Your nervous system learned to stay on guard
SSP gives it a different experience
The Safe and Sound Protocol™ (SSP) is a three-phase listening program grounded in Polyvagal Theory. Access all three phases through a monthly membership with licensed clinical support, at your own pace, from wherever you are.
Chances are, you've already done the work
The therapy. The breathing exercises. The meditation app with the calming voice. The journaling. The books about the nervous system.
And on a good week, some of those things help. On the other weeks, your chest is still tight before social events. You wake up at 3 AM with your brain already running. You get through the day and then need two hours to decompress from nothing in particular.
This isn't a discipline problem. You're not doing anything wrong.
Here's what most anxiety resources don't address: they work top-down. They ask your thinking brain to calm your body down. And sometimes your body is not listening to your brain, no matter how much you understand about your own anxiety.
SSP works at a different level entirely.
What shifts after SSP
Clients who complete SSP often describe changes they struggle to name at first. The world feels a little less loud. Social situations take less out of them. Sleep starts to come more naturally. The feeling of always bracing for something starts to ease.
More specifically: the window of tolerance widens. There is more space between a stressor and a reaction. The body stops reading ambiguous moments as threats as automatically as before.
This is not about fixing your nervous system. Your nervous system is not broken. SSP gives your body new information to work with so safety starts to feel accessible again.
What is the Safe and Sound Protocol?
A direct conversation with your nervous system.
The Safe and Sound Protocol™ was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, the researcher behind Polyvagal Theory. SSP uses specially processed music filtered to the frequency range of the human voice. The effect: your nervous system begins to read cues of safety in the sound environment around you, not because you told your nervous system to, but because the input changed.
SSP is delivered through the Unyte iLs app with over-ear headphones. Listening sessions are short, flexible, and done on your own schedule. Clinical oversight means someone is monitoring your response and adjusting your pacing when needed.
Research on SSP has shown improvements in social engagement, emotional regulation, sensory sensitivity, and anxiety. Unyte maintains a published clinical library of SSP outcome data available at unyte.com.
The Three Phases
SSP is not a single event. SSP is a process with three phases, each building on the last. The membership gives you access to all three.
Phase 1: SSP Connect
For nervous systems needing a gentle starting point.
SSP Connect uses less intensely filtered music than Core. The goal is to begin shifting your body's baseline response to sound and social cues without overwhelming a highly sensitive or dysregulated system.
Not everyone starts with Connect. After you join, you will complete a short onboarding questionnaire covering your nervous system history, sensory sensitivities, and any prior experience with body-based tools. Taylor reviews your answers and sends a personalized voice note recommending your starting phase. For members who have experienced significant chronic stress, high sensory sensitivity, or who have found other nervous system tools activating, Connect is often the better place to begin.
Phase 2: SSP Core
The primary five-hour reset.
SSP Core is the original Safe and Sound Protocol™ program: five hours of specially filtered music delivered across multiple listening sessions, paced to your response. This is where the most significant shifts in nervous system baseline tend to occur.
Listening sessions are typically 15 to 30 minutes. Pacing is not fixed. Taylor monitors your response between sessions and adjusts the timeline based on what you are noticing. There is no rushing through Core. Slower delivery produces better outcomes.
Phase 3: SSP Balance
Ongoing regulation, no additional cost.
SSP Balance is the maintenance protocol available after Core is complete. Balance uses any headphones or speakers and is designed for regular, ongoing use. Balance maintains and deepens the nervous system changes Core produces.
Balance is included in your membership. There is no separate fee and no upsell to access Balance. The membership model exists because the work does not stop after Core, and your access should not either.
Membership Details
What is included in the $50/month membership
Onboarding questionnaire reviewed by Taylor before listening begins. Covers your nervous system history, sensory sensitivities, and prior experience with body-based tools. Taylor sends a personalized voice note with your recommended starting phase.
Access to SSP Connect, Core, and Balance through the Unyte iLs app. All three phases are included.
Weekly async voice note from Taylor. A short clinical check-in (2 to 3 minutes) addressing what members are typically noticing at each stage of the protocol.
Email support throughout. Replies via Kit. If something feels activating or confusing, you have a clinician to ask.
Pacing guidance throughout Core and Connect. Taylor monitors your progress and adjusts your listening schedule based on your response.
Letter of Medical Necessity on request. As a licensed therapist, Taylor is qualified to write an LMN for HSA or FSA reimbursement. Most SSP providers cannot offer this.
No contract. Cancel anytime.
Why a licensed therapist makes a difference.
Taylor Garff is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (Idaho) with additional licensure in Utah, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, South Carolina, and Florida. He has over 10 years of clinical experience working with anxious adults.
He is a certified SSP provider through Unyte, the organization founded by Dr. Porges and the only authorized distributor of the Safe and Sound Protocol™. Unyte certification requires clinical training in Polyvagal Theory, SSP delivery, and the management of nervous system responses during the protocol.
The clinical distinction matters for two reasons.
First, SSP activates the nervous system. Emotional and physical shifts during listening are normal and expected. Having a licensed clinician available to interpret your experience, rather than an automated app or a coach, means those moments are met with informed clinical guidance rather than a generic FAQ.
Second, only licensed clinicians are qualified to write a Letter of Medical Necessity. If your HSA or FSA covers SSP, Taylor is positioned to support HSA and FSA reimbursement. A non-licensed SSP provider is not.
HSA/FSA
Insurance does not cover SSP. SSP is classified as a wellness and nervous system regulation program rather than a traditional medical or mental health service.
Many members use Health Savings Account or Flexible Spending Account funds to cover the monthly cost. As a licensed clinician, Taylor is qualified to write a Letter of Medical Necessity to support HSA or FSA reimbursement. Contact your HSA or FSA provider to confirm eligibility before joining.
