Safe and Sound
What does it mean to feel unsafe?
When your autonomic nervous system (ANS) is activated in survival your choices are limited. Your ANS detects cues and signals of danger long before your brain writes a story about that danger. Between cue and story a lot happens, and often instantaneously. Once a cue of danger is detected, we begin to produce a hormone such as cortisol or adrenaline. As your body begins to feel the effects of these hormones coursing through your system on the oxygen molecules in your blood, feelings emerge. With feelings there are behaviors or impulsive actions. These then lead to thoughts driven by the feelings. From these thoughts come the stories we tell ourselves.
Three basic stories
Looking at the ANS we divide the stores into two big buckets: Safety stories and Survival stories. In safety, the basic storyline is one of connection, engagement, and cognition. In survival there are two main storylines. Either we have a mobilized story of protection. What many of us refer to as fight or flight. This may also look like approach or avoid. The second storyline is one of disconnection or immobility. You might say this is a story of collapse.
Polyvagal Theory
According to Dr. Stephen Porges, polyvagal theory “focuses on what is happening in the body and the nervous system, and explains how our sense of safety, danger or life threat can impact our behavior. Polyvagal Theory gives us a scientific framework that 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.”
Porges describes this system as being hierarchical. Safety, a response of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is at the top of the hierarchy. While Stillness or collapse, also a PNS response is at the bottom. Nestled in between is the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activated response. Every time you breath in, you engage your SNS. Every time you breath out, you engage your PNS. In a state of homeostasis or safety, the inhale and exhale are balanced and regulating.
Safe and Sound Protocol
Dr. Porges developed the tool, Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), in an effort to help regulate a dysregulated nervous system. A regulated nervous system is more socially engaged and resilient. During the pandemic, therapists got certified to deliver the SSP tool to clients. There is growing evidence that SSP is effective in resetting ANS’s experiencing anxiety, depression, and some traumas.
SSP can be delivered to clients in-person and remotely. Basic implementation stimulates the vagus nerve, which builds a foundation for physiological safety. SSP in a group setting has the added value of shared experience. Group members self-disclose voluntarily, sharing sensations, emotions, actions, and state driven stories. It is not unusual for one person to say something and another to resonate with what was shared.
SSP Remote Group
In the group setting, we start with a centering practice, followed by new psycho-educational content. We open up for discussion and Q&A. There are practical exercises, break out rooms for 1:1 practice, and a listening portion-using the SSP app together as a group. As with any new thing, you get better at whatever you practice. Interested in learning more about the group application of SSP click HERE. All sessions are recorded for the participants use and review.
The end game
In the end, we all long to be safe. It is from this state of feeling a visceral sense that you are okay that we experience the fullest sense of self. When your internal state is calm and curious, the world around you is an adventure to explore. And when the world feels interesting and compelling, other people are warm, welcoming, reliable, and consistent. The more we seek and send messages of social engagement, the more we experience safety inside, in the world around us, and in between self and others.
