I’ve added the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) as another tool to help reduce stress, anxiety, and trauma. It’s a deceptively simple but very powerful way of facilitating the regulation of your nervous system.
From the SSP web site:
“The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a five-day auditory intervention designed to reduce stress and auditory sensitivity while enhancing social engagement and resilience. Based on the Polyvagal Theory, by calming the physiological and emotional state, the door is opened for improved communication and more successful therapy.”
From the Safe and Sound Protocol website — see more here: https://integratedlistening.com/porges/
It’s an interesting intervention. It’s based on the Polyvagal Theory (this article explains it relatively simply) and helps regulate our emotional and physiological state. I’ve done it twice now (they recommend waiting several months between sessions to give your system time to process all the changes), and each time have noticed a significant reduction in my stress and anxiety level — opening the door for more clarity, creativity, and peace.
In addition to reducing ongoing stress — so helpful in these really intense times — it’s helped reduce the internal load I generally carry in social interactions: they’re just a lot easier. I feel less self-conscious, and so it’s easier to feel a richer connection with the other person. The “outside” might look the same, but the “inside” feels really different.
This is what one user said after going through the “Core” program:
SSP was a life saver in these trying times! The election, the pandemic, pain from an injury, and economic worries had me in a state of depression and paralyzing anxiety. After 3 days of 15-minute sessions on the SSP protocol, I was able to quickly dispatch months of busywork. I was singing and petting my dogs again. I’m still anxious – with good reason – but I am no longer paralyzed. Before, when I would suddenly get several texts and emails related to my business, I would feel so overwhelmed that I could not respond quickly. Now I deal with the avalanches quickly and efficiently. No overwhelm! The results are similar to neurofeedback, but SSP is easier.
Think about using the Safe and Sound Protocol if you want help with:
- Anxiety
- Trauma and PTSD
- Social anxiety
- Stress
- Problems focusing
- Auditory sensitivities
- Chronic pain
- Emotional reactivity or disregulation
What the Core protocol is:
The protocol is deceptively simple: you listen through headphones to specially filtered music, for an hour a day, for 5 days. That’s it. Your system will continue to process all the changes over the next coming months, but you may feel improvements almost immediately, as I and others have.
Some people have more sensitive systems, and the hour a day can be too much. We will talk about what kind of responses to look for that may indicate a need to throttle back. Some people do better with 30 minutes a day, for 10 days. Or 15 minutes a day for 20 days. Less is more, so it’s not “better” to force yourself to go through it in 5 days, if you overload your system in the process.
Which is why with the SSP Core rental, you can keep it up to 30 days, so you can go through the process at your own best pace.
Integrated Listening Systems (ILS) has just released additional protocols as adjuncts to this original protocol, which they now call “SSP Core.”
“SSP Connect” is an unfiltered intro to the Core protocol, and gets you used to the process.
“SSP Balance” is a more lightly filtered version of the Core, meant to be used as a way of extending the benefits of the Core program, and can be used every day.
All protocols can be digitally transferred to you, through the Unyte app — you just need to supply your own over-the-ear headphones. Earbuds don’t work as well.
What about kids?
It was originally designed for kids on the spectrum, to help them with social interactions. It’s great for kids — who might be wrestling with all kinds of different problems.
There are two playlists — one for adults and one for kids.
The trick is to get them to listen to some degree to the music — it’s different from using the NeurOptimal neurofeedback system (where it doesn’t matter whether your conscious mind is attending to the feedback or not). It’s important to be aware on some conscious level of what you are hearing.
So kids can do a puzzle, for example, but not watch TV. Play with Legos but not read an exciting book.
It’s really helpful — important, actually — that you be there with your child, while they’re listening to the music. You want to be there when their system opens up to more connection — even if that’s just a brief moment of eye contact and a smile. That could be everything! And it helps for you to make sure they’re occupied in a way that keeps them engaged with the music — you can chat about what they’re listening to, whether they like it, what their favorite song is, etc.
And remember, less is more, so if you can only get your child to listen for 10 or 15 minutes, that’s fine. Having them willing to do it again is more important than loading them up as fast as possible.