What To Expect from Taylor
This is not a therapy program. There are no weekly sessions, no scheduled appointments, and no ongoing clinical relationship.
Here is what Taylor's role in the membership looks like.
When you join, you complete a short onboarding questionnaire. Taylor reviews your answers and sends you a voice note, typically within a few business days, with your recommended starting phase and a few notes on what to pay attention to as you begin.
From there, you receive a short weekly voice note (2 to 3 minutes) with clinical context for what members are typically noticing at each stage of the protocol. These are not personalized to you individually each week. These are informed by Taylor's clinical experience with SSP and address the most common experiences at each phase.
If something comes up for you specifically, such as a strong reaction during a session, confusion about pacing, or a question about what you are noticing, you reach out by email and Taylor responds. This is async. There is no scheduling required.
Taylor monitors your progress through the protocol and will reach out if your pacing needs to adjust based on what you report.
What this is not: crisis support, ongoing mental health treatment, or a substitute for therapy. If you are in an acute mental health crisis, please contact 988 or your local emergency services. If you are looking for ongoing talk therapy, the anxiety therapy page covers ongoing sessions.
The async model is intentional. SSP works on your schedule. The clinical oversight is there when you need support, without adding another appointment to your week.
Who This Is For
This membership is a good fit if...
Anxiety, chronic stress, or nervous system dysregulation is a recurring challenge and talk therapy alone has not addressed the body-level piece
You feel wired, burned out, or stuck despite understanding your anxiety well
You experience sensory sensitivities, startle responses, or difficulty filtering background noise in social environments
You want a body-based tool with licensed clinical oversight, not an app experience on your own
You are located in Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, South Carolina, or Florida
This membership is not the right fit if...
You are currently in an acute mental health crisis or a period of significant instability
You have a medical condition affecting hearing (check with your physician first)
You are looking for ongoing talk therapy (the anxiety therapy page covers ongoing sessions)
You expect SSP alone to resolve every layer of a complex anxiety presentation (SSP addresses nervous system regulation; other layers of anxiety often benefit from additional support)
About Taylor
I started offering SSP because I kept running into the same wall in therapy.
A client would understand their anxiety completely. They would trace the patterns, build the tools, do the work. And their body still read safety as a threat.
SSP addresses the layer words cannot always reach. Not as a replacement for therapy. As a direct conversation with the nervous system.
Every member of this program has clinical support from me throughout the process. This is not a platform that automates the delivery and checks in quarterly. You have a licensed therapist monitoring your response and available to help you make sense of what you are noticing.
Taylor Garff, M.Coun., LCPC, CMHC, LPC, CCATP Licensed in Idaho (LCPC #7150), Utah (CMHC #6004), Colorado (LPC #0018672), Connecticut (LPC #8118), and Florida (TPMC #1034). Telehealth registration in Delaware and South Carolina. Certified: HeartMath Clinical, Unyte SSP, Breathwork Facilitation, SFBT Level 1.
Questions people ask before starting SSP.
Is this therapy?
No. SSP is an educational and wellness intervention. The membership does not involve diagnosing or treating mental health conditions. If you are looking for ongoing therapy, the anxiety therapy page covers that. Many members use SSP alongside therapy, or as a standalone tool.
What headphones do I need?
SSP Connect and Core require over-ear headphones. Earbuds do not work for those phases. SSP Balance works with any headphones or speakers. If you do not have over-ear headphones, Taylor will send a recommendation list after your intake.
Do I need to be in therapy to join?
No. SSP is available as a standalone membership. If significant material comes up during the process, Taylor will address it with you directly and discuss next steps.
How long does Core take?
SSP Core is five hours of filtered music delivered across multiple listening sessions. Most members complete Core over four to ten weeks, depending on pacing. Some take longer. Pacing is built around your nervous system, not a fixed schedule.
What if I have a strong reaction during SSP?
SSP activates the nervous system. Emotional or physical shifts during listening are normal and manageable. Clinical support is included in the membership for exactly this reason. If a session needs to slow down or pause, Taylor adjusts your pacing. You are not navigating this in an app alone.
What is the difference between Connect, Core, and Balance?
Connect is the preparatory phase for nervous systems that need a gentler starting point. Core is the primary five-hour program. Balance is ongoing maintenance after Core. Most members move through them in sequence. Not everyone needs Connect. Your intake session determines where to begin.
Is SSP available in my state?
The SSP membership, as offered here, includes clinical support from Taylor as a licensed therapist. This means Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, South Carolina, and Florida. If you are in a different state, reach out and Taylor will let you know what the options are.
What is the refund policy?
If you complete your onboarding questionnaire and decide SSP is not the right fit before any listening sessions begin, you will receive a full refund of your first month's payment. Once listening begins, refunds are not available for the current billing period.
Your body has been doing its best.
For years, it’s been working with the tools it has. SSP gives your nervous system new information to work with.
If you’re ready to try something that works at a different level, this is where to start.
No contract. Cancel anytime. HSA and FSA funds accepted with a Letter of Medical Necessity.
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© 2026 Inner Heart Therapy. Safe and Sound Protocol™ is a trademark of Integrated Listening Systems, LLC, used with permission. SSP services are delivered by Taylor Garff, a licensed and certified SSP provider.
This information includes proprietary content about the Safe and Sound Protocol™, used with permission from Unyte Health®. — leading provider of evidence-based listening therapies for nervous system regulation.
Last Medically Reviewed: June 30, 2026
Reviewer: Taylor Garff, M.Coun, LPC, LCPC, CMHC, CCAPT
Licensed Professional Counselor with certifications in HeartMath, Safe and Sound Protocol, and Breathwork Facilitation. Taylor has over a decade of clinical experience supporting individuals with anxiety, overwhelm, and identity development.