What is Safe and Sound Protocol and who is it for?
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a powerful listening therapy designed to help regulate the nervous system, so you can better connect with yourself, others and the world around you.
Our bodies are always searching for safety cues from other humans. These come in the form of physical tells like a smile or soft eye contact and cause our nervous system to downregulate threat responses, which benefits our mental health. Some people have a more difficult time interpreting safety cues either because of past experiences or due to the way they process information leads to their brain misinterpreting these cues, limiting their ability to connect in a meaningful way. The safe and sound protocol works by playing music that has been put through an algorithm that highlights and isolates specific sound frequencies that are similar to the human voice.
The SSP includes a mix of classical music, popular music, and children's music. These sounds send cues of safety to your nervous system, which helps build trust and calms your nervous system down. This will regulate your stress response, cause an improvement in emotional regulation, and foster more social connections. The safe and sound protocol is a method that is effective for people struggling with depression and anxiety or for people with neurodevelopmental differences, such as autism and ADHD. It is also shown to be effective when combined with other types of therapies including occupational therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Somatic Experiencing, and Cognitive behavioural therapy. SSP is shown to be effective for listeners of all ages and can quickly make a difference in your life and your child's life.
SSP is supportive for all ages.
SSP works specifically well with teenagers who aren't very expressive of their feelings, as it does not require them to speak like in a typical therapy session. This opens up a whole world of therapy that supports emotional regulation without requiring teenagers to open up and express their feelings to a stranger. Kids who are nervous about going to therapy and are unsure of what to talk about no longer have to experience that due to SSP. Classic therapy requires a lot of work on both ends, from the therapist who asks the questions and the client who has to speak and express themselves. This no longer has to be the case because with SSP therapy, specific types of clients who were prevented from doing therapy before due to a lack of speaking skills, now have access to it. These types of people include young children and neurodivergent individuals. These groups who often are not able to speak effectively, are now able to listen to sounds that help them interact in social situations.
Overall SSP therapy is very exciting as it opens the world of therapy to new groups who weren't able to access it before. It helps us feel more comfortable in social situations and can lower our guard in other types of therapy to help further our growth.
Empowered Solutions Counselling team members are trained in Safe & Sound Protocol and can help create a treatment plan for your child.
Your “easy to talk to therapist”
Kimberly Castle, Master Therapeutic Counsellor
Our team
Kimberly Castle is a Registered Counsellor with a private practice in beautiful Kelowna, BC. She focuses on Kelowna Counselling Solutions to empower individuals in all areas of their life. In her practice, she and her team work with individuals on various topics, including trauma, self-esteem, and counselling for children.
Blog contribution by Olson Russello, an undergraduate student at the University of Washington
