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

This video explores "armoring," a subconscious protective mechanism where trauma survivors store physical and emotional tension in their bodies as a way to feel safe. Through inspiring stories of figures like ultra-athlete David Goggins and trauma expert Pete Walker, therapist Emma McAdam explains how to identify physical, emotional, and relational armoring in your own life. You'll also learn gentle, step-by-step practices to release this stored trauma, retrain your nervous system to feel safe, and rebuild genuine connections.

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1. Real Examples of Trauma in the Body

David Goggins is a former US Navy SEAL and an ultra-athlete known for running hundreds of miles and doing push-ups for hours. He is a role model for pushing past mental limits, but he grew up suffering horrific abuse from his father. Because of this unhealed trauma, his body developed extreme tension. He described his body as feeling like "cement," particularly in his psoas, hips, and lower back, which led to chronic pain and physical breakdown.

"About 6 years ago, I reached the point where I couldn't get out of bed. The doctors couldn't figure out anything... It was literally shutting down as if there was no blood flow to my organs from all the tension in my entire life."

Goggins realized that no matter how mentally tough he was, if he didn't address this bodily tension, he was going to physically collapse.

Similarly, Pete Walker, author of Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving, grew up in an abusive home and suffered from constant muscle tension. When he tried to swim laps at a public pool, he found himself fully flinching his entire body just by being around other swimmers. This reflexive tightening response to fear, abandonment, or terror is deeply connected to childhood trauma.

"This is usually a physical flashback to past violations. In my case, my parents instilled a startle response in me through repeated face-slapping."

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2. What is Armoring and How Does it Show Up?

Armoring is the physical and emotional tension that trauma survivors develop to protect themselves from danger. First described by somatic (body-based) therapist Wilhelm Reich almost 100 years ago, it is a natural biological response. When you face a physical threat, your body naturally tenses up to protect your vital organs—this is fueled by the fight/flight/freeze response.

However, when we live in a constant state of hypervigilance, the brain and body get stuck in a loop. We end up feeling tense and contracted all the time, preparing for a threat even when we are perfectly safe. 🛡️

Armoring manifests in three main areas of our lives:

• Physical Armoring: Chronic muscle tension (especially in the jaw, shoulders, chest, back, and gut), frequent headaches, hunched posture, clenched fists, and shallow breathing.
• Emotional Armoring: Feeling numb or disconnected. You might feel like you can't cry, or you might develop hyper-independence, constantly overworking, or adopting a rigid "I don't care" attitude to avoid feeling shame or fear.
• Relational Armoring: Withdrawing from others, isolating yourself, distrusting people, blaming, anger, or extreme defensiveness. It is building walls to protect yourself from being hurt by others.

While this armor was necessary in the past, it eventually becomes a heavy burden.

"This armoring helped us survive the unbearable emotional pain of our childhood, but what previously protected us now keeps us trapped. It gets in the way of connection, pleasure, and vitality."

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3. Releasing Physical Trauma from the Body

Un-armoring is a process, but it is crucial to move slowly. If you try to strip away your protective armor too quickly, your body might panic and tense up even more, causing re-traumatization rather than healing. You have to gently teach your body that it is finally safe to let go. 🧘‍♀️

Here are the key physical practices to help melt the armor:

• Mindful Body Check-ins: Set a reminder on your phone twice a day to check in with your body. Ask yourself, "What sensations am I feeling?" Notice if you are clenching your jaw or if you feel tired. Don't judge the feelings or immediately try to fix them; just be curious and allow them to exist.
• Listen to Your Body's Needs: Trauma survivors often build walls against their body's signals, numbing hunger, thirst, or the need for rest. Practice honoring these simple physical needs.
• Consistent Stretching: Both Pete Walker and David Goggins admitted they absolutely hated stretching, but it ultimately saved their lives. Stretching dissolves decades of stored tension. Even just 5 to 10 minutes of gentle stretching a day can help relieve chronic pain and restore balance.
• Yoga and Breathwork: Yoga challenges us to stretch our muscles and relax into postures that are often physically or emotionally uncomfortable. The goal isn't to perfect a pose, but simply to practice being present with your body without judgment.

"Eventually, consistent practice gave me results I couldn't ignore. I was rewarded with solving back problems that had persisted for decades... I am absolutely convinced it explains why I can run, swim, and play basketball in my mid-sixties."

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4. Healing Emotional Armoring

Physical work is often the easier part; doing the emotional work requires true bravery. To release emotional armoring, you have to break down the walls around your feelings. ❤️‍🩹

• Acknowledge the Shame: Many people with Complex PTSD (CPTSD) were punished as children for crying, speaking up, or showing anger. You must let go of the belief that having emotions makes you weak. Tell yourself: "It's okay to feel sad. Sometimes this feeling comes and goes, but I can allow myself to feel it. It is healthy and human to have emotions."
• Express Your Feelings: Instead of saying "I'm good" when someone asks how you are, try naming the actual emotion. Say, "I feel hopeful today," or "I feel a bit depressed today." Giving your emotions a voice helps release them.
• Grief and Inner Child Work: Often, the emotions bubbling up are old, suppressed feelings from childhood. You can safely grieve your past wounds now because you are an adult who can handle them. Using approaches like Internal Family Systems (IFS), you can welcome negative emotions like characters in the movie Inside Out: "Hello fear, I see you are coming up today."
• Practice Self-Compassion: The most threatening person in our lives is often our own harsh Inner Critic, yelling that we are weak or unlovable. Deep emotional healing requires replacing that harsh critic with loving, gentle self-talk.

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5. Releasing Relational Armoring to Rebuild Connection

Relational un-armoring means allowing yourself to be vulnerable, but specifically with safe people who love, protect, and respect you. 🤝

Taking off your relational armor looks like:

• Apologizing and admitting when you are wrong.
• Saying "I love you!" out loud.
• Letting people see your flaws, your weirdness, your wounds, and your hopes.

"When we allow ourselves to show people our truth and how we really feel, we will feel a bit vulnerable. This word means being capable of being wounded. It means we have taken off our armor."

If you have survived trauma, relationships can be a massive source of fear. Building emotional intimacy and healthy attachment must happen gradually. It often starts with a therapist and then moves to a safe friend or partner—this is called Earned Secure Attachment. It involves safe physical touch, like hugging someone until your body finally relaxes, and learning to set boundaries while keeping your heart open.

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6. Final Thoughts

You don't have to force your armor off all at once. Little by little, you can learn to lay it down. That armor has been incredibly heavy for a long time, preventing you from truly resting, healing, and connecting. Because armoring is a learned response to trauma, it can be unlearned. With patience and self-compassion, you can retrain your nervous system to feel safe, establish healthy boundaries, and foster a beautiful, genuine connection with yourself and the world around you. 🌱