Meet the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
Improve your thinking skills, emotional well-being and social interactions through regulation of your nervous system.
Just five hours of music, long-lasting impact
The SSP is a powerful listening therapy designed to help regulate your nervous system.
So that you can better connect with yourself, others and the world around you.
It was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges and is based on the Polyvagal theory.
It uses filtered and coded music to calm the nervous system and activate the vagus nerve, which helps us feel safe and connect with others.
People need social connection
Our nervous system constantly (unconsciously) looks for signs of safety in interactions with others. This includes analyzing body language, facial expressions and tone of voice.
Wanneer het moeilijk wordt om deze veiligheidssignalen te interpreteren vanwege eerdere ervaringen. Kunnen de hersenen en het lichaam deze signalen op een verkeerde manier begrijpen, dit beperkt dan het vermogen om op een diep niveau
verbinding te maken.
This is called Neuroception,
you can read more about it here.
How does the SSP work?
With carefully filtered and edited music, the SSP sends targeted signals of safety to the nervous system, helping to develop awareness, body awareness and resilience.
Benefits of nervous system regulation
Improved response to stress
Wanneer ons zenuwstelsel in balans is, ervaren we meer plezier in onze dagelijkse activiteiten. We genieten meer van maaltijden en het verteren van voedsel gaat makkelijker. We herstellen beter en zijn minder kwetsbaar. We kunnen ons
beter concentreren op taken. En we zijn beter in staat om onszelf te verbinden met andere mensen.
BENEFITS OF REGULATING THE SENSE SYSTEM by the SSP
Improved emotional regulation and resilience
Tune into your emotions and gain a greater degree of control over your feelings. So that you can overcome setbacks more easily. You can handle challenging situations better. And you can let them go more easily when they are over.
It becomes easier to look at your emotions with distance and therefore make a different choice. This creates a difference between reacting and responding. You do the former from an emotion and the latter from your consciousness.
Better social connections through the SSP
More social connection and deeper relationships
The SSP activates the brain region that regulates our capacity for social interaction, affection and connection.
The SSP music helps the body and mind relax and feel safe again by acting directly on the autonomic nervous system via the vagus nerve.
As a result, the SSP can support you in reaching a state where you feel more relaxed and at ease when interacting with others. This in turn also allows for deeper and more meaningful relationships.
Frequencies that regulate your nervous system
De muziek die wordt gebruikt in het SSP is uniek in zijn soort. Elk nummer ondergaat een zorgvuldig proces waarbij het wordt gefilterd door een gepatenteerd algoritme. Dit bevat specifieke geluidsfrequenties die overeenkomen met de
kenmerken van een veilige menselijke stem.
In your easy chair
Experience the SSP at home or in our practice
You can listen to the SSP music almost anywhere. We offer it online through Unyte's app and then guide you remotely.
And we offer it at our practice in Utrecht.
We always look at what suits you best. And you'll get a personal customized listening plan.
Safe and effective
Safe and effective for all ages and families
The SSP has helped more than 1,000,000 children, adolescents and adults in more than 70 countries worldwide.
Voor kinderen is er ook een speciale versie met kindermuziek. Het SSP is een krachtige ondersteuning om kinderen te helpen door grote veranderingen heen te gaan (zoals het starten van school, verhuizen, op vakantie gaan) en zich
voor te bereiden op deelname aan andere therapeutische interventies.
The SSP is also effective with children with a bullying history, helping them feel safe at school again.
What is your role?
All you have to do is listen
As a listener, all you have to do during a session is listen to the music. And afterwards, you can share any notable feelings or sensations, both emotional and physical with your practitioner.
If you like, you can also engage in relaxing activities during your listening sessions, such as stretching, breathing exercises or drawing.
You will receive detailed listening instructions so you know exactly what to do.
What does your practitioner do?
Your provider is your guide during your SSP journey
Wij zijn door Unyte opgeleid om ervoor te zorgen dat je goed voorbereid bent, zelfs voordat je begint met luisteren naar de muziek. We geven je vooraf alle instructies en een geschikt luisterplan. Daarnaast staan we altijd klaar om
al je vragen te beantwoorden.
For parents or guardians, we offer guidance to properly support your child in taking the SSP.
What does it help with?
The SSP supports many symptoms and conditions
The SSP helps to reduce symptoms and complaints in:
- Stress-related disorders
- Anxiety Disorders
- Traumatic experiences
- Sensory processing problems
- Concentration and attention problems
- Emotional regulation problems
- Sleep disorders
- Communication and social interaction problems
The SSP is a suitable tool for people with various conditions such as ASD, SPS, ADHD/ADD, trauma and PTSD. And it can help with gastrointestinal problems caused by over stimulation of the nervous system.
