Feel Safe Therapy · Listening Pathways · Adults 18+
Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
Feeling safe is not simply a matter of telling ourselves that everything is fine. Our nervous system is continually responding to the world around us. The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), developed by Dr Stephen Porges, is a specialised listening approach designed to support physiological safety, regulation and our capacity for human connection.
At Feel Safe Therapy, I offer SSP as part of a personalised, polyvagal-informed therapeutic Pathway. Listening is introduced carefully, paced around your experience and considered alongside psychotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness and reflective work as appropriate to your needs. You will not be expected to complete it on your own or rush through the music.
When might SSP be helpful?
Adults sometimes explore SSP when they notice:
- feeling persistently on alert, overwhelmed, withdrawn or disconnected
- difficulty finding a sense of safety, even in supportive relationships
- the lasting effects of difficult life experiences or trauma
- sensory sensitivity, including sensitivity to sound or busy environments
- difficulty with emotional flexibility, trust, connection or social engagement
Listening at your own pace
SSP uses carefully selected music delivered through the Unyte Health app. Its central programme uses filtered music designed to emphasise aspects of sound related to the human voice.
We consider your response together. Sessions may be shortened, paused or adjusted as needed. The intention is to create enough space for your nervous system to engage, not to force an outcome.
Three listening pathways
Connect · Core · Balance
There are three complementary SSP pathways. I consider which to introduce and how to pace them with you, rather than treating listening as a fixed programme.
SSP Connect
Unfiltered, full-spectrum music can provide a gentler introduction, allowing us to notice sound sensitivities and develop familiarity before progressing.
SSP Core
The original, central SSP pathway developed by Dr Porges. Its progressively filtered music is intended to support shifts away from defensive states towards greater access to safety and connection.
SSP Balance
Lighter filtration can help consolidate and extend the listening experience. We consider whether, when and how it may be appropriate for you.
Safety · Connection · Social engagement
Why the experience of safety matters
Long before we put an experience into words, we may be reading cues from the people around us. Our nervous system responds to facial expression, body language and tone of voice. During prolonged stress, these signals can be harder to recognise or trust.
SSP is designed around this relationship between sound, our autonomic nervous system and the social engagement system. Through carefully paced listening, the intention is to support greater availability for connection — with ourselves, with others and with the work of therapy.
Research and clinical enquiry · Adults
What research is exploring
The SSP is grounded in Dr Porges' polyvagal-informed account of safety and social engagement. Research on adult experiences is developing, with ongoing investigation of how the approach may relate to these areas:
Physiological regulation
How people respond to stress and recognise changes in their own autonomic state.
Sound sensitivity
How listening experiences may interact with sensitivity to sound and everyday environments.
Social engagement
How a greater sense of safety may relate to availability for connection and therapeutic work.
Understanding the evidence: Adult clinical accounts and emerging research are encouraging areas of enquiry, but they cannot establish that SSP will produce a particular change for an individual. Controlled adult research is ongoing. I discuss suitability, expectations and any concerns with you before we begin.
Further reading: Unyte's explanation of the SSP and its research and Unyte's description of the three SSP pathways.
Your listening space
Many clients listen at home, somewhere private and comfortable. We agree the most suitable arrangement together, particularly if you experience sound sensitivity.
Over-ear headphones
These are ordinarily recommended for SSP listening. You can settle in a chair or on a sofa and allow yourself to notice what feels supportive.
An alternative to discuss
Where headphones are difficult because of sensory needs, we can discuss whether carefully arranged stereo speakers may be appropriate. Please agree any alternative with me before listening.
What to expect
- An initial conversation about your needs, current wellbeing and whether SSP may be suitable
- Clear information before we begin, including how the programme works
- A personal listening plan, with guidance on comfort, volume, pacing and pauses
- Supported listening using the Unyte Health app, usually from your own space
- Regular check-ins to notice your responses and adapt the approach together
- Review and integration alongside any wider therapeutic work
Working alongside Michelle
Michelle Courtney is an integrative, BACP-member psychotherapist whose professional experience spans approximately 30 countries, including trauma-informed therapeutic work in South Africa, Far East, Eastern Europe, Ireland and Uk.
Her clinical practice includes working with adults experiencing complex childhood trauma, PTSD, OCD, anxiety and relationship difficulties.
Drawing on a polyvagal-informed approach, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness and somatic awareness, Michelle brings these perspectives together to offer a personalised therapeutic experience. This offer includes a live well coaching provision, focusing on 'health, growth and restoration'.
The Safe and Sound Protocol can be integrated into this work, with listening carefully paced and adapted to each person's needs, experiences and capacity.
Explore a Pathway to Connection
You can explore The Steady Start, From Stuck to Steady and Finding Your Steady on the SSP & RRP Pathways page, where you can also send an enquiry about what might be appropriate for you.
SSP is a supportive, therapist-guided listening approach, not a replacement for medical care or treatment. Suitability and pacing are individually considered. Experiences and outcomes vary.