Studio A Body Therapy

Armor vs Boundaries

Most people do not realize that there is a relationship between armoring and drawing boundaries in life. I'd love to explain it, as this is a huge dynamic that we work with in the studio all the time, and one of the topics we address in our 'YES/NO & Letting Go' workshop.

Many people experience chronic muscle tension, be it in their neck and shoulders, low back, hips, feet, or somewhere else. It is often described by sufferers as feeling like they have armor on, because it's so relentlessly rigid and causes immobility (just as real metal armor would). What is supposed to be soft, flexible, pliable myofascial tissue has instead become tense, tight, tough, and restricted.

As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and myofascial release bodyworker with additional training in complex/relational trauma and the emotional body, when I see this pattern of chronic tension in people, I get very curious about their relationships and specifically their boundaries in life. When I invite them to get curious about boundaries, they usually have no idea what I'm talking about or why I'm talking about it. It works best via live demonstration, but I'll try here to let words do the job...

If I don't have my boundaries where I want them in my life, one result may be that people get to walk all over me. Maybe I'm the one who always says "yes" and agrees to everything, even if I don't want to. Well, put simply, what's a body to do with being forced to engage in something it doesn't actually want to engage in? (Even if we're just talking about joining a knitting club or a letting a friend come over that drains us emotionally. It's not always about trauma. It IS about patterns of betraying what I really want.) What is the body supposed to do with that? When it feels betrayed by the psyche/will that agreed to do something we actually don't want to do?

The body has very few ways of communicating, but one of the main ways it DOES have is via sensation... hello tension and pain. Chronic tension and pain is the body's way of sending the message that "not all is well", that something needs to change, that it doesn't feel safe. It is it's way of putting out the alarm signal.🚨 Hence the armoring. 'Cause nothing gets our attention like pain, am I right? Armoring does that quite efficiently.

And armoring is totally appropriate, if you think about it. If I don't have a boundary, and so people can get closer than I want them to, or can get away with things with me that I don't want them to, then the body braces for impact, like in a car crash.💥 The bracing/armoring body is seeking to protect itself from the full force of the impact; it's seeking to minimize the damage.

So yes, if you don't have a great handle on boundaries in life, if you don't fully understand the what/when/how of setting boundaries, it is not surprising at all to me that the body will exhibit a lot of tension. It's trying to make up for the other part of the mind-body system/Self that isn't doing its job by drawing a boundary and saying "no" in the first place.

This is why it's said that "the body keeps the score", or that "the body bears the burden" of our life experiences. Obviously there are things that happen to us that are not of our choosing and have nothing to do with our lack of a boundary. Those require their own set of interventions to renegotiate and resolve the trauma. But then there are also those things that happen to us that didn't have to, that are either fully or partially due to our inability to set a boundary. It is those that I'm addressing here in this post.

I get it. I understand why we don't set boundaries. Why that feels scary. I know this because I myself am a recovering people-pleaser, borne out of my own trauma that led to patterns of appeasing and fawning to keep the "approval ratings high" as I like to say, from those around me. I also understand first-hand the grief one has to face, which can feel all-consuming and even annihilation-inducing, when thinking of the people that would walk away if I set the boundary where I actually want it, where my body wants it.

"Where should the boundary be?" is a common question. Answer: the boundary is the place where my body can finally feel safe, as would be evidenced by reduced muscle tension, easier breathing, relief of pain, greater ease, etc. When the body feels safe and doesn't have to armor anymore, the effects are clearly felt, and not just in our muscles; many aspects of life get lighter and easier.

Does it take time to find that "just-right" spot so that those things happen? Yep, sure does! Is it worth it? Well, I'll let you answer that one. At what point is it worth it to you, my dear one with chronic tight muscles that won't let go, to do something different, even if it's scary and new? I ask that with all the love in my heart, as I understand personally the core dilemma that is at play and the very real temptation to just continue the awful-but-familiar pattern of putting oneself last and continuing to get walked all over, so as to not rock the boat.🛶 I see you and I hear you, friends!

