Explaining the Safe and Sound Protocol: Polyvagal Theory for Gearheads

Fundamentally the concepts for how a system regulates itself are pretty familiar to any mechanic, backyard or otherwise.  I myself began being a backyard mechanic in the 6th grade science when we took apart a lawn mower engine. I was especially interested when we played with the governor. I mowed lawns for pocket money and dealing with mowers that weren’t running right was pretty common. “Surging” is when the motor alternately races and then nearly dies. A surging mower has no power when you load it by moving into the grass. If it weren’t for the governor, every time you pushed the lawnmower into tall grass it would die. It has speed but no power. The governor on the lawnmower keeps it running at a steady rate.

So what do engine governors and the SSP have in common? The SSP also affects a mechanism that manages our ability to adapt to changing conditions. In this case, the mechanism has biological parts that put a brake on our timing (heart rate) and our air intake (breathing). It also opens circuitry to other systems, such as our system reset (sleep).

The SSP does this by ‘adding spark’ (increasing nerve impulses) through the ear (auricular) branch of the vagus nerve. Sound waves stimulate chemical signals that result in nerves firing. The Vagus nerve is basically the main trunk of the electrical system in our bodies, so adding power here ripples extensively through the body circuits via the Vagal systems. This bundle of fibers sends signals to slow the heart and lungs, stimulate digestion and make socializing possible by activating muscles that bring expression to our face. When these things happen, the ‘engine’ of our expressive selves is running at optimal efficiency, we are calm, feeling good and showing healthy regulation of our engine speed.

There are two separate ‘legs’ of this vagal circuit, with different effects on the system overall. While both function to manage load on the body systems, the fail-safe system works by shutting down non-essential uses of power. As you might imagine, the engine cannot run in this way for an extended period. Think clogged spark plugs, engine knock, cross-firing and so on. So too, is our body’s functioning unhealthy operating this way over the long term, even though the short-term usefulness is to preserve the engine in times of extreme load changes.

Remember though, without some sort of governor the engine will race and there would also be undesirable wear. Similar to an over-revved engine, if it weren’t for this vagal brake the activated body would remain activated until it used up the available fuel or parts of the system would began to break down.

While in ‘rev’ mode our bodies cannot repair. We are different from machines, because we can biologically repair and build on ‘wear and tear.’ But, your body requires rest periods to repair daily damage, build new tissue and dump waste products that accumulate during the day. To go back to the engine, if you don’t refresh certain components (such as replacing the oil and changing the fuel and air filters), the engine will work less efficiently and wear out more quickly. So does the body.

Many things can cumulatively impact the balance of the body brake, also known as the vagal brake. Sometimes a tune-up is required to set things right again. Enter the Safe and Sound Protocol of sound stimulation.

How does the SSP, which is basically singing and music, help regulate the body systems? Because sound and all other sensory data results in nerve signals. Think sensors that feed into the engine’s central computer. The sensor signals cause adjustments to fuel/air/spark so that the engine can handle the necessary load. More constant feedback from the processor means the engine will perform more smoothly and efficiently.

As sensors, our ears gather data to tell our bodies how to make adjustments in space for navigation, orienting and seeking. Our hearing tells us about the presence of exterior sound sources and is primary for causing alerting reflexes to respond. Alerting is so important that high-speed wiring goes directly from the ear to the heart, without being routed through the central switching and computing areas of our brains. So sounds have a direct impact on your heart rate. In fact, watching the readout from a heart rate monitor while listening to the Protocol will clearly demonstrate the connection between sound and heart rate as sound-spikes create heart-spikes.

Ok, so how does singing and music make long-term changes in the regulation of body systems?

Now for the final piece, which is the thing that sets the Safe and Sound Protocol apart from other vagus nerve stimulators. Our ears and hearing apparatus affect the sound we can hear. If these sensors are damaged or out of adjustment our hearing cannot provide the signals that turn on the ventral circuit. As a consequence, management of the body systems is handled by simpler mechanisms because the ‘governor’ cannot function properly.

When this is happening, the ‘engine’ of the body either runs too fast and unregulated, or it runs in conservation mode. The body experiences this as being ‘hyper’ or ‘depressed.’ Neither way is especially effective at maintaining steady, reliable power. Neither way is good for the health and longevity of the body.  And neither way feels especially comfortable to the person whose body is operating like this.

The singing fluctuations and tone of the Protocol actually reset the hearing sensor so that appropriate signals are generated. This happens because the music is computer-enhanced to force the muscles of the middle ear to exercise, because they are slack and out of condition.  After a round of ‘workouts’ more efficient hearing is restored, along with healthy functioning of body systems, complex mental circuits, and an ability to enjoy and benefit from the presence of others.