Armoring - How Trauma Gets Embodied as Tension, Chronic Pain, Jumpiness or Emotional Walls

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Oct 3, 2025

Explore how trauma manifests in the body through muscle tension and emotional walls. Learn about armoring, a protective response linked to hypervigilance, and how it leads to chronic pain and relational struggles. Discover techniques to unwind this armor, such as breathwork, yoga, and mindfulness check-ins. The discussion highlights the importance of self-compassion and vulnerability for emotional healing. Ultimately, listeners can retrain their nervous systems to foster connection and enhance overall well-being.

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ANECDOTE

Goggins' Body Locked Like Cement

David Goggins experienced extreme body tension, chronic pain, and compressions from lifelong hypervigilance and pushing through pain.
He started long daily stretching which he credits with preventing total physical collapse and restoring function.

ANECDOTE

Pete Walker's Flinching At The Pool

Pete Walker described persistent muscle tension and whole-body flinching around other swimmers after childhood abuse.
He retrained his body over time to stop reflexive flinching by gradually learning safety and softening.

INSIGHT

Armoring: Protective Tension That Gets Stuck

Armoring is the reflexive tightening response the body develops to survive fear, abandonment, or terror.
Chronic hypervigilance turns that protective response into a persistent feedback loop of tension even when no threat exists.

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When we understand how trauma shows up in the body, armoring is an important aspect. It includes muscle tension, chronic pain, and constant hypervigilance.

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Resolving Armor with Gabriel Posner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1P82CQ0gxI&list=TLPQMDUwNTIwMjXkG4fwe3LOQA&index=3

McConkie Embodiment Meditation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTgPsB2ukjc

Armoring is the physical and emotional tension developed by trauma survivors as a protective mechanism. Drawing on insights from somatic therapist Wilhelm Reich and figures like ultra-athlete David Goggins and author Pete Walker, the video explains how chronic hypervigilance can lead to persistent tension, chronic pain, and emotional walls. It's a common problem for people with PTSD, CPTSD, and childhood trauma.

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Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

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