Only you can decide for yourself when you're ready to take the leap to try something new. And when you are, here we will be at Studio A, doing our best to faithfully serve those in our community who are at that junction point, ready for something to change in how they move through life and navigate these tricky things. I promise we'll do our best to make it a little less tricky and to bring clarity, relief, compassion, the possibility for change, and most importantly hope. ❤️

Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash

The early bird discount ends TONIGHT (Feb 4) for our YES/NO & Letting Go workshop happening on Saturday, Feb 28, 9:30am - 4:30pm. This is a unique offering that is a somatic (body-led) exploration of autonomy, choice, and boundaries. It is deeply trauma-informed, gentle, and led by local experts in the fields of psychology and somatics. Sign up at https://www.studioabody.com/yes-no

Many of us don’t realize just how much bolstering we need in this area of exercising autonomy and drawing boundaries. But this is foundational work to being at ease in (and finding joy in) our relationships and in how we move through the world and relate to people… including everyone from the cashier at the grocery store, your medical providers, and your co-workers… to your kids, parents, and your spouse/partner.

It is worth asking:

👉 Do I respond to and relate with people based on what I feel they’re expecting from me? Or do I have a connection that is strong and alive to my inner self (a.k.a. body), that knows clearly what it wants/needs and knows how to honor that as I navigate relationships?

👉 Do I agree to things I actually don’t want to do? Or have I worked through my personal hang-ups that keep me stuck in saying “yes” when I actually want to say “no”?

👉 Do I know how to feel, tend to, and move through the grief that may come if I draw a boundary with someone and they walk away or reject me? Or does facing the grief feel so daunting and anxiety-producing that I never actually draw the needed boundary?

👉 Do I feel that I get taken advantage of a lot? And/or, do I worry that I’m sometimes verging on taking advantage of other people? How to know if that’s what’s really happening?

We explore these themes and so many more, hitting them from both a “top-down” (cognitive) and a “bottom-up” (somatic) perspective, which is what all the experts in the field have acknowledged is the best and most comprehensive way to bring about real, lasting change. This day-long workshop is led by Allie Whitney, owner of Studio A Body Therapy and co-taught with Dr. Michael Trexler of Peace of Mind Counseling & Wellness in Indy.

Everyone who attends gets a 20-page interactive workbook to take home with them.

So if you’re interested in engaging in true self-care by changing patterned responses of how you make decisions and how you relate to others, come learn how to hear your body’s “yeses” and “no’s”, and how to honor those responses with boundaries that are kind, honest, and brave.

Grab your spot in this one-of-a-kind workshop before the early bird rate disappears tonight at midnight! (Enter YNLG-EB as a coupon code when registering for the workshop to get the discount!) Sign up here: https://www.studioabody.com/yes-no

And if you can't afford the program but genuinely wish to engage with this content and learn, reach out about our Sliding Scale options. We'd never want someone to not come simply because of finances alone.

YES/NO Workshop | Studio A Body Therapy Join us for a somatic exploration of autonomy, choice, and boundaries.

We're printing and putting together the binders for this round of our signature program, Feel to Heal... should we make one for you? We have room for 5-6 more if you're ready to move out of chronic tension patterns, be it physically or emotionally. We start on January 14 and meet on Wednesday evenings, 6:45-8:45pm, for 8 weeks total (see website for a listing of the exact dates).

Whether you experience ongoing emotional tension/pain or physical tension/pain, the underlying mechanism behind BOTH of those is the same. It's the same regions of the brain, same pathways, plus the same nervous system activation for both physical and emotional pain; they are deeply connected and intertwined, even if you don't experience both at the same time.

Emotional tension/pain examples:
🔹Unsure of what to do with your anger?
🔹Don't know how to productively grieve the loss of someone or something in your life?
🔹Feel like you're looping (think: hamster wheel) when it comes to processing hard stuff?
🔹Can't get your system to move past something traumatic that happened a long time ago?

Physical tension/pain examples:
🔹Recurring IBS-like abdominal pain with no known medical cause
🔹Chronic tension in the neck and shoulders
🔹A "bad ankle" many years after an injury to it
🔹Tight hips and low back that never seem to let go

Get freedom from those patterns and step into something new. Learn about your nervous system and how the body processes stress, trauma, and difficult emotional experiences. Learn how to move through and out of patterns of tension, pain, and dysregulation. Come be equipped for a life that includes more capacity, more resilience, more ease, more vitality.

This is our 10th running of the program, over a span of 4 years, and we continue to get the same feedback after every round, that always says something similar to these real client testimonials:

💬"Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can't say enough about this program! I wish every person in the world could have access to this exact program. The information is life-changing. Allie is an exceptional teacher and speaker, blending pragmatic information with empathy and physical expression flawlessly. I've never felt so equipped in my life."

💬"I have a background in psychology and worked in mental health, and I much admired this class! Allie is very knowledgeable and entertaining. I was fascinated with the myofascial release techniques we were taught."

💬"Wow! This program has opened my eyes to the mind/body experience that I knew nothing about. Allie, you have a gift of teaching. Your knowledge and passion is palpable. Thank you for who you are and what you do. You take a concept and break it into manageable parts. So. Much. Information. And I love it!"

💬"I loved it and wish the classes could keep going. It was so well done -- a wonderful balance of information, visuals, examples, levity, and gentle somatic exercises. It has made me feel like I am not broken... the program has given me tools to move through "triggers" with new insight and skills. I want to recommend this to all my friends."

A tried-and-tested program that has sold out nearly every round it's been offered, for a program fee that comes out to only $20 per hour. 😲 I don't think I need to tell you that that's a small fraction of the cost of individual therapy, be it PT, chiro, or mental health counseling. We're not against those things -- those are valuable and needed services! (We engage in them ourselves!) But at Studio A we believe that EDUCATION and INFORMATION (especially about foundational things like the nervous system and how the body processes stuff) should not be the same cost as individualized therapy. 🤓 Save your money and accelerate your healing in whatever therapies you're currently doing, by learning all about how your nervous system is interplaying with and processing the stuff of life. It will help you make sense of HOW and WHY the therapies you're doing are working (or not) and what's truly happening in the body when you experience chronic or ongoing tension/pain. And it helps you choose the right providers and therapists moving forward, because you'll understand what your body REALLY needs in order to overcome pain and to heal. As these folks from the Fall 2025 cohort have said:

💬"Pairing this class with therapy has been critical and helpful."

💬"This (in conjunction with my current talk therapist) has been the most productive healing I have ever done."

So... should we prepare a binder for you? Want to join us? Read more details, and grab one of the remaining spots here: https://www.studioabody.com/feel-to-heal

Can't make a particular night of the program? No worries, we've got you covered with a video recording of that night's content, that you'll have access to for a week so you can stay caught up. 😉

I hope you'll join us! 🧡 https://www.studioabody.com/feel-to-heal

Hey therapists and counselors! We want you to know about a special offering that exists for you, happening TOMORROW (Saturday) morning at our studio!

To help take care of our local mental health therapists, we occasionally host Release & Refresh classes exclusively for them for a significant discount or free. The goal of these discounted, exclusive classes is to give a chance for those who take care of those in our community to also be taken care of; it provides a safe space for therapists to somatically move through and out of residual stress that they’re carrying from their work or life, so they can continue serving from a refreshed place. It’s one of the ways we at Studio A seek to build up and serve Hendricks County and beyond, striving for good health and vitality among our communities.

TOMORROW, Saturday, Jan 3, we are offering one of those special classes from 9:30-11:00 am at a 50% discount. And we have a few spots left, hence this post. 😊

This class is led by the owner of the studio, Allie, and seeks to support our local therapists to ring in the new year with good nervous system hygiene and flow, rather than carry into 2026 any stagnant or residual weight from this past year. So if you are a counselor/therapist, we welcome you to join us!

If you are not familiar with our Release & Refresh classes, you can read more here: studioAbody.com/release-refresh Allie created these classes and have been offering them regularly since 2023, and they provide a truly unique combination of somatic and myofascial techniques, that facilitate awareness of the fight/flight and freeze patterns as they currently present in the body and offer guided exercises to invite the nervous system to complete the cycle, thereby shifting out of the pattern and into something new.

And as one who holds space for clients and their trauma, Allie thoroughly understands how our own personal nervous system patterns show up and apply themselves to our work with clients. Handling the difficult stories and trauma material of our clients impacts our own nervous system and triggers our own patterns to emerge.

Different than simply engaging in grounding or breathing exercises (or even yoga) to down-regulate a hyped-up nervous system, these classes are specifically tailored to move participants’ nervous system THROUGH the stress cycle (not just short-circuit out of it), which requires skillful guidance by a well-trained practitioner.

We’re doing true rewiring of the neural pathways responsible for executing the fight/flight and freeze patterns, which is delicate and sacred work.

Here is what one local mental health therapist, Crysty Huffman, owner of Harper Rose Counseling, said after attending a Release & Refresh class:

"I can’t say enough about how freeing this was. My physical body felt lighter. My thoughts slowed down and I was able to be in the present. I’m still riding the high today. Thank you for investing yourselves into this work in order to bless and serve others. Well done."

Thank you Crysty for coming, and for your feedback!

So if you are a mental health therapist who practices here in Hendricks County or other places within the Indy area, and would like to join tomorrow's class, sign up here and join us! https://studioabody.as.me/rr-mht (Use coupon code MHT-RR50 to obtain the 50% discount when booking.)