Short answer. Start with Connect and move to Core when you are ready. Access here includes those two; Balance is a separate pathway that is not included.
- Connect is unfiltered music, the gentle way in, listened to in any order
- Core is the main filtered pathway and must be listened to in order
- Balance has lighter filtering and is not included in access here
- Only Core requires over-ear headphones; Connect can play through a speaker
- A full round unfolds over roughly one to two months at your pace, not in a week
What are the three SSP pathways?
Connect, Core and Balance are the three listening pathways inside the Unyte app. They are not interchangeable rounds of the same thing. Each has a distinct character, and they are meant to be used in a rough sequence rather than chosen freely.
Connect is full-spectrum music with no acoustic filtering at all. The idea behind it, within Porges's polyvagal model, is that familiar, pleasant sound provides an environment of safety before any neural exercise begins. You can listen to the playlists in any order, repeat a favourite, or skip one that feels off.
Core is the main filtered pathway. The music is progressively and dynamically altered to exercise, in theory, what Porges describes as the middle-ear muscle system. Because the filtering is progressive, the playlists build on each other, and Core must be listened to in order. This is the pathway most people mean when they say they want to do the SSP.
Balance has lighter filtering that does not progress the way Core does, and it is designed to follow Core. Access through this site includes Connect and Core. Balance is a third pathway in the Unyte app and is not included.
Connect
Full-spectrum, no filtering. Any playlist order. For speakers, earbuds or headphones. The gentle way in.
Core
Progressively filtered. Listen in order. Over-ear headphones required (not noise-cancelling, not earbuds). The main neural exercise.
Balance
Lighter filtering, non-progressive, designed to follow Core. Not included in access through this site.
Connect is the warm-up and Core is the work. Those are the two you get here.
Which Connect playlist should you choose?
This is where people spend a lot of worried time, and it matters far less than the worry suggests.
The playlists inside Connect differ in genre and mood: some lean toward familiar popular songs, some toward classical, some toward lighter instrumental music suited to younger listeners. Pick one that the listener finds pleasant and not grating. For a child, playful or familiar music tends to work better than something the adult in the room prefers.
Once you pick a playlist, stay with it through that round rather than switching between sessions. Consistency gives the nervous system something settled to return to. That is the one meaningful rule here.
If a particular playlist feels activating rather than settling, that is a signal. Tender is fine. Too much is information worth acting on. Slow down or pause rather than push through.
Which playlist you choose inside Connect matters far less than whether you stay consistent with it. Pick what the listener finds pleasant, and keep going from there.
Choose a Connect playlist that feels pleasant, stay with it, and trust that the choice itself is not the critical variable.
What about headphones?
The answer is different for each pathway, which is what causes the confusion.
Connect can be played through a speaker, earbuds or over-ear headphones. It does not require anything special.
Core is where it changes. Because the filtering works through the acoustic properties of the sound, the way it reaches your ears matters. Unyte recommends over-ear headphones for Core. On-ear headphones and earbuds are advised against. Noise-cancelling headphones are also advised against unless the noise-cancelling feature can be turned off entirely. Bluetooth is acceptable as long as the headphones stay close to the device.
So if you are starting with Connect, which is where everyone starts, you do not need to buy anything before your first session.
Only Core requires over-ear headphones; start with Connect and you can use whatever you already have.
How long does a round take, and is slower worse?
A full round of SSP unfolds slowly, over roughly one to two months, paced to the listener. I suggest about five to ten minutes of listening a day. That is a pace, not a minimum to hit or a streak to maintain.
Less is more here. Shorter sessions on more days tends to serve the nervous system better than pushing to complete something faster. A round is not a race. If a week goes by where life interrupted the rhythm, that is not a failure, that is a week. Pick it back up.
For children especially, pace is read from their response, not from a calendar. A day where they seem settled and engaged is a day you can listen. A day where they are already dysregulated is usually a day to skip.
Access lasts three months and nothing renews on its own. If you want more time after that, you can extend by paying for another period of access. Either way, there is no reason to rush to finish.
Slower is not worse. The nervous system does not reward speed. A steady, gentle pace over weeks tends to produce more settled outcomes than rushing to finish.
Five to ten minutes a day over one to two months is a reasonable pace, well inside three months of access.
Do you need all three pathways?
No. Connect then Core is a complete round, and it is what access here includes. Access through this site includes Connect and Core. Balance is a third pathway in the Unyte app and is not included.
Some people find Connect alone shifts something meaningful and stay with it for a while before moving to Core. That is fine too. There is no requirement to finish Core quickly.
If nobody professional is guiding your round, the self-serve option gives you email support and the screening gate to help you orient before you start. For a child, I would suggest looping in the therapist or OT who knows them before beginning Core, even on the self-serve path.
Connect first, Core when ready: that is a full round, and none of it needs to happen on a fixed schedule.
| Feature | Connect | Core | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filtering | None (full spectrum) | Progressive, dynamic filtering | Not included here |
| Listen in order? | No, any order | Yes, must follow sequence | Not included here |
| Headphones required? | No, speakers or earbuds fine | Yes, over-ear (not noise-cancelling) | Not included here |
| Where it sits in a round | Start here | The main pathway | Not included here |
| Good for children? | Yes, choose a familiar or playful playlist | Yes, with appropriate pacing | Not included here |
Ready to start?
A short screening on the site helps confirm that SSP is a good fit and which pathway to begin with. It takes about a minute.
Take the screening