In this episode of Between the Sessions, we explore a powerful idea from the book The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk: trauma doesn’t just live in our memories — it lives in our bodies.

The episode begins with the story of a Canadian couple who were caught in a massive highway pileup in Michigan. Although both survived the accident physically, their bodies reacted in completely different ways afterward. One became hyper-alert and easily triggered, while the other shut down emotionally and physically.

Same accident. Same experience. Two very different nervous system responses.

This episode explores how the body stores stress, why some people become tense and reactive while others go numb, and how recovery practices — including massage therapy — can help people reconnect with their bodies.

For those who serve in high-stress professions like the military, law enforcement, firefighting, and emergency medicine, the nervous system often spends long periods in survival mode. Recovery isn’t weakness — it’s maintenance for the body and mind.

Take a few minutes with us Between the Sessions to understand how the body remembers — and how it can begin to heal.

Support recovery sessions for those who serve:

https://www.givesendgo.com/MilFirst