Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP): Rewire Your Stress Response with Sound and Science

Discover how a music-based therapy is helping people calm anxiety, improve resilience, and feel more connected — without having to talk about their trauma.

What Is the Safe and Sound Protocol?

The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a groundbreaking nervous system support tool developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, the neuroscientist behind Polyvagal Theory. It uses filtered music to stimulate the vagus nerve — specifically the ventral branch — which plays a major role in how we respond to stress and connect with others.

In simple terms, SSP helps your body move out of "survival mode" (fight, flight, or freeze) and into a state of calm, grounded safety.

Who Can Benefit from SSP?

Many people don’t realize that symptoms like anxiety, burnout, emotional reactivity, sleep disruption, digestive issues, and even social disconnection can be signs that the nervous system is dysregulated.

SSP is especially helpful for people who:

• Feel stuck in chronic stress or burnout

• Have trauma histories (including developmental, emotional, or medical trauma)

• Experience anxiety, depression, or sensory overload

• Are navigating postpartum recovery or hormonal shifts

• Have difficulty sleeping or relaxing

• Want to improve relationships, emotional regulation, or resilience

Whether you’re a high-performing professional, a new mom running on fumes, or someone who’s just “not feeling like themselves” — SSP offers a gentle, body-based reset that doesn’t require reliving painful memories.

How SSP Works: A Sound-Based Journey to Regulation

The protocol involves listening to specially filtered music through over-ear headphones — not just any playlist, but one designed to cue your nervous system that it’s safe to relax.

Each session is guided by a trained provider (like me!) and tailored to your pace. We typically pair SSP listening with supportive practices like somatic coaching, grounding techniques, or energy work — to help your system integrate the changes and feel supported every step of the way.

Over time, SSP helps your brain and body learn a new default setting: one of calm, clarity, and connection.

Why Sound? Why the Vagus Nerve?

When you're in survival mode, your body isn’t prioritizing things like digestion, rest, or human connection — it’s scanning for danger. The SSP helps tone and regulate the ventral vagus nerve, which governs your ability to:

• Feel safe and calm

• Make eye contact

• Sleep deeply

• Digest properly

• Emotionally regulate

• Connect with others

This sound-based approach is especially effective for people who feel “stuck” or whose

stress symptoms haven’t responded to traditional talk therapy or mindset work alone.

What Kind of Results Can You Expect?

Clients often report:

• Feeling calmer and more present

• Improved sleep and digestion

• Reduction in anxiety or emotional overwhelm

• Increased ability to focus, connect, or bounce back after stress

• Greater self-trust and inner ease

Many people describe it as subtle, yet profound — like finally taking their foot off the gas pedal after years of gripping the wheel.

Curious If SSP Is Right for You?

You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit. In fact, the Safe and Sound Protocol is most effective when you’re ready to support your body’s healing at a deeper level — whether that’s post-burnout, in between therapy sessions, or as a complement to Reiki, bodywork, or coaching.

Want to know more? 👉 Book a free consultation and I’ll help you determine if SSP or another Retune Health service is the best next step for your healing journey.

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✍️ About the Author

Andrea Goodwin is a Somatic Coach and the founder of Retune Health, a science-backed, heart-centered wellness practice that helps high achievers and wellness seekers regulate their nervous systems, release subconscious stress patterns, and restore balance in body, mind, and spirit.

With over 20 years of experience as a healthcare executive, Andrea brings a unique blend of real-world leadership, clinical insight, and holistic care to her work. Because burnout and overwhelm show up in our bodies, minds, and energy, she offers deeply personalized, mind-body-spirit support to help clients feel more grounded, clear, and alive, often in ways they never thought possible.

Through 1:1 sessions, group programs, and integrative experiences, Andrea guides clients toward a more intuitive, connected, and joyful way of being.

🌿 Explore sessions or subscribe to the newsletter at www.retunehealth.com

📍 Based in the northwest suburbs of Chicago | Virtual sessions available worldwide