SSP Frequently Asked Questions

Use over-the-ear headphones that rest around or on your ears.
Your headphones should:

• Not be earbuds or in-ear

• Not be noise-canceling

Bluetooth headphones are acceptable as long as they meet these criteria.
If you're unsure whether your headphones will work, feel free to check with your provider.

Keep the volume low — just loud enough to hear the music clearly, without strain.

The music should feel gentle and in the background. If you find yourself focusing on the music too much, it’s probably too loud.

Turn it down if you feel overstimulated or uncomfortable.on text goes here

The most important thing during SSP listening is to be in a calm, low-stimulation environment where your system can settle and stay present.

You can sit or lie down. Some clients like to color, stretch, hold a soft object, or just rest quietly. Avoid multitasking — no scrolling, texting, or talking. The more you stay with yourself, the more effective this process becomes.

Equally important is who you’re with.
SSP is designed to support your nervous system in shifting out of protection and into connection — and we are wired to do that best with others. This is called co-regulation.

When someone safe, grounded, and emotionally steady is nearby (even in silence), your nervous system can borrow that calm. Their presence helps reinforce the cues of safety the music is delivering. This isn’t just supportive — it’s often a core ingredient in how the protocol works.

If co-regulation isn’t available in the moment, that’s okay. But when it is, it matters.

Most clients listen to 5 to 10 minutes per day, depending on what provider decides is best for you. Please do not do longer or shorter listening sessions than suggested.

There is no benefit to rushing. What we’re looking for is your system’s capacity to take in cues of safety — not how quickly you complete the protocol.

Your provider will help you determine what pacing makes sense for your nervous system.

SSP affects each person differently. Some changes show up right away, while others unfold more slowly over time.

During or right after listening, you might notice:

• A shift in energy (calmer or more alert)

• Body sensations like warmth, tingling, or tension release

• Emotional movement — like sadness, relief, openness, or irritability

• A drop in mental chatter or a sense of “softening”

Over time, you may begin to experience:

• More flexibility in how you respond to stress

• A greater sense of emotional space or steadiness

• Subtle shifts in your relationships, boundaries, or self-awareness

Not everyone notices big shifts during listening. Sometimes the most meaningful changes are the quietest ones.

Some clients notice emotional or physical changes not during the session, but hours afterward — that evening, during sleep, or the next morning.

This might include:

• Vivid dreams or disrupted sleep

• Emotional waves showing up unexpectedly

• Feeling physically heavy, light, or “off”

• A delayed sense of openness, calm, or tears

This is a normal part of the process, and we want to hear about it.

Click HERE to access the delayed experience form to share anything that shows up after you’ve submitted your daily tracker. Your provider will track how your system is integrating across time — not just in the moment.

Regulation is your nervous system’s ability to respond to stress and return to balance.
You might notice:

• More room to pause before reacting

• Recovery after stress feels quicker

• You can feel emotions without being overwhelmed

• A general increase in steadiness or flexibility

Regulation doesn’t mean calm all the time — it means more capacity to adapt and stay connected.

Sometimes discomfort is part of your system adjusting — it doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong, but it does mean we want to slow down and take a look.

Emotional discomfort may include:

• Irritability or sadness

• Feeling emotionally off, shut down, or overwhelmed

• A sense of internal chaos, anxiety, or withdrawal

Physical discomfort may include:

• Headaches

• Sensitivity or discomfort in or around the ears

• Facial or jaw tension

• Dizziness or lightheadedness

• General fatigue or overstimulation

These responses can happen when your nervous system is beginning to shift out of its usual patterns. Let your provider know what you’re experiencing so they can help adjust pace, support, or environment.

If symptoms are severe or persist, such as:

• Ongoing dizziness or balance issues

• Sharp or persistent ear pain

• Pressure in the head or ears that does not resolve

• Changes in hearing

• Visual disturbances or confusion

please contact your medical provider. While these are uncommon SSP responses, they are important to rule out or address with medical care.

You don’t need to push through discomfort. Sometimes slowing the pace, adjusting the listening environment, or taking a pause leads to the most meaningful progress.

That’s normal.

Not everyone has a strong or immediate reaction to SSP — especially early on.

This doesn’t mean nothing is happening.
It may mean:

• Your nervous system is processing gently, behind the scenes

• You’re in a phase where subtlety is part of your healing

• You’re more attuned to what’s not happening (e.g., no shutdown or panic) than what isThat’s okay — and common.
  SSP is designed to be gentle. Sometimes the absence of big reactions is the response.

Instead of asking, “Did it work?”
Try:

• Keep tracking your daily experience — even the absence of change is useful

• Talk to your provider about adjusting pace or adding more support

• Be patient — subtle change often becomes visible in hindsight

If you feel unsure, let your provider know.

Ask yourself:

• Are you responding to stress differently than before?

• Are you becoming more aware of what’s happening inside?

• Are your patterns — even subtly — beginning to shift?

SSP change is often slow and quiet. Many clients only see the full picture in hindsight. That doesn’t mean nothing is happening — it means your system is moving gently.

Not everyone responds to SSP in the same way. Your nervous system may take in or interpret cues of safety differently — especially if you live with sensory sensitivities, ADHD, autism, trauma adaptations, or other ways of processing the world.

You might not notice things like increased “social connection” or emotional openness in a typical way. Instead, you might experience:

• A shift in internal pacing or clarity

• Reduced sensory overwhelm

• A little more space between stimulus and reaction

• Smoother transitions, even if subtle

• Increased tolerance for daily demands

What matters is how your system is changing — not how anyone else’s does.

Let your provider know what kinds of shifts are meaningful for you, so we can track progress based on your lived experience.

Neuroception is your body’s way of detecting safety or danger without conscious thought. It takes in cues from facial expressions, tone of voice, physical space, and even your own heart rate to decide whether to settle, activate, or shut down.

Sometimes your system responds appropriately. Other times it stays on high alert based on past experience — even when you’re safe now.

Co-regulation is when one person’s calm nervous system helps another settle.
This could be a friend, partner, therapist, or provider. You don’t need to speak. Their grounded presence does the work. SSP helps support this system by giving your body repeated cues of safety, which makes it easier to take in co-regulation when it’s offered.

SSP is based on Polyvagal Theory, which helps us understand how the body responds to safety and threat through the nervous system.

The protocol uses specially filtered music that targets the vagus nerve — the nerve that helps shift your body out of fight-or-flight and into a state of connection and calm. The music focuses on the frequencies of the human voice, which gently exercise the tiny muscles in your middle ear that help you tune in to safe sounds and tune out threat cues.

As your system begins to hear safety differently, your body can start to feel safety differently — often showing up as more flexibility, capacity, or connection in your daily life.