Works with other Therapies
Combine, support and strengthen
This therapy can be used in combination with other treatments and increases their effectiveness.
Such as:
- Neurological treatments, such as occupational therapy, play therapy and sensory integration therapy
- Other forms of mental health and trauma therapies, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Somatic Experiencing® (SE) and BrainSpotting
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other forms of talk therapy
The SSP is useful as an adjunct to other treatments and can support various areas of healing and development.
Discover the science behind the SSP
The SSP was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges based on extensive research known as the Polyvagal Theory
. This theory is the result of decades of research.
To get a better idea of the science behind the SSP, it is important to first understand our own body and nervous system.
the autonomic nervous system
Sympathetic and parasympathetic
Our autonomic body functions, such as breathing, heart rate and digestion, are regulated by our autonomic nervous system.
This consists of two parts that work together, to help us go through life.
These parts of our nervous system are called sympathetic (gas pedal) and parasympathetic (brake pedal).
Sympathetic nervous system
Fight or flight!
The sympathetic nervous system can be thought of as a defense system that supports our "fight-or-flight" responses.
It acts like a gas pedal, activating internal resources in response to danger. This can result in an accelerated heart rate, rapid and shallow breathing, tension in the neck and shoulders, and feelings of anxiety.
Parasympathetic nervous system
Rest and recovery
The parasympathetic nervous system is often considered the "rest-and-recovery" state, which helps us heal, recover and maintain energy when we feel safe.
(It is important to note that the "fight-or-flight" state and the "rest-and-recovery" state can look different for everyone).
Safe or unsafe?
Your autonomic nervous system is always asking the question, "Am I safe?"
But what if it is tuned to feel unsafe?
The Polyvagal Theory
a Revolutionizing the way we view the body's response to stress
two paths, two functions
The basis of our Wellness
According to Polyvagal theory, the autonomic nervous system is the basis of our well-being.
Thanks to Dr. Porges' Polyvagal theory, we now understand that the vagus nerve, is an essential part of the parasympathetic nervous system.
And that it has two structural paths, each with different functions.
Path of safety
When we feel safe
Feeling safe helps us connect with others and improves our brain and body functions.
According to polyvagal theory, this state is called the "Social Engagement State," in which we feel calm, connected and more resilient. And ready to take on life's challenges.
path of insecurity
If we don't feel safe
When we do not feel safe, our autonomic nervous system responds by taking action. In this state, we may notice anxiety, rapid breathing and a feeling of warmth or quick anger.
Als het gevoel van onveiligheid aanhoudt, zal een andere tak van het parasympathische zenuwstelsel ons afsluiten. In deze toestand kunnen we extreme vermoeidheid ervaren, problemen met de spijsvertering hebben of gevoelens van depressie
en onverbondenheid ervaren. Ons lichaam doet dit om onze hulpbronnen te behouden en ons in leven te houden.
When our nervous system locks up
Het autonome zenuwstelsel ontvangt voortdurend signalen van andere mensen, onze omgeving en zelfs vanuit ons eigen lichaam, die ons vertellen of we veilig zijn. Hoe vaker ons zenuwstelsel zich onveilig voelt, hoe groter de kans is
dat we vastlopen.
everything is unsafe
What might it look like to "get stuck?"
- Signals from other people, the environment and from your own body communicate to your nervous system that there is danger and that it is not safe.
- In response, your nervous system will mobilize to "fight or flight" or shut down.
- Because your nervous system feels unsafe, it becomes increasingly difficult to tune into signals of safety.
How do you recognize a dysregulated zENUWSTELSEL?
From calm to restlessness
When the autonomic nervous system struggles to return to a "safe" state, the following symptoms may occur:
- Difficulty with digestion, eating or swallowing
- Problems falling asleep and staying asleep, or just oversleeping
- Rapid or shallow breathing, changes in heart rate and blood pressure
- Experiencing challenges in connecting with other people, feelings of isolation or loneliness and anxiety
- Difficulty with concentration, mental clarity or creativity
Why does the SSP help with this?
When you listen to the SSP, the music works to interrupt this feedback loop and redirect it with signals of safety, helping your nervous system to regulate.
back to safety
Ready to enjoy life again
By regulating your nervous system, you can better cope with life's challenges.
Can you regain access to learning and other cognitive functions.
And are you again able to build and maintain positive social relationships.
additional course
Integrate the Polyvagal theory
To provide you with additional support and long-term support and integration of the SSP, we have expanded it to include a course based on Polyvagal Theory.
In this course, you will learn how to recognize your reactions to stress and anxiety and what you can do to return to a state of safety.
Participation in this course is not mandatory. and you can take it at your own pace. You can also choose to listen to only the SSP.