Safe and Sound Protocol for Kids: Helping with Emotional and Sensory Challenges
If you're a parent or caregiver of a child or teen navigating sensory sensitivities, emotional struggles, or behavioral challenges, you’ve likely searched for tools that truly help. You’ve probably tried different approaches, hoping to see your child find relief, but progress may have felt slow or inconsistent. It can be heartbreaking to see your child struggle—whether they’re overwhelmed by loud sounds, easily frustrated, or feeling disconnected from the people around them.
As a parent, it’s natural to feel unsure of what to do next. You might feel exhausted from trying to juggle your child’s needs alongside the rest of life’s demands, wondering if there’s something more you could do to help them thrive.
If traditional approaches haven’t brought the relief your child needs, the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) offers a new way to support their nervous system and create meaningful change. It’s an evidence-based therapy designed to gently help kids and teens feel safer in their bodies and environments so they can connect, learn, and grow. Whether it’s fewer meltdowns, feeling calmer in social situations, or handling sensory challenges more easily, SSP has helped many families see meaningful changes.
Why I’m Talking About SSP
Hi, I’m Amy Hagerstrom, a somatic therapist specializing in a mind-body approach to healing. I work with kids, teens, and adults who are navigating challenges like anxiety, trauma, sensory sensitivities, and chronic pain. My goal is to help clients feel more connected to themselves and the people around them, with less overwhelm and more ease.
One of the tools I use in my work is the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP). I’ve seen how this gentle yet powerful approach can help kids and teens regulate their emotions, respond to stress with more resilience, and feel more confident in their relationships and daily life. It’s not about quick fixes but creating lasting shifts that support their overall well-being—and I’m excited to share more about how SSP can help your family.
What Is the Safe and Sound Protocol?
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a therapeutic listening intervention designed to help calm the nervous system. Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, a neuroscientist and creator of Polyvagal Theory, SSP works by helping the body recognize safety, which is essential for feeling calm, connected, and able to handle challenges.
Here’s how it works:
Filtered Music: SSP uses five hours of specially filtered music that focuses on frequencies similar to those of a nurturing human voice. Dr. Porges describes it as mimicking the “mother’s voice”—high-pitched, melodic tones that naturally signal safety and comfort. The music filters out sounds that might feel threatening, helping the nervous system shift into a calmer state.
How It’s Delivered: The five hours of music are broken into short listening sessions over a period of time, tailored to each child’s needs. Sessions can be as short as 15 seconds or up to 30 minutes, depending on how the child’s nervous system responds. Progressing slowly and intentionally helps prevent overstimulation and ensures a supportive experience.
What It Does: The filtered music helps regulate the nervous system by engaging the vagus nerve, which connects the brain and body. This nerve plays a crucial role in our ability to process stress and feel safe. SSP works by encouraging the nervous system to shift away from a state of hyper-alertness or shutdown, allowing children to feel calmer and more connected.
How Does SSP Help Kids and Teens?
Children and teens with sensory, emotional, or behavioral challenges often have nervous systems that are “stuck” in heightened states of stress, making it hard to focus, connect with others, or manage emotions. SSP helps the nervous system recognize safety and return to a calmer, more regulated state.
Here are some ways SSP can help kids and teens:
1. Emotional Regulation
When the nervous system feels calmer, kids often find it easier to handle big feelings like frustration, sadness, or anxiety. This can reduce the intensity or frequency of meltdowns and outbursts, helping kids feel more in control of their emotions.
2. Focus and Attention
For kids with ADHD or sensory sensitivities, SSP can reduce the “noise” in their nervous system, making it easier for them to focus. This might mean fewer distractions during schoolwork or better engagement in daily activities.
3. Social Connection
SSP supports the nervous system’s ability to feel safe around others, which can help kids feel more comfortable engaging socially. This may lead to children being more open to making eye contact, initiating conversations, and responding to others with greater ease.
4. Sensory Sensitivities
SSP can help kids who are easily overwhelmed by loud noises, bright lights, or certain textures. Over time, they might become less reactive to these sensory inputs and feel more at ease in their environment.
While every child’s experience is unique, many families notice shifts during or shortly after completing SSP. Others may need additional rounds or time for the changes to fully emerge.
Research Supporting SSP: Real Results for Kids and Teens
Research on SSP highlights its potential to create meaningful shifts for children facing sensory, emotional, or behavioral challenges:
Improved Social Communication: Studies have shown that SSP helps children with autism improve eye contact, initiate conversations, and feel more comfortable interacting socially (Heilman et al., 2022).
Better Sensory Processing: A single-arm study reported that children with sensory challenges experienced reductions in sensitivities to auditory and tactile input after SSP (Nicolaou, 2022).
Enhanced Regulation and Resilience: Data from multiple case studies suggest that SSP helps regulate the nervous system, allowing for improved emotional balance and reduced reactivity (Trauma Research Foundation).
These studies reflect SSP’s ability to help children feel calmer, more connected, and better able to handle everyday challenges.
Why SSP Is a Great Adjunct Therapy
One of the strengths of SSP is how well it works alongside other therapies. It’s not meant to replace treatments like talk therapy or occupational therapy, but it can enhance their effectiveness by creating a more regulated nervous system.
Occupational Therapy: Kids with sensory processing challenges may find it easier to engage in OT when their nervous system is calmer.
Psychotherapy: SSP can help kids feel safer and more open to exploring emotions in talk therapy.
Speech Therapy: Children with communication challenges may feel more confident expressing themselves after SSP.
School Interventions: SSP can support focus and reduce overwhelm, helping kids thrive in the classroom.
The Power of a Regulated Nervous System
SSP isn’t just about listening to music—it’s about helping your child’s nervous system feel safer, calmer, and more connected. When the nervous system feels regulated, children are able to handle the ups and downs of daily life with greater ease and confidence.
If you’d like to learn more about SSP and how it could help your child, visit www.amyhagerstrom.com. I’d love to help your family explore what’s possible with SSP.
References
Heilman, K. J., et al. (2022). Journal on Developmental Disabilities. Link
Nicolaou, D. (2022). University of Padova Thesis. Link
Trauma Research Foundation. Link