For existing clients needing to cancel/reschedule, please use the client portal to manage your appointments. For late cancellations, please message your therapist directly in the client portal.
Safe and Sound Protocol Listening Therapy
Offered by Jessica
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is an evidence-based listening therapy designed to support nervous system sensitivities. It has been shown to improve sensory processing (like overstimulation or overwhelm), affect regulation (like hypervigilance), and social engagement (safety-seeking behaviors) through filtered music.
​
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a listening program of specially filtered music that offers a non-invasive, acoustic method to help "re-tune" the nervous system.
It does this by stimulating the vagus nerve through the middle ear muscle. The vagus nerve plays a key role in how our nervous system shifts focus onto what's happening in the body, and explains how our sense of safety, danger, or life threat can impact our behavior.
In this way, SSP gives us another pathway "in" to supporting the nervous system's ability to experience more flexible regulation, which can help to create a felt sense of safety and connection. It supports the integration of physiological (“bottom-up”) therapies with cognitive (“top-down”) approaches to help change and improve how we feel, think and connect with others.
The protocol can be a helpful addition for both preparing for, and navigating through, trauma processing therapies like EMDR and parts work. It can also be provided as a stand-alone service to support sensory processing and other nervous system regulation needs.
​
Take a look at this informational video:
The Process
Safe and Sound usually takes place over five sessions that are clustered together, and then portions of SSP can be woven into further therapy sessions.
​
The process begins with some assessment to determine whether SSP might be a good fit for you, and to then decide what your unique SSP treatment plan needs to look like depending on the goals you have for your hard-working nervous system. We also spend time orienting to the concepts and mechanisms of SSP, as well as exploring the map of your nervous system - e.g., exploring the ways you currently experience yourself, others, and the world around you (because these experiences stem directly from your nervous system's functioning).
​
The actual intervention of SSP involves listening to specially filtered music through headphones alongside a provider, in-person or remotely. During listening, the session is titrated and adjusted to your body's needs as it responds in different ways to the music. Your therapist carefully tracks your experience and may pause to help you find a moment of regulation or reflection. Each session usually ends with a debrief, discussion of any relevant take-home work, and the plan for next session.
​
If you're a current client, ask Jessica about your options. If you're a new client, reach out to admin@acorn-therapy.com
Associated Fees
For psychotherapy clients: session time for SSP appointments is billed the same as your other appointments and is covered by insurance. However, SSP device access is unfortunately not reimbursable by insurance. The access fee is a flat rate of $350, which may be broken down into a payment plan. This can also be paid for using an HSA/FSA account.
​
For stand-alone clients seeking SSP without psychotherapy: the packaged cost of SSP is $950. This includes initial assessment session, five hours of the SSP protocol, remote at-home access to the protocol, check-ins between sessions, a 30-minute progress assessment session, and a 30-minute follow-up assessment session six weeks after program completion.
​