Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP)
at Divergent North
Reclaim calm. Build resilience. Feel safe in your body.
What is the Safe & Sound Protocol?
At Divergent North, we’re dedicated to supporting neurodivergent minds in finding balance and resilience. One of our key offerings, the Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP), is a powerful tool designed to help regulate your nervous system, improve emotional wellbeing, and build stronger connections to yourself and others.
The Safe & Sound Protocol, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, is a non-invasive therapeutic intervention rooted in Polyvagal Theory. SSP uses specially-filtered music to target the vagus nerve, enhancing your body’s ability to regulate the nervous system and to help people better connect with themselves, others and the world around them. This protocol is particularly effective for those seeking to restore feelings of safety, calm, and connection in their daily lives.
Who Can Benefit
SSP may be supportive for individuals experiencing:
Emotional regulation difficulties
Sensory sensitivities
Anxiety or depression
Nervous system fatigue (e.g., irritability, sleep concerns, chronic pain)
Challenges associated with ADHD, Autism, OCD, or ODD
Note: SSP is not recommended for individuals with active tinnitus, seizures, unmanaged dissociative disorders, or those in the midst of major life upheaval.
How SSP Works:
Listening Experience:
You’ll engage in 5 hours of music, filtered to specific frequencies of the human voice, spread over 5-30 minute listening sessions.Gentle Activation:
While listening, you’re encouraged to engage in relaxing, creative activities such as coloring, knitting, or drawing. These help reinforce the calming effects of the protocol.Personalized Delivery:
SSP can be completed in-person at our cozy therapy space or remotely from the comfort of your own home (depending on your unique needs and safety considerations).Tools Required:
Over-ear, non-noise canceling headphones are necessary to ensure optimal impact.
What to Expect:
SSP gently retrains your nervous system to respond more effectively to everyday stressors and sensory input. You’ll begin to notice shifts in emotional regulation, improved resilience, and a deeper sense of inner safety.
While you may start to notice benefits right away, you may continue to notice benefits over the six to eight weeks following the SSP.
The SSP may be done in-person or online; however, certain clients are not good candidates for online therapy (e.g., history of significant trauma).
My role as the therapist is to provide a safe environment for listening. As this intervention is directly stimulating the nervous system, you may experience physical sensations and/or strong emotional reactions - I am there to help you pause and regulate.
Your nervous system needs to be in a calm and regulated state to receive the full benefit of the therapy. For this reason we allow lots of time in each session - 60 minutes for up to a half hour of listening.
Cost & Access:
**Initial Consultation: $75 for a 30-minute intake session to determine your readiness and create a personalized plan. (**new clients only)
In-Office or Virtual Sessions: $150 / hour, with a minimum of 3 hours recommended to experience the benefits of SSP. This is dependant on nervous system response and further in-session listening may be required to ensure comfort and safety throughout the intervention.
12-Month Protocol Access Fee: $300 per user fee, which includes:
12-Month access to the SSP system (Unyte-ILS)
5 hours of listening time to the Core SSP Pathway
Unlimited access to the Connect and Balance SSP (unfiltered and lightly-filtered) Pathways
and outside-of-session SSP related support by phone / email, if needed.
Discounted Annual Access for Combined Protocols
If you’re accessing both the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) and the Rest and Restore Protocol (RRP), you’ll receive a reduced 12-Month access fee—making it easier and more affordable to support your nervous system with both tools.
Accessibility matters at Divergent North. If cost is a barrier, let’s work together to find a solution that fits your needs.
