Safe and Sound Protocol
Support Your Nervous System Through Sound and Connection
Online Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) support for adults in Florida and Illinois, with limited in-person availability in Delray Beach.
When your nervous system feels guarded or easily overwhelmed
You may already understand yourself well and still notice your body reacting quickly or intensely. Certain environments might feel overstimulating. Conversations can leave you more depleted than you expect. At times you feel wired. Other times you feel tired in a way that rest does not fully touch.
For some people, this shows up as sensory sensitivity or emotional reactivity. For others, it’s a nervous system that feels unsettled in ways that affect both mood and physical wellbeing. Even with insight and meaningful therapy, your system may still have trouble finding steadiness.
At certain points in our work, the next step is not more insight. It is gently supporting how your nervous system registers safety.
The Safe and Sound Protocol uses specially filtered music to help your system orient toward cues of safety through sound. I offer it within ongoing somatic therapy when your nervous system would benefit from additional support with regulation, connection, and capacity.
What is the Safe and Sound Protocol?
The Safe and Sound Protocol is a listening intervention that uses specially filtered music to support your nervous system.
It was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, the creator of Polyvagal Theory. His work explores how the nervous system responds to safety and threat, particularly in connection with other people.
The way we process sound influences how safe or guarded we feel. When your nervous system has been under prolonged stress, it can become more sensitive to auditory input and social engagement. SSP gently supports your system in recognizing cues of safety again.
Listening happens within ongoing therapy. We move at a pace that fits you, paying attention to how your body responds and adjusting as needed. The intention is to support greater steadiness and flexibility, not to override what your system is communicating.
Listening can look different from person to person and from session to session.
About Me
I’m Amy Hagerstrom, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), and certified Safe and Sound Protocol provider.
I came to this work both professionally and personally. I’ve lived with anxiety and complex trauma, and while insight and coping strategies helped, they did not change how my body responded under stress. Real change began when I started mind-body approaches and working at the level of the nervous system.
I have completed the Safe and Sound Protocol myself. As I moved through it, I noticed more space in stressful moments and was not pulled as quickly into worst-case thinking. I also experienced a reduction in my sensitivity to sound. I offer this work because I believe in approaches I understand firsthand.
If you sense that talk therapy alone has not been enough and you’re open to working at the level of the nervous system, this may be a supportive direction.
How SSP Therapy Works
SSP involves listening to five hours of specially filtered music through an app using over-the-ear headphones. The music is designed to support how your nervous system takes in cues of safety through sound.
Rather than trying to change your thoughts directly, this process works at the level of the nervous system. As your system begins to feel safer, many people notice they feel less reactive and more steady in situations that previously felt overwhelming.
What to Expect with Safe and Sound Protocol
SSP works differently for everyone, and finding the right pace is key. Some people need to go slower, and that’s okay. I’ll help you notice how your body responds and adjust as needed. Gentle movement or small changes to your surroundings can also support the process.
You might feel tired, restless, or spacey, and these are all natural signs your system is adjusting. Sometimes these responses mean we need to slow down or look more closely at what’s coming up as safety starts to come in. Everyone’s experience is unique, and we’ll work together to help you feel more at ease, both during SSP and in daily life.
For more information on Safe and Sound Protocol, please visit Integrated Listening.
As We Approach Listening
The Safe and Sound Protocol is always part of ongoing somatic therapy with me. We decide together how listening fits into your work.
Some people prefer to listen during sessions so we can track what is happening in real time. Others complete some of the listening between sessions, with guidance and support along the way. Many use a combination of both.
You might listen sitting upright in a chair, resting back on a couch, or lying down if that feels more supportive. You can shift positions, stand, color or draw, or have a pet nearby. Some days we go slowly and pause often. Other days your system may be ready for more.
There is no single right way to do this. We adjust based on how your nervous system responds and what feels manageable within your daily life.
Safe and Sound Protocol: Costs and Support
Initial Access: $150
This covers your first year of access to the SSP app. If you use SSP for more than a year, this fee will be charged again to extend access for up to another year.
Email Support: $50/month
This provides ongoing support between sessions while you complete the listening. Especially in the early stages, it gives you a way to check in about questions, concerns, or responses that arise.
Because SSP includes app access and additional support, here’s how the costs are structured.
Because SSP is integrated into ongoing therapy with me, these costs are in addition to the therapy session fee of $200.
