Dominant Somatic Pattern-B-Achiever

Your Somatic Profile:
The Achiever

Your nervous system has learned to respond to life’s demands with action, drive, and pushing forward—what Thomas Hanna* called the Green Light Reflex.

This is your body’s intelligent way of staying on top of things, showing up, and keeping everything running—even when you're running on empty.

_{*[Somatics by Thomas Hanna]}

"I won't give up."

The Hidden Pattern:

Your nervous system habitually contracts the back body muscles to keep you upright, alert, and moving forward.

But over time, this “go-mode” reflex can become a default setting—pulling you out of balance, increasing compression in your spine, and leaving your body stuck in over-effort.

Why This Pattern Developed

Your Achiever pattern likely formed from:

Chronic overwork or high expectations
Long periods of “holding it all together”
A drive to perform, succeed, or be responsible
Not feeling safe to stop or slow down
Conditioned movement habits—like bracing the core, lifting the chest, or powering through workouts—often reinforce this readiness-for-action posture, even outside of exercise

How this shows up in your body

Excessive arching in the low back
Chest lifted, ribs flared, or pelvis tipped forward
Constant muscle engagement, even at rest
Shallow upper chest breathing
Feeling "wound up," tight, or unable to relax fully

Common pain points and physical symptoms you may experience

Lower back pain and tight hip flexors
Tension in the upper back, neck, and shoulders
Sciatic pain or sacroiliac discomfort
Strained breathing or breath-holding
Grinding teeth or jaw tension
Headaches from muscular overuse
Knee or ankle pain
Plantar Fasciitis
Fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest
Difficulty relaxing or “switching off”

According to Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome, the body responds to chronic stress in 3 stages- the alarm stage, the resistance stage and the exhaustion stage. The Achiever pattern represents that resistance phase—where the system tries to cope through drive, effort, and doing more.

It worked for a while. But now, your nervous system may be signaling that it’s time to rewire your relationship to rest, effort, and ease.

THE TAKEAWAYS

The Hidden Pattern

Your nervous system habitually contracts the back body muscles to keep you upright, alert, and moving forward. But over time, this “go-mode” reflex can become a default setting—pulling you out of balance, increasing compression in your spine, and leaving your body stuck in over-effort.

What This Means:

You’re not broken—your body has been adapting.
What you're experiencing isn’t about pushing too hard or being too ambitious.
It’s the result of how your brain and nervous system responded to long-term stress by keeping you on—even when rest was needed.

Somatic Learning Goals

Learn to sense when you're habitually “holding” or pushing. Learn to Ground. Yield. Soften. Unbrace. Rediscover a natural rhythm between action and rest.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not imagining it—and you’re not failing.

Many people with the Achiever pattern are told to “stretch more” or “just relax,” but those strategies rarely work long term. That’s because this isn’t just a muscle issue—it’s a habit of the nervous system.

It’s neurological.

You didn’t consciously choose this pattern.
It’s an adaptive, involuntary response—learned over time and stored in your body as the “right” way to stay safe and capable.

With the right process, you can unlearn the over-efforting and rebuild ease, breath, and balance—without giving up your strength or drive.

Note:
_{This quiz draws on Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome, a widely recognized model of how the body responds to stress in three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. Chronic or unresolved stress may lead to long-term adaptations in posture, movement, and energy — patterns that can be updated through gentle, brain-based learning.}

Now let’s help your brain learn something new.

You’ve just uncovered an important pattern in your nervous system—and now it’s time to take the next step.

Hi, I'm Adrienne and I've been a movement educator and clinical somatic practitioner for over 20 years.

In this short video, I’ll show you:

Why these patterns develop (and why they stick around)
How they affect your body, your energy, and even your emotions
What it really takes to change them—gently, from the inside out

And I’ll introduce you to UNA-The 20 Minute Movement Makeover System, so you can start re-wiring your responses and moving with more ease—right away.

Click play to learn what your body has been trying to tell you—and how to finally respond with something that works.

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Your Next Step: Try The Moovy Studio Membership

You don’t need to figure this all out—you just need to start where you are.

Inside The Moovy Studio Membership, you'll access the UNA 20 Minute Movement Makeover System, where you’ll experience gentle, brain-based lessons that help you decompress, re-coordinate, and rediscover your somatic intelligence—without strain or pressure.

Just 20 minutes can shift your entire experience of being in your body.

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