The Core Crisis
When the deep core locks down, the rest of the body steps in and suffers.
PDF - quick to read - keep it on your phone
Back pain that won’t resolve
Hip tension that keeps returning
A breath that never feels full
A nervous system thats wired, exhausted, or both
Posture that won’t stay corrected (the forward-pulled gremlin mode feeling)
A hunched/forward-pulled posture with chronic neck and shoulder tension
Tension headaches that track with stress, posture, or upper-body bracing
Pelvic pressure, heaviness or a can’t relax feeling
Urinary urgency/frequency (especially when stress is high)
Constipation or difficulty fully letting go
Pelvic discomfort that flares alongside hip/low back tension
This isn’t a character flaw. It isn’t weak core. And it isn’t something to force your way through.
Need immediate support instead?
Free Nervous System First Aid Kit
back pain
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hip pain
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shortness of breath
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wired
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exhausted
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back pain · hip pain · shortness of breath · wired · exhausted ·
Why this stays stuck (even when scans are fine )
Many people do the responsible thing: doctors, PT, imaging, strengthening, stretching, massage, rest.
And stillthere’s bracing. Instability. Flare-ups that don’t make sense. A system that won’t downshift.
What’s often being missed: the psoas isn’t just a muscle problem. Its a protection strategy.
When the nervous system perceives threatphysical, emotional, or cumulative stressit recruits the psoas to brace. If that bracing becomes chronic, it can create a cascade: breath restriction, posture changes, pelvic and hip compensation, and a body that stays on alert.
Thatis the Core Crisis.
LET’S GET STARTED
The 3 patterns (and why stretching only helps one)
Not all tight psoas is the same issue.
Mechanical overload
Classic sat too long / trained too hard / tweaked something. In this pattern, gentle mobility and appropriate stretching can help.
Neurological guarding
The my system doesnt feel safe pattern. Stretching often makes it worsenot because its wrong, but because its trying to force a nervous system response.
Structural compensation
Other stabilizers arent doing their job, so the psoas carries the load. Here, the answer isnt more releaseits rebuilding low-load stability so the psoas can stop overworking.
The guide helps identify which pattern is most likely and what to do first.
What’s inside the free guide
The Core Crisis Guide offers clear, clinical education and a safe first stepwithout forcing the body.
In the guide:
What the psoas actually is (and what core really means)
Why strengthen your core can backfire when the system is guarding
The psoas breath nervous system feedback loop that keeps people stuck
The 3 patterns (and how to tell them apart)
The #1 mistake that makes guarding worse
Constructive Rest: a first practice that communicates safety to the deep core
When to seek clinical supportand what to look for
Download the free Core Crisis Guide
PDF - quick to read - keep it on your phone
What better often looks like first.
This work isn’t about becoming a different person. Its about helping the system stop living on high alert.
Early shifts often look like:
Breathing feels more available
Pain spikes are less intense or less frequent
Less gripping through simple movements
Posture changes without forcing it
Faster downshifts after stress
LET’S GET STARTED
Want hands-on support?
For those in NYC, 1:1 clinical support is available through Body Mechanics Acupuncture.
For those not local, the guide is still a strong starting pointand the First Aid Kit is available 24/7.
Explore 1:1 clinical support
Use the Free Nervous System First Aid Kit
Youre not brokenyour system is bracing for a reason.
Clinical note
This page is educational and not medical advice. If symptoms are severe, worsening, or include red flags (loss of bowel/bladder control, saddle anesthesia, fever, unexplained weight loss, significant weakness), seek urgent medical care.