The Safe and Sound Protocol

a gentle, nervous system-based intervention

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“our nervous system is always trying to figure out a way for us to survive, to be safe.”

– Stephen Porges

what is the safe and sound protocol?

The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a five-hour, evidence-based listening intervention developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, the neuroscientist behind Polyvagal Theory. It was designed to help regulate the nervous system by gently retraining the way our ears — and brain — process sound.
Here’s the short version: our nervous systems are always scanning the environment for signals of safety or danger. When we’ve been through difficult or overwhelming experiences, that scanning system can get stuck in a state of protection — reading neutral or even safe situations as threatening. The SSP uses specially filtered music to exercise the neural pathways involved in social engagement, safety, and connection, helping your system settle into a greater sense of ease.
It is not talk therapy. It’s something you listen to — and it works beneath the surface, at the level of the body and nervous system, before words even enter the picture.

How does it work?

The SSP is delivered through headphones, typically over five hours spread across several sessions. The music has been acoustically filtered to emphasize the frequencies associated with the human voice — the range we naturally tune into when we feel safe, seen, and connected to another person.
As you listen, your nervous system gets a kind of workout: a gentle, repeated signal that it is okay to come out of protection. Many people notice shifts in how they feel in their body, how they relate to others, and how much mental and emotional space they have available — sometimes during the protocol, and sometimes in the days and weeks that follow.

how ssp fits into the work we do together

I offer SSP as a complement to — not a replacement for — the relational and somatic work we do in our sessions together. My approach to therapy draws on attachment theory, somatic awareness, and a deep respect for your body’s own intelligence. SSP fits naturally into that framework.
When the nervous system has more capacity for safety, everything else becomes more possible: deeper conversations, more honest self-reflection, greater ease in relationships, and a stronger connection between body and mind. Think of it as creating more spaciousness for the work.
I offer the Safe and Sound Protocol to existing clients and as standalone support, even if we are not doing ongoing work together.

Why SSP?

At the heart of my work is a belief that healing happens when we feel safe enough to be honest — with ourselves and with another person. That sense of safety isn’t just a feeling. It lives in the body. It lives in the nervous system.
So much of what brings people to therapy — anxiety, difficulty in relationships, a sense of being stuck, patterns that don’t seem to shift no matter how much insight we gain — is rooted in a nervous system that has learned to stay on guard. Talk therapy can be enormously powerful, but sometimes the body needs a different kind of invitation first - that's where SSP comes in.

“It’s not merely that we can’t be creative or loving when we’re scared; we can’t heal".”

– Stephen Porges

who is ssp for?

	•	Anxiety, chronic stress, or a sense of being perpetually “on”
	•	Trauma or experiences that feel stored in the body
	•	Difficulty feeling present or connected in relationships
	•	Nervous system dysregulation that seems to get in the way of progress
	•	Sensory sensitivities

learn more about the research

The Safe and Sound Protocol was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, whose work on Polyvagal Theory has transformed how we understand the nervous system, trauma, and social connection. You can explore his research and learn more at stephenporges.com or learn more about the science behind the Safe and Sound Protocol here.

nervous system nourishment program with the safe and sound protocol

Personalized Program Includes

  • First 6o minute Session including education and personalized Nervous System Mapping Exercises

  • Personalized Listening Plan

  • Personalized resources, exercises and practice

  • Ongoing Check-Ins During Listening Series

  • Second 6o minute Session, Check-In

  • Ongoing Listening

  • Third 60 minute Session Integrating and Closing

  • 12 Month Subscription to personalized ongoing listening Program

  • Investment: $800

Safe and Sound Protocol for existing clients

Safe and Sound for Existing Clients

  • Preparation and program completion guided alongside your current and emerging therapeutic goals.

  • Includes personalization, tools and ongoing integration with therapeutic experience.

  • Listening side by side in person and/or remotely and independently.

  • 12 month subscription to personalized Safe and Sound Protocol program for ongoing use as needed or desired.

Hi, I’m Rachel.

I’m Rachel Adler, an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. I believe that you are the expert on your life, and that we all have the capacity to access a deeper level of knowing and connection to ourselves and our own healing. My job as a therapist is to provide the environment and the tools to empower you on this journey.

My goal is to create a sense of trust, a space that is free from judgment and the feeling that every part of you and your experience is safely held between us.

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