Common Misconceptions about the Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP)
The Safe & Sound Protocol is a big piece of my work in the world, and today I was reflecting on the ideas folks have about the SSP before they begin, and what might be more true of their experience.
Read on and I will share a few of the misconceptions as well as my experience as a facilitator, and some reflections from folks I lead through this sound and nervous system healing journey.
😌✖️ You need to be passive, still and settled (like meditation) for the SSP to work.
👟🎨 You don’t need to be still or meditative to listen. You get to move your body, snack, puzzle or make art, stretch, etc. A big focus of the SSP is about being in our present moment experience and following the cues from our body and nervous system. Sometimes people think they need to be still/surrendered/lying down/calm to listen. But you don't! What do my clients do while they listen? Here's a short list of what people feel inspired to do:
Hang out with plants, nature, or animal friends
Organize, tidy or clean (I always joke they can come over to my place next)
Make art (we've had stitching, painting, crocheting, knitting, doodling, drawing and more)
Swing in a yoga swing
Cozy up on the couch or chair
Snack (one of my fave SSP activities - my body got hungry!)
Let activated energy move through walking, pacing, shaking and somatic practices
Turn to puzzles, fidgets, or other soothing activities
💎✖️ The music is similar to frequency healing or sound baths.
🎷🎼 The music has a special filtration and comes in different playlists and genres, but it often doesn't sound "different" to folks, even though the filtration sets it apart from what you might hear on the radio. It kind of sounds like what you'd hear on the radio, or in a yoga studio.
You can choose from cover songs, kids songs, classical, healing vibes or funky ambient tunes. There are instrumental and vocal playlists. Songs you will know, and songs composed especially for the SSP (this is helpful when we have negative associations with certain songs). You will get to choose what playlist to listen to, you can see the playlists before we begin, and I will help you find the right fit!
😰✖️ The experience will be really intense or overwhelming.
🌸🌖 I often say the SSP is “gently turbulent”. Yes, there are rocky moments, but it’s often the easiest healing modality folks have tried and they’re surprised that a lot changed without overwhelm. You don't need to dig into your trauma experience, although your shares and stories are welcome.
Folks often find me and the SSP after trying modalities that were too intense. The SSP is effective and impactful, but it really is gentle. It’s my job to help you have a gentle enough experience, and it's also my job to offer support when things feel too hard. Plus, many of my clients also see a therapist and having another space to process and receive support is highly recommended.
"Jess did a wonderful job facilitating our group and creating a space where everyone was encouraged to show up as they were. I enjoyed the SSP process and found it helped me relax, find more ease in my day, and rebound faster from stress. I highly recommend it and would do it again." - SSP Participant
1️⃣✖️ Listening on your own is just as effective as with a facilitator.
💞🎧 I know I’m biased, but listening within a group or 1-1 container means you have access to support, co-regulation and tools that might not exist on your own.
I did my SSP journey in a group and it added so much to my experience. On my own, I might have "gone through the motions" or listened really quickly. I might have missed out on being mirrored, hearing my shares reflected back to me, and learning somatic practices. I also might not have finished the SSP or gotten as much out of it. Left to my own devices, I can be very "girl dinner"/whatever. But something about being in a group, even though it's not your job to take care of the group, can help us show up for ourselves, too!
When you experience the SSP virtually, you get to be in your own space, with your own tools and creature comforts! You have the support and co-regulation of me as the facilitator, and your group mates if you choose to join a group. But you also have so much freedom to be out of camera view when being perceived is a lot and to explore your space while listening.
In my SSP group when I was a client, sometimes I wandered around my apartment; sometimes I was right in front of my computer; sometimes I rolled my chair out of camera view; sometimes I curled up on the couch.
“Part of what I loved about the SSP was Jess’s invitation to show up exactly as we were. Just before SSP began, I experienced some trauma in a group setting and felt hesitant about the group dynamic of this process. I was able to show up completely nonverbal and in tears the first day, and felt warmth and welcomed in this experience." - SSP Participant
If you have been feeling drawn to an SSP group or 1-1 experience, you can apply right here and book a connection call to feel out if a 1-1 or group experience would be best for you.
Not ready to apply yet? Click here to read all about how I offer the Safe & Sound Protocol.
The SSP, Safety-Seeking and Sensing Danger
There are so many ways our nervous system scans for safety and danger. Sound is one of them.
The SSP (Safe & Sound Protocol) uses sound to send the nervous system signals of safety, and as we receive this, big healing can happen.
When our nervous system and vagus nerve are bathed in the sounds of safety and connection, a lot can change. Our relationships, our nervous system, our way of being in the world.
There are so many ways our nervous system scans for safety and danger. Sound is one of them.
The SSP (Safe & Sound Protocol) uses sound to send the nervous system signals of safety, and as we receive this, big healing can happen.
When our nervous system and vagus nerve are bathed in the sounds of safety and connection, a lot can change. Our relationships, our nervous system, our way of being in the world.
And when we have an extended period of time through the SSP to experience and orient to these sounds of safety, and we are able to take slow sips of safety and connection, our survival patterns can shift. By working slowly and honoring nervous system capacity, these shifts take place without the overwhelm sometimes present in healing.
There is no shame in a nervous system that is more oriented to (and familiar with) danger or disconnection. Survival is the nervous system's goal, and it'll do whatever it takes to get there. Including staying glued to the look-out in case more danger awaits. This can often show up as hypervigilance and repeated scanning for safety or threat in the environment.
When we are offered sounds of safety in small amounts, we get practice being in relationship to safety. To okay-ness. To nothing-is-wrong-right-now-ness. And at first, it might feel strange. Boring. Unfamiliar. To scan and find that nothing-is-actually-wrong-right-now.
But over time, we might settle into it as a sense of safety settles into our nervous system.
And this is part of the magic of the SSP.
Head over to softpathhealing.com/ssp to learn more and fill out an application to work together. I’d love to help you and your nervous system experience more ease.