The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a listening therapy designed to soothe your nervous system so you can begin healing from chronic stress, feel more at ease, and reconnect with yourself, others, and the world around you.
The SSP is based in neuroscience, which helps us understand how stress impacts people’s emotions, behavior, and relationships. By gently shifting existing nervous system patterns of stress response, the SSP can help you feel more regulated, grounded, and connected.
Soothe Your Nervous System
Why SSP?
Your nervous system is meant to generally live in a state of ease, but to be able to meet temporary demands of stress when needed. Unfortunately, many of us - even children and teens - become stuck in patterns of stress. This can be physically and emotionally exhausting, often leading to feeling anxious or shut down.
SSP music has been designed by neuroscientists to help soothe the nervous system. SSP is particularly effective when paired with an accessible understanding of how the nervous system works, strategies to manage stress, and other healing modalities.
Re-Pattern Your Nervous System
How does SSP work?
SSP helps to gently re-pattern your stressed nervous system by stimulating the vagus nerve through the ears. This nerve plays a powerful role in both your social engagement and stress response systems.
By improving the function of the vagus nerve and integrating practices to nurture the nervous system, clients often notice improvements such as better emotional regulation, more attuned connection with others, improved sleep, focus, resilience, and increased feelings of steadiness and contentment in their life and families.
Discover the benefits of SSP
When working with a knowledgeable and supportive facilitator, SSP can be very effective for people experiencing a variety of challenges.
SSP may be a great option for you, and/or your child or teen, if any of the following resonates:
Struggling with attention, focus, or follow-through
Feeling disconnected from others, shut down, or a lack of motivation to engage in usual activities
Difficulty advocating for yourself or setting boundaries
Frustrated with or lacking patience when handling children’s emotions or behavior
Lacking enjoyment with or feeling disconnected from your children or friends.
Feeling burned out or disengaged at school or work
Burdened with carrying the problems or emotions of others
Struggling to connect with other people or feel at ease in relationships
Coping with your own, or a loved one’s, chronic illness or chronic pain
Recovering from or grieving a difficult life event, traumatic experience, or loss
You are often feeling stressed, which may impact personal wellbeing, relationships, or sleep
Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, getting stuck in worry, or difficulty feeling at ease even in quiet moments
Having problems with emotional or behavioral regulation
Feeling stuck with a lack of change and progress in traditional talk therapy
If you are a parent, educator, or caregiver, your coaching sessions will include strategies to help you provide attuned support and co-regulation for children and teens, supporting healthier development and nervous system resilience. Engaging in SSP can help you to do this with more presence, compassion, and less burnout.
Interested in learning more about the SSP?
Ready to get started?
Schedule a free consultation with Katy.
SSP can also be highly effective when paired with other therapies. Katy cannot diagnose or formally treat physical or mental health disorders but can help clients connect with appropriate clinicians if indicated. She welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with your, or your child’s, care team to integrate SSP as a supplemental therapeutic approach.
Families often benefit from both parent(s) and child(ren) completing SSP: in this case, we usually have a parent begin the protocol first to increase their own ability to self-regulate and become a more effective co-regulator for their child as they complete the protocol.