The Safe and Sound Protocol is a five hour music program that’s split up into multiple sessions.
“That first session is really about getting a history of the things that you’ve gone through that way the therapist has a good idea of how slowly or quickly we can deliver SSP to you,” said Joanna de Leon, Relevé Counseling Owner/Clinical Supervisor.
The therapist can then determine if a session should be as short as ten minutes or up to one hour.
“The first two hours are really training your ear to listen to that filtered music because it does sound very different.”
Those different sounds may cause a physical change to your body as you listen.
“Some people notice a physical sensation when they’re listening. Some people just feel a sense of calm when they’re listening to the music.”
For most clients, hour number three is when the therapeutic impact really begins to take effect.
“[It’s] helping your brain and your body to connect better, to better be able to process your environment and respond more effectively.”
SSP’s positive effects are not limited to anxiety and social interactions.
“We’ve had a client whose had a lot of medical conditions. After starting SSP, they’ve noticed that they’re able to sleep better and their sleep is no longer disrupted.”
The program isn’t just for adults. Kids can do it too.
“For the kids that come in, they’re listening to Disney songs that they’re familiar with or other songs they might recognize from movies.”
Once the five hour program is complete, clients will continue to experience additional benefits for up to 2 months. But, there are instances when after completing the program once, there is still room for improvement.
“If that’s the case, we then consider possibly doing a second round of SSP and at that point you only listen to the last three hours of the program.”
