Heal Your Vagus Nerve

The Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP), developed by polyvagal research pioneer Dr. Stephen Porges, is an effective way to access the vagus nerves, improve vagal tone, and promote optimal function. This is done through a listening program using specially modulated sounds, pulses and tones through over-ear headphones. We offer the Remote SSP here at The Healing Collective to our patients who test positive for vagal dysfunction. The first listening session is always done in person at the clinic with Dr. Jessie during a Physical Therapy appointment. As long as this intervention is well-tolerated, Dr. Jessie can provide you access via your cell phone with the Remote SSP app. Using the app enables you to progress through the Listening Program (5 hours total) at your own pace, from the comfort of home.

In order to participate in the Remote SSP program, you will need over-ear headphones (order here) and an iOS or Android phone. If you do not have access to these, you can complete your SSP sessions during Physical Therapy visits with Dr. Jessie. Listening sessions can be done at the same time as Frequency Specific Microcurrent, and it is possible for you to come to the Sanctuary Room and utilize the remote SSP from your phone during your FSM treatment sessions.

The Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP) is a five-hour intervention that is typically done in 30- minute intervals per day over a ten-day (or more) span. It is designed to reduce stress and auditory sensitivity while enhancing social engagement and resilience. This listening program uses prosodic music that has been filtered to train the middle ear muscles to focus in on the frequency envelope of human speech.

Once human speech is appropriately perceived, social engagement, as controlled by the cranial nerves, is enhanced. You'll find that you are better able to interpret not only the meaning but also the intent in conversations. A sense of safety is achieved by better understanding the fluctuations in human voice, which results in a calm physiological state. Once the nervous system has been primed in this way, further therapy and supportive strategies can be even more effective.

Some Additional Resources:

What to expect during or after a session
Integrated Learning (iLs) website