Safe and sound, a polyvagal approach for connection change.

Hope and healing is now available, but should you get it?

Is it helpful?

Uh, who's it for?

What's actually in it?

I'll answer these questions in this book review episode and help you

decide whether to get it or not.

Hi, my name is Justin Sunseri.

I am a therapist and coach who helps you live more calmly, confidently, and

connected without psychobabble or woo woo.

Welcome to Stuck Not Broken.

Safe and Sound is written by Steven Porges, the Polyvagal theories

creator, and Karen Onderko- she really brought the Safe and Sound Protocol

from the lab into the clinical world.

The majority of the book is devoted to 13 real life stories of individuals who have

undergone the Safe and Sound Protocol.

The people in the stories come to SSP for many, many different reasons.

Everything from throat complaints to dissociation.

These people didn't necessarily seek out SSP, but their providers implemented

SSP into what they were doing.

Some people sought out SSP.

They have a wide, the, the clients have a wide range of diagnoses,

and the SSP providers come from a equally wide range of professional

disciplines, from therapists to coaches to physical therapists and more.

Polyvagal informed case breakdowns from Dr. Porges himself follow

the stories, and that was really my favorite part of the book.

The Safe and Sound Book also has other sections in it.

And those include a listing of the primary and mixed states, which I thought was

really thorough and really well done.

It also has a self-regulation toolbox with a whole bunch of, uh, options

in it for you and a whole bunch more.

So what's the point of the book?

During my interview with the authors, which also came out today,

Karen in particular expressed concern that the book might come

across, uh, like an advertisement.

I don't think it reads like an advertisement, personally.

Uh, I was definitely worried about that before when I got it, but I

don't think it comes across that way.

It reads as a genuine attempt to share information about the safe and sound

intervention and it, the application of SSP as well as the stories of success.

So again, I was kind of expecting it to be an ad, but I didn't get

that when I actually read it.

I don't think you will either.

You could watch and listen to that episode through the link in the description.

It's out now.

The safe and sound.

Book is fundamentally about the Safe and Sound Protocol and how it benefits the

client, the individuals, the clients, although there are a few other sections

that supplement, uh, the content that supplement the client stories.

The authors wanted the book to provide an avenue for hope, and I think

they accomplished that personally.

Anyone interested in SSP is going to get the answers that they're looking for.

Before reading this book, I was familiar with SSP, but I didn't really know

much about it, and I didn't know much about it in detail really at all.

Um, but I'd heard about it.

I had read a little bit about it, and I had heard from people who had gone

through it that are part of my community that they share their experience.

So I, I knew a little bit about it, but really it was more

something I was, SSP was something that I was really curious about.

The book Satisfied all my curiosities about SSP- how it works and

what the music is like, and what the evidence is for it as well.

So for me, it solidified that SSP is a viable intervention with real results.

And my interview with Karen and Dr. Porges took that even further

and clarified for me even further.

I really invite you to listen to that as well.

So, who is the Safe and Sound book for exactly.

That's kind of a tough one to answer because I'm not entirely sure.

It seems like it's for anyone who already knows about the Polyvagal

Theory, although it does have a brief rundown of the Polyvagal Theory within

it and the autonomic nerve system and the primary and the mixed states.

So it's for anyone who's already a, has some level of knowledge of

Polyvagal Theory, not for the beginner.

So it's someone who has that knowledge and is curious about SSP.

It's a super niche population I think that they're targeting.

So very, very small group of people.

So if you are curious about SSP and have a pretty good knowledge of the Polyvagal

Theory, then yeah, this book is for you.

You will get your questions answered whether you're a client or a

potential professional provider that that's interested in SSP.

You'll get those questions answered.

And yeah, the book's for you, that much is clear.

If you're looking for an avenue of hope, then, yeah, I,

I think the book is for you.

If you're wondering whether SSP would be helpful for you as a provider to a client,

then yeah, I think you'll get those answers as well and the book is for you.

The book is kind of for everybody, but really only the everybody's that have

extremely specific interests, which is Polyvagal Theory and the Safe and Sound

Protocol, and are providers or potential clients to receive the SSP interventions.

Very specific.

The intention of the book is to provide hope, and it accomplishes

that no matter who the audience is.

Okay, so my overall thoughts about the Safe and Sound Book.

Overall I liked it.

It's a interesting read.

The case studies are really the heart of the book and are not disappointing.

I especially liked the case breakdowns from Dr. Porges and

uh, I wish that the book spent more time on the case breakdowns.

Those were, to me the most significant.

But I'm, I'm provider and I read his primary source stuff and I implement

Polyvagal Theory into everything I do.

So that really hooked me.

So I especially like the case break breakdowns, and I wish that

they had spent more time on those.

The case breakdowns are fairly short, but they do contain some really

good nuggets that I think could have used some more love and attention

and really been expanded upon.

There- there was a lot here that could have gone deeper and wasn't.

Outside of the case studies, and outside of Dr. Porges'

breakdown of the case studies.

The rest of the book is fine.

Um, there's a brief rundown of the Polyvagal Theory.

I don't know who needs that at this point, that has covered so many

places and for free, but it's there.

There is a, and that seems to be standard in the Polyvagal Book world,

is here's a chunk on the theory itself.

There's, I even have my own book.

The first book is all about Polyvagal Theory.

Anyhow, there's a comprehensive list in the book of the primary and the mixed

states with some discussion on each.

I thought they did a really good job with that.

It was very comprehensive.

Um, there's a section on some regulation ideas and short and long-term

effects of autonomic dysregulation on various bodily systems, which I

thought was pretty darn interesting.

I haven't seen that anywhere else.

So I liked that section.

That's probably something I'll refer to, um, well as needed.

So all these pieces are interesting in and of themselves.

They, they could live alone as books on their own, like

they could be expanded upon.

So they're interesting in and of themselves, but the book as a whole

doesn't feel like a well thought out single piece of nonfiction literature.

These other sections feel more like page padding in all honesty, like they

were brought together to make the book longer, or wel- more well-rounded,

but it strikes me as unnecessary.

Interesting.

But unnecessary.

I don't hate that it's there, but I don't need 'em there either.

So I don't think it hurts the experience and probably should

not deter you from buying it.

Just my thoughts.

It's helpful, it's interesting, but it's also unnecessary and I would prefer to see

more time spent on the case studies, maybe more case studies or a deeper analysis

of each case study, especially from Dr. Porges- hearing his, the primary source

expert level, um, thoughts on those.

So really the case discussions are what you're buying the book for, I would argue.

The rest of the material is there.

Um, but not essential.

Do I recommend buying the Safe and Sound Book?

Um, if you're curious about SSP and you know, the Poly Vehicle Theory and you have

$21 to spend on Amazon, then yeah, sure.

I, I recommend it.

At the very least, it satisfies your curiosity.

And I also think that it provides the avenue for hope that they were hoping for.

Like, well, that they wrote the book for.

I think they accomplished that.

So if you need an avenue for hope, um, then yeah.

I think this accomplishes that, and it will provide it for you.

If you're ready to try something new and you're interested in SSP.

Yeah, this book does a really good job of explaining what SSP is, what

it could look like, who it's for.

So yeah, overall, I, I do recommend for 21 bucks if you're interested, if you know

the Polyvagal Theory and you specifically want information on, on SSP, then yeah,

I, I definitely recommend the book.

Thank you so much for joining me here on Stuck Not Broken.

You can buy a copy of the book through the link in the description.

Please note though that using that link will provide me a portion of

the sale at no extra cost to you.

It's part of the Amazon Influencer program.

Thank you again for joining me, and I will see you the next one.

Bye.