We come into the world wired to thrive and connect. From the first moment of our lives we embark on a quest to feel safe in our bodies, in our environments, and in our relationships with others. Our life experiences shape how we feel, think and connect with ourselves and the world around us.

Dr. Porges, the founder of the Polyvagal Theory, coined the term “neuroception” to describe the way our autonomic nervous system scans for cues of safety, danger, and threats to our lives without involving the thinking parts of our brain. Based on this information, our ANS reacts automatically, either by connecting or disconnecting (e.g. Fight/Flight or Shut Down) for our own ‘safety’. When our nervous system becomes chronically dysregulated our health, behavior, social engagement and relationships can be significantly impacted.

Our ANS is made up of two main branches, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic, and responds to signals and sensations via three pathways, each with a characteristic pattern of response.

The sympathetic branch is found in the middle part of the spinal cord and represents the pathway that prepares us for action. It responds to cues of danger and triggers the release of adrenaline, which fuels the fight-or-flight response.

In the parasympathetic branch, the remaining two pathways are found in a nerve called the vagus which is divided into two parts: the ventral vagal and the dorsal vagal pathway.

The ventral vagal pathway responds to cues of safety and enables feelings of being engaged with life and social connection. In this state, our heart rate is regulated, our breath is full, we take in the faces of friends, and we can tune in to conversations and tune out distracting noises. We see the “big picture” and connect to the world and the people in it. We might describe ourselves as happy, active, interested and perceive the world as safe, fun, and peaceful.

In contrast, the dorsal vagal pathway responds to cues of danger. It reacts by taking us into an adaptive protective disconnected  “shut down” state, where we can feel depressed, “foggy “ and emotionally numb. In a sense we enter into a state of “not being”, where our energy is conserved for essential functions only.

SSP is embedded in the psychotherapeutic process because:

1. We humans are meaning-making beings. What begins as the wordless experiencing of neuroception, drives the creation of a meaning-making stories that shapes our daily living. 

2. It creates an opportunity to co-regulate, self-regulate and re-set our experience of feeling safe in our lives and our meaningful relationships.

3. With enhanced nervous system regulation, we can develop our sense of resilience, improving the way we feel and think, enhancing the way we connect with others.

One of the main neuroception portals for safety or danger is experienced through auditory stimulation. The auditory technique is supported by an ever growing body of research on the positive effects of music and sounds (frequency, patterns) on our ANS, behaviour and physiological homeostasis.  

SSP Is a  full spectrum  unfiltered music program designed to facilitate the auditory neuroception  stimulation of safety, to increase flexibility between autonomic nervous states and to facilitate the calming effect on all the systems in our body. Just as the brain is elastic and can change based on experience, the Autonomic Nervous System is also elastic.

The Autonomic Nervous State is integral to how we approach the task at hand.  So when  we have better state of control, we can be more socially and relationally engaged, can better emotionally regulate, mentally perform better, and move flexibly in and out of homeostasis reacting to the immediate and ongoing challenges we encounter in our busy lives.