Most people think chronic pain is just about tight muscles or bad posture. But your nervous system has a deeper script running—primal, stuck reflexes designed to keep you alive.

These reflexes are old.
Older than your thoughts, older than your stories.
They’re built-in survival reactions that fire before you can reason your way out of them.

Two in particular show up again and again:
The startle reflex—the sudden jolt that says, Is it safe?
And the withdrawal reflex—the instant recoil that says, Get me away.

These reflexes are essential when you need them.
They help you jump back from a snake in the grass or brace when you hear a car screech.
But here’s the problem:
Trauma and unresolved injuries can leave stuck reflexes in the ON position.

If you’ve lived through something that overwhelmed your capacity—an accident, a chronic stress loop, PTSD—your nervous system may never have fully reset.
So even years later, your body keeps flinching.
Your muscles stay tense.
Your pain keeps humming along with no obvious reason.

This is why conventional treatments—massage, acupuncture, adjustments—sometimes only bring partial relief.
They address the symptoms, but not the stuck reflexes driving them.

Releasing these primal reflexes isn’t about brute force or deep pressure.
It’s about showing your nervous system that it’s safe to stand down.
This work can look simple—a light touch, a gentle movement—but it often creates a profound shift in how your body holds tension.

Primal Reflex Release Technique (PRRT) is one approach I use alongside other tools.
It’s not magic, and it’s not for every kind of pain—especially structural damage or nerve injury.
But when stress and old trauma are the hidden fuel, reflex release can finally interrupt the cycle.

If you’ve tried everything else and your pain still feels like it has a life of its own, it might be time to explore whether your stuck reflexes are still bracing for danger that’s long gone.

When you’re ready to look deeper, I’m here.