Safe and Sound Protocol: Support for a More Regulated Nervous System
If you’re feeling reactive, anxious, or emotionally shut down—and you’re looking for a way to reconnect with yourself and others—Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) might be a helpful addition to your healing.
As a somatic therapist, I use SSP alongside Somatic Experiencing and other body-based approaches to help clients regulate their nervous systems, feel more at ease in their bodies, and respond differently to life’s challenges.
Let’s talk about what SSP is, how it works, and how it might support your healing.
What Is Safe and Sound Protocol?
SSP is a music-based therapy that works directly with your nervous system. It uses specially filtered music to stimulate the vagus nerve, which plays a major role in how we experience safety and connection.
This protocol was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, based on his Polyvagal Theory—which explains how our bodies respond to safety and threat.
The music in SSP mimics the qualities of a soothing human voice. It’s designed to send cues of safety to the body, helping it shift out of protective states like fight, flight, freeze, or collapse.
What Happens During SSP?
Everyone responds to SSP differently. Some people feel calmer right away. Others notice their system resisting the experience of safety at first—and that’s normal. When your nervous system has been protecting you for a long time, even safety can feel unfamiliar.
That’s why SSP is not just about the music. It’s about how you listen, how much you listen, and who is with you while you listen.
As a licensed somatic therapist, I guide clients through the SSP process in a way that supports regulation, not overwhelm. That might mean:
Listening in short increments
Tracking shifts in posture, breath, or facial expression
Adding movement, stillness, or co-regulation (even with a pet!)
Adjusting the pace based on how your nervous system responds
We stay focused on “safe before sound”—making sure that the listening process is gentle and attuned.
How SSP Fits Into Somatic Therapy
SSP can be done as part of ongoing somatic therapy or as a standalone support (in coordination with other therapy or professional care).
I often integrate SSP into Somatic Experiencing sessions, using the body’s responses during listening to guide deeper healing work. For example, we might notice what helps your system settle, when overwhelm starts to creep in, or what types of movements help you reconnect.
This helps build nervous system flexibility—so you can move between comfort and discomfort without shutting down or becoming reactive.
Clients often describe experiencing:
Clearer thinking in stressful moments
More emotional ease
Less reactivity and shutdown
Greater connection with others
Some notice subtle shifts. Others experience more significant change, especially when SSP is paired with other somatic approaches.
Who Might Benefit from SSP?
SSP is designed to support nervous system regulation. That means it can be helpful for people dealing with:
Anxiety and emotional overwhelm
Chronic stress or trauma responses
Physical tension or pain linked to dysregulation
Sensory sensitivity
Social withdrawal or disconnection
Difficulty shifting out of “go-go-go” mode
I work with both adults and children using SSP. For kids and teens, I collaborate with parents and other providers to ensure the child has a supportive environment—because safety isn’t just about what happens during the session.
For adults, SSP can be a helpful first step—or a deepening support for work you’re already doing in therapy.
What SSP Looks Like in Practice
All SSP sessions with me are online. Clients listen to the music either:
With me present, during a therapy session
On their own, with check-ins and guidance from me
A hybrid model, combining both
We’ll work together to determine the best approach based on your needs.
Listening can be done while sitting, lying down, moving gently, or even cuddled up under a blanket. Some clients use an exercise ball, some pace the room, and others have their pet by their side.
There’s no “right” way to listen—what matters is that your system feels supported.
What Makes SSP Different from Other Therapies?
SSP is a body-based therapy. You don’t need to talk about your trauma or even understand exactly why your system feels the way it does.
The work is subtle—but powerful.
It helps your system recognize cues of safety, which in turn supports:
Better emotional regulation
Physical ease
Clearer boundaries
More capacity for connection
And unlike top-down therapies that work through thoughts and insight, SSP works from the bottom up—through your sensory system, brainstem, and body awareness.
Is SSP Right for You?
If your nervous system feels like it’s stuck in survival mode—always bracing, shutting down, or snapping into high alert—SSP might be a supportive place to begin.
It’s especially helpful if:
You’ve done talk therapy but still feel reactive or tense
Your system doesn’t respond well to mindset tools
You feel disconnected from your body or emotions
You want a quieter, gentler way to support healing
You don’t need to figure it all out on your own. We’ll work together to understand what’s happening in your body and what kind of support your system actually welcomes.
Hi, I’m Amy Hagerstrom, LCSW.
I’m a licensed somatic therapist offering online therapy for adults across Florida and Illinois. I specialize in Somatic Experiencing, Safe and Sound Protocol, and Rest and Restore Protocol.
If you’re curious about how SSP could support your nervous system and your healing, visit www.amyhagerstrom.com to learn more.
You deserve to feel more connected, less reactive, and more at ease in your body and your life.