Join Kirk & the Crew TONIGHT for "The Body Keeps The Score!" with Warriors for Life (WFL)
- Col (Ret) Mikel Burroughs
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
Drop in TONIGHT with Volunteer and Peer Support Specialist Kirk Poe filling in for Army Veteran Mikel Burroughs for "Burly's Warriors" edition of Warriors for Life (WFL) Online, presented by Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV).
We are asking everyone to share who we are and what support that Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV) is providing via WFL. If you know someone who is a veteran, first responder or a family member/caregiver, please ask them to join us for at least one meeting so they can learn more about what we do and how they can share their wisdom with others who may be able to learn from them.
TONIGHT's Topic: "The Body Keeps The Score!"
Join Kirk and Friends, TONIGHT and let's get together online for the Warriors for Life (WFL) as we talk about "The Body Keeps The Score!"
"The Body Keeps the Score," means trauma physically changes the brain and body, storing memories non-verbally and triggering overwhelming reactions (fight/flight/freeze) long after the event, impacting everything from posture and sleep to chronic pain and emotional regulation, requiring holistic healing beyond just talking to resolve these deep-seated bodily imprints.
How Trauma Gets Stored
Implicit Memory: Traumatic memories aren't stored as coherent stories (explicit memory) but as sensory fragments (sights, sounds, smells, physical sensations) in implicit memory, often called "body memory".
Brain Rewiring: Trauma disrupts brain wiring, making the amygdala (fear center) overactive, constantly signaling danger and flooding the body with stress hormones (like adrenaline).
"Stuck" Response: The body gets stuck in survival mode (freeze, fight, flight), replaying past threats in present-day situations, even when safe.
Physical Manifestations (The "Score")
Chronic Physical Issues: Migraines, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, asthma, autoimmune disorders, digestive problems, fatigue, and weight changes.
Body Posture & Sensation: Stiff shoulders, shallow breathing, numbness, feeling detached, or a disconnect from physical sensations.
Behavioral Issues: Sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, addiction, numbing behaviors (overeating, excessive exercise), or risk-taking.
In essence, your body "remembers" trauma through physical sensations, chronic tension, and ingrained stress responses, affecting your mental health until these deep patterns are addressed.
Healing Approaches
The Body Keeps the Score promotes a holistic healing approach for trauma, emphasizing that healing requires engaging the body, not just the mind, through "bottom-up" methods like yoga, EMDR, neurofeedback, and expressive arts (dance, theater) alongside traditional "top-down" talk therapy, helping individuals safely process physical sensations, reconnect with their present selves, and rewire trauma's impact on the brain and nervous system.
Key Healing Principles
Mind-Body Connection: Trauma gets "stuck" in the body, causing physical symptoms (tension, anxiety, pain); healing requires addressing these somatic memories.
Bottom-Up Healing: Working from the body up to calm the nervous system, allowing emotions like fear and anger to resolve physically rather than cognitively.
Top-Down Healing: Using cognitive approaches like talk therapy to understand trauma, but recognizing its limits.
Specific Therapeutic Approaches
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Uses bilateral stimulation (like tapping or eye movements) while recalling distressing memories to reduce PTSD symptoms, often more effectively than medication.
Yoga & Movement: Helps ground individuals, release physical tension, and learn to feel safe in their bodies again.
Neurofeedback: Trains the brain to regulate itself, improving self-control and calming hyperarousal.
Expressive Therapies: Dance, drama, and creative arts help individuals express and process trauma non-verbally, fostering identity and connection.
Meditation & Mindfulness: Teaches present-moment awareness and emotional regulation.
Core Goal
To help the body learn that the danger has passed, allowing survivors to live fully in the present, rather than being trapped in past traumatic responses.
Our Vision at Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV) is simple: "Where Hope, Support, and Healing come together!"
We encourage you to join us, Everyone is Welcome, Everyone Matters, You Matter to Us, so Talk to Us! — invite a friend!
Warriors for Life (WFL) Online "Burly's Warriors" edition, presented by Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV) — (TONIGHT), December 13, 2025 @ 4:30 PM PT, 5:30 PM MT, 6:30 PM CT, & 7:30 PM ET
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87197441247
Remember: Warriors for Life (WFL) Online, presented by Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV) meets on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays — (7-days) a week. Every week stay connected on Friday Mornings with "Coffee with Kim" and Monday Mornings for "Cup O' Joe" with Derrick at 8:00 AM CT.
“Everyone Matters, Talk to Us!"— Army Veteran Mikel Burroughs
Thank you,
Kirk Poe, Certified Peer Support Specialist, Reiki Master, Certified Body/Emotion/Belief Code Practitioner, & Volunteer Facilitator, Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV)