What is the Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP)?

Your nervous system is primed to keep you alive and out of harm’s way. When there is impending danger, you react automatically with a fight, flight or freeze response.  For those who experience trauma, chronic health conditions, or toxic stress, the nervous system can get “stuck” in this fight, flight or freeze state.  This can deplete your energy, increase your reactivity, and leave you much less able to connect in your relationships.  

Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is an evidence-based treatment developed by Dr. Stephen Porges based on the Polyvagal Theory.  SSP is a multiday treatment designed to reset the nervous system. This intervention builds and strengthens neurological pathways that allows you to soak in and savor your bodily experiences of safety and calm.  This opens the door to greater tolerance of stress and change and greater accuracy in reading cues from others. It creates a nervous system that is more open to whatever might come next.  

What does an SSP session look like?

We will start by helping you create a personal map of your own nervous system, so you become aware of your patterns of response to ease and distress.  From there we provide you with calibrated music designed to signal to your nervous system that you are safe to down regulate (calm down). The music is heard through headphones in your own home while you engage in a relaxing activity or rest/close your eyes. A therapist certified in offering SSP will support you during and in between sessions.

We will guide you to train your nervous system to be more aware, regulated, and resilient in effectively responding to life’s challenges.  Our programs include music, movement, breathing, meditation, and language exercises that nourish the nervous system to enable meaningful and lasting changes in physiological state and quality of life. 

Clients describe feeling calmer and less anxious (less fear-based thinking), reacting less to stimuli in environment (loud sounds, stranger comes too close), less swept up by emotions.  Our clients report more ease identifying their emotions and needs and a greater ability to process human speech.  Improvements in sleep and digestion have also been reported after completing SSP.

Who might benefit from SSP?

The SSP is a research-based therapy that has shown meaningful results in just five days in the following areas:

  • Social and emotional difficulties (hypervigilance, distractibility,  impulsiveness, melt-downs, dissociative states, behavioral shut-down, hypoarousal, irritability, anger)

  • Sound sensitivities (Misophonia, Tinnitus, Menieres Disease, difficulty processing speech/meaning, staying present in human conversation)

  • Anxiety (chronic anxiety, social anxiety, presentation anxiety, fear of public speaking)

  • Trauma (PTSD, sleep problems due to worry and ruminating)

What to expect?

Some of the changes that occur with SSP may occur immediately - every person responds slightly differently due to their unique histories, patterns, and goals. Most changes occur over 3 months or more as the individual is able to engage and relate in new ways. SSP is not a quick-fix or cure-all but it can create physiological changes that are otherwise difficult to attain. It can set you up to continue the healing process on your own. 

For a free consultation call us at (646) 770-0535 or email us at info@realtalktherapynyc.com to learn more about our services.