SSP

What is the SSP and how can it help?

Feel Better
Feel more safe, calm, grounded and resilient.
Feel less irritable, anxious and overwhelmed.

Think Better
Think more clearly, attentively, and creatively.
Think less rigidly, disorganized and distractible.

Connect Better
Connect more openly, genuinely and wholly.
Connect less guardedly, distantly and oppositionally.

"My teenage daughter went through SSP with Michelle, and she is now more open with me about her feelings on a regular basis, as well as seeking my guidance. This tells me she feels more safe and secure, after serious extra-familial trauma and passing on of loved ones the last couple years of her life."
-a client
"After completing the SSP, my son's stomach aches stopped, he stopped waking up in the night except on occasion, and his meltdowns drastically reduced and he could come out of them much more quickly and read the situation more accurately! It is like I had my son back."
--mom of a 8 year old boy who experienced secondary trauma

The SSP:
https://youtu.be/baalpOg3Yts
and
https://www.tiktok.com/@amandamedwardslpc/video/7038787363035827461

The Safe and Sound Protocol was developed based on the Polyvagal Theory. The theory is named for the vagus cranial nerve that regulates bodily state. It is the only nerve in the body that starts in the brainstem and runs through the entire body. Vagus nerve function is a strong determinant of health. The SSP uses an acoustic channel that targets the Vagus nerve, affecting the autonomic nervous system, and therefore the physiological state; helping one return to a calm state (parasympathic nervous system) and helps build resilience to think, feel, and connect better.

Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a five hour auditory intervention designed to reduce stress and auditory sensitivity while enhancing social engagement and resilience. Based on Dr. Porges’ Polyvagal Theory, by calming the physiological and emotional state, the door is opened for improved communication and more successful therapy. The SSP is a research-based therapy showing significant results in just five hours in the following areas:

Social, emotional and attachment disorders
Auditory hypersensitivity
Body organization
Nervous system dysregulation
Learning,cognition and attention difficulty
Sensory processing differences
Stress-related physical conditions

Based on Dr. Porges’ Polyvagal Theory, the program is derived from nearly four decades of research on the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and social-emotional processes. It is designed to stimulate nervous system regulation by exercising and systematically challenging the auditory system with specifically processed music. The music trains the auditory pathways by focusing on the frequency envelope of human speech. As the client learns to process these speech-related frequencies, they improve the functioning of two cranial nerves that are important for promoting overall social behavior. Cranial Nerve VII (Facial Nerve) helps clients focus on human voice and tune out irrelevant frequencies. Cranial Nerve X (Vagus Nerve) enables self-soothing and autonomic regulation.
"We look, speak and listen with the same system. When the voice changes, the body responds. As we learn to focus on the sound frequencies of human speech through the SSP program, the vagus nerve becomes stimulated and the state of feeling more safe and calm becomes accessible."

"The SSP exercises the neural pathways associated with regulating behavioral state and social engagement. These are aspects of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). And just as the brain is plastic and can change based on experience, the ANS is also plastic. The SSP has been shown in peer-reviewed research to significantly increase vagal regulation of the heart. This has the effect of better control of state."

Click here to see a video explaining the Polyvagal Theory

We know it is beneficial to couple the SSP with supportive therapies that promote a calm state and neurological support, so I am offering packages with pediatric and therapeutic massage along with the SSP for those of you who are local. However, the SSP can be done remotely in your own home, so you can be located anywhere to access this service. Contact me and let me know if you are interested and what you would need.

Contact Me