Drawing from the Polyvagal Theory of Dr Stephen Porges, the Safe and Sound protocol (SSP) is a listening therapy that helps to regulate your nervous system.
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What is the Safe & Sound Protocol?
The Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP) is a listening therapy that stimulates the vagus nerve and helps to regulate the nervous system. The SSP uses music which has been specially modulated to adapt the sound frequencies. The delivery of the SSP is not a standalone therapy but works alongside your current therapy.
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What are the benefits of SSP?
Reported benefits of the SSP are:
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Increased ability for emotional regulation
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Reduction of psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression, dissociation, fears and phobias
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Better capacity for attention, problem solving, organisation and planning
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Less impulsivity and hyperactivity
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Better sleep, body awareness and gastrointestinal function
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Improved sensory processing
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Increased social behaviours such as affection, connection with others, facial expressivity and vocal prosody
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How does it work?
The sound frequencies used give your middle ear a "workout" to allow mid range frequencies (those associated with safety) to be better perceived. Mid frequencies send cues of safety through the cranial nerves associated with the social engagement system and support the ability to regulate the autonomic state.
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What is the process?
If you are interested in trying the SSP, you would sign up for therapy with either talk therapy or EMDR as usual but stating that you would like to enhance your therapy with the SSP. In your initial sessions, we would take a history as usual but we would also complete some assessments and do some nervous system mapping to give us a starting point. We would then work together to create a delivery program that would be best suited to you. This would take into consideration your history, current ailments, how well you know your nervous system and your support network outside of therapy. In some cases clients will solely listen in sessions. In some cases, clients will be asked to listen at home within parameters agreed in session. If you listen at hoe as part of your program, I will be in touch ore often via email or text to check in on how you are progressing.
Once you have completed the course of SSP, you will be asked to complete assessments and your talk therapy or EMDR will continue as usual. Many clients will repeat their SSP intervention multiple times per year.
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If you would like to learn more about the SSP, you can visit this link.
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If you are interested in learning more about the SSP and whether it may be right for you, please get in touch with me here. Information on fees for the SSP can be found here.​​