Working with Clients Across Florida and Illinois
I support adults with SSP throughout Florida, including West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, and Fort Lauderdale. Most sessions are online, allowing you to do this work from the comfort of your own space, with whatever helps you feel supported, including comfort items or pets nearby.
I have limited availability at my Delray Beach office for occasional in-person sessions.
I’m also licensed in Illinois and offer SSP support to clients across the state, including the Chicago area.
Safe and Sound Protocol Therapy FAQs
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The Safe and Sound Protocol, or SSP, is a therapeutic listening intervention developed by Dr. Stephen Porges and based on Polyvagal Theory.
It uses specially filtered music to support nervous system regulation through sound. In my practice, SSP is always integrated into ongoing somatic therapy so we can track your body’s responses and adjust pacing as needed.
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SSP works directly with the nervous system rather than trying to change thoughts.
The music is specially filtered to highlight the tone and rhythm of a caregiver’s voice, the kind of voice that signals safety to a young child. Dr. Stephen Porges describes this as drawing from the natural patterns we respond to when someone is speaking to us with warmth and connection. Those sound patterns carry cues of safety.
Listening also helps exercise the small muscles in the middle ear that allow us to tune into human voices and filter out background noise. When those muscles are not working efficiently, the world can feel louder, sharper, or more overwhelming. As they become more responsive, the nervous system can detect safety cues more easily.
When the body begins to register safety through sound, defensive responses can soften. This creates more room for steadiness and connection within therapy.
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Yes. SSP is often used to support trauma and anxiety by helping the nervous system experience cues of safety.
It can also be helpful if your body feels chronically on edge, shut down, or under strain in ways that show up emotionally or physically.
When the body begins to feel safer, emotional responses can become more flexible. This creates more capacity in relationships, work, and daily life.
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Listening can happen during sessions, between sessions, or both.
You might listen sitting upright, resting back, lying down, standing, or moving lightly. Some people color, draw, or have a pet nearby. We adjust pacing based on how your nervous system responds and what feels manageable in your daily life.more flexible. This creates more capacity in relationships, work, and daily life.
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The core protocol includes five hours of listening.
How quickly we move through it varies. Some people move steadily. Others go more slowly and pause as needed. We decide together based on how your system responds, and there is no benefit to pushing the pace.
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Some people notice temporary shifts such as fatigue, restlessness, emotional sensitivity, sleep changes, vivid dreams, or feeling more aware of sensations.
These responses can mean the nervous system is adjusting. Sometimes they also show us where more support is needed in our somatic work. If sleep becomes more disrupted or symptoms feel stronger, it can be a sign we are moving too quickly. That is why I track closely with you and adjust pacing as needed. You are not doing this alone.
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SSP is not suitable for individuals with unmanaged psychosis or certain neurological disorders, such as epilepsy. Additionally, while the Safe and Sound Protocol may potentially help with tinnitus, there is a possibility that it could worsen the condition. Because of this, SSP should be approached with caution if tinnitus is present.
SSP follows the principle of "safe before sound," meaning that certain life or health factors may require us to delay or use SSP carefully to ensure the best possible outcome.
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Yes. SSP is often combined with somatic therapy, trauma therapy, or other therapeutic approaches.
In my practice, SSP is integrated into ongoing somatic work so we can support regulation while also addressing the deeper patterns connected to trauma and stress.
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Yes. Most of my SSP work is done online with clients across Florida and Illinois.
Online sessions allow you to listen from your own space, which can actually be supportive for this kind of work, especially if you have comfort items or pets nearby.
Get help from a Certified Safe and Sound Protocol Provider
When your nervous system has been stuck in stress or reactivity for a long time, feeling settled can feel unfamiliar.
The Safe and Sound Protocol is integrated into somatic therapy with me. Alongside the parts of our work where we talk and track what’s happening in your body and nervous system, the listening phases support regulation through sound and pacing.
If you’re curious whether this approach could support you, the next step is scheduling a brief consultation. We’ll talk about what’s bringing you here and whether this feels like a good fit.
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a science-based listening intervention developed by Dr. Stephen Porges and grounded in Polyvagal Theory. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Certified Safe and Sound Protocol Provider, and I integrate SSP into ongoing somatic therapy to support nervous system regulation in adults experiencing trauma, anxiety, stress reactivity, and sensory sensitivity. The protocol uses specially filtered music to engage neural pathways involved in detecting safety, and listening is personalized and paced based on each client’s nervous system response, with clinical oversight throughout the process. I provide SSP within my online practice serving clients across Florida and Illinois.