Safe and Sound Program SSP

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.

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.

The Science Behind The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP): Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory Stephen Porges, Ph.D., is a behavioral neuroscientist who has been studying the body’s fight, flight or freeze, and rest and digest systems since the 1960s. His research into the vagal nerve system and how it works led to the groundbreaking Polyvagal theory which has revolutionized the treatment of trauma in the US.  Polyvagal theory states that there are three elements to the autonomic nervous system. It is not just fight-or-flight. There is a third element—freeze, or immobilization. And this element is very relevant to those of us with Long COVID.  His research has also shown that in all mammals, the autonomic state is integrated with the neural regulation of muscles in the middle ear, larynx, and pharynx.  This means that heart rate, as well as the many other functions of the autonomic nervous system (such as body temperature, gastro-intestinal issues, etc.) can be moderated by the use of these muscles.

The Safe and Sound Protocol

works with the Vagus Nerve via the aucustic training route. Your autonomic nervous system  is entrained by using sound and  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 small groups

The Vagus nerve is a very important nerve that connects all major trunk organs, and it originates in our gut. If there is inflammation in the gut due to COVID (which research is showing to be likely), it conveys a proinflammatory signal all the way to the brainstem at the back of the brain (where it ends). And as well as hitting all the major organs along the way and kicking off symptoms there, what’s crucial about the brain stem is that it controls the feelings of being sick, malaise, flu like symptoms, autonomic symptoms, nausea, ability to go from sitting to standing, all of which we recognize as classic symptoms of Long COVID.

 So a tiny impact on the vagal system from our gut causes a whole lot of symptoms.  It is also possible that there is viral persistence in the vagus nerve or the brain stem itself, which would exacerbate the system even further and cause even more of the symptoms above.  But wait you say, what does this have to do with the Safe and Sound Protocol??  Well sadly we don’t have good treatments yet to get the virus fully out of our body or eliminate inflammation. But the SSP will work in the other direction to restore Vagal tone and function so that these symptoms will subside on their own. The signal that is being sent to the brain stem is a false one!! And we can interrupt that! And then we can spend more time in rest and digest, which in turn allows the body’s natural immune system to fight off any remaining virus and truly heal.

SSP works optimally when done in conjunction with what we call co-regulation. This simply means warm and responsive interactions from a practitioner or coach.  It’s delivered through a convenient app-based digital platform (available on Android and iOS) and over-the-ear headphones and it’s important to do at least some of the listening in-session (via Zoom) so that this co-regulation can be provided.  I sugest 1-2 times a week for 20 minutes after we have determined the best approach for you. 

I can provide SSP on an individual or group basis. When delivered individually, we can tailor the speed of listening so it’s optimal to your nervous system’s response to the intervention. On a group basis, we will take a standard approach with sessions every two to three days.

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