous system need retuning?

Our nervous systems were built for real danger, like running from tigers and bears or fighting or freezing to survive. Our living conditions have evolved rapidly and our nervous systems have not. These days it doesn’t take a tiger, or even a major trauma, to put our nervous systems on high alert.

Often, our nervous system gets into high alert mode after several instances over time of social rejection or relational conflict. A lack of consistent attunement from a caring adult is also a common contributor to a nervous system that is on heightened alert. You can link to our blog on Attunement here.

How long does it take to complete the Safe and Sound Protocol?

The fastest one would be able to complete the Safe and Sound Protocol would be in 5 days, by listening to one hour of music per day. In accordance with the direction of Dr. Stephen Porges, we take a “less is more” approach and go at your pace.

This means that it could take weeks to complete all of the listenings. Hours one and three of the five hours of listening are completed with one of our therapists, as these are the parts of the system that most commonly trigger a need for co-regulation and we want to ensure that we are there to help you feel very well supported.

If you are completing the listening virtually, the fastest it can be completed is in ten days, as we reduce the maximum daily listening to 30 minutes. Because we use the Safe and Sound Protocol as a compliment to the other therapies we provide, we often plan for several weeks of sessions to provide a fulsome approach to addressing your concerns (or your child’s).

Safe and Sound Protocol Evidence

The Safe and Sound Protocol is a research-based and evidence-informed treatment that is intended to be used alongside other therapies to significantly enhance their effectiveness. Further research is being completed to explore the potential benefits of SSP for a variety of presenting problems. For more details on the research completed, and planned for the SSP, click here: https://integratedlistening.com/research/#SSP

Summary

In summary, the Safe and Sound Protocol is a nervous system intervention that involves listening to specially treated music with a trained therapist, to help you think more clearly, better manage your emotions and behaviour, and connect better socially. It can help with many different social, emotional and behavioural concerns.

To see if the Safe and Sound Protocol is right for you or your child, contact us for a free consultation.