How Sound Can Change Your Nervous System
What Is the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)?
When a child feels stuck in anxiety, shutdown, aggression, or constant overwhelm, it’s often not because they aren’t trying hard enough—it’s because their nervous system doesn’t yet feel safe.
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a gentle, evidence-based listening therapy designed to help the nervous system move out of a defensive state and into one that feels calmer, more regulated, and more connected.
At Play Therapy Connection, Ashley Sutherland offers SSP as an adjunctive support alongside Synergetic Play Therapy™—not as a replacement, but as an additional tool that can help some children access regulation more easily.
How SSP Works
SSP was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, the creator of Polyvagal Theory, which explains how our nervous system constantly scans for cues of safety or danger.
SSP uses specially filtered music that highlights the frequencies of the human voice—the same soothing tones we naturally use with babies, young children, or even pets. Our nervous systems are biologically wired to interpret these sounds as safe.
As a child listens to the music through over-the-ear headphones, their nervous system begins to receive repeated cues of safety. Over time, this can help shift the body out of fight, flight, or shutdown and into a more regulated, socially engaged state.
This is not hypnosis. Your child is awake, in control, and supported the entire time.
What SSP Looks Like for Children
SSP involves five total hours of listening, completed gradually and at a pace that respects each child’s nervous system. For some children, this may take a couple of weeks; for others, it may unfold over several months.
Listening can happen:
In sessions with a therapist
At home with a caregiver
Or through a combination of both
While listening, children are encouraged to engage in soothing, regulating activities like drawing, building, cuddling a stuffed animal, or gentle play.
Children can choose from multiple SSP playlists, helping maintain a sense of autonomy and comfort throughout the process.
Why SSP Can Be Helpful
SSP doesn’t “fix” behavior—it supports the foundation underneath behavior: regulation.
Children may experience improvements in:
Emotional regulation and reduced overwhelm
Anxiety, fears, or phobias
Anger, aggression, or impulsivity
Attention and focus
Sensory processing
Sleep and body awareness
Social engagement and connection
Confidence and self-esteem
Because SSP works at the nervous system level, it can support both emotional and physiological regulation.
How SSP and Synergetic Play Therapy™ Work Together
SSP and Synergetic Play Therapy™ are deeply aligned approaches:
Both are bottom-up, focusing on the nervous system rather than just thoughts or behavior
Both honor pacing, autonomy, and co-regulation
Both emphasize felt safety and relationship as the foundation for healing
For some children, SSP can make play therapy more accessible by reducing nervous system activation. For others, it may help maintain progress or shorten the length of therapy. SSP is always integrated thoughtfully, based on the child’s developmental stage and unique needs.
Is SSP Right for Every Child?
While SSP is a powerful tool, it may not be the best first step for every child. Children who are very young, experiencing ongoing trauma, navigating complex attachment needs, or showing significant behavioral challenges may benefit more from starting with Synergetic Play Therapy™ or parent-child work first.
When appropriate, SSP can be layered in as an additional support.
Our team is intentional about matching the right approach to the right child, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all solution.
Caregivers Are Part of the Process
Especially for younger children, caregivers play an important role. Regulation doesn’t only happen during sessions—it continues at home, in daily routines, and in moments of connection.
We support caregivers in understanding what their child’s nervous system needs and how to foster safety, regulation, and connection outside of therapy.
Curious if SSP Might Be a Fit for Your Child?
If you’re wondering whether the Safe and Sound Protocol could support your child alongside play therapy, we’d love to connect you with Ashley Sutherland.
💛 You don’t have to navigate regulation alone—and your child’s nervous system is capable of healing with the right support.