What is TRE®?

(Trauma & Tension Relief Exercises)

TRE® is an innovative series of exercises that assist the body in releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension and trauma. The exercises safely activate a natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating that releases muscular tension, calming down the nervous system. When this muscular shaking/vibrating mechanism is activated in a safe and controlled environment, the body is encouraged to return back to a state of balance.

Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (or TRE®) is based on the fundamental idea, backed by research, that stress, tension and trauma is both psychological and physical. TRE®’s reflexive muscle vibrations generally feel pleasant and soothing.  After doing TRE®, many people report feelings of peace and well-being. TRE® has helped many thousands of people globally.

TRE® is designed to be a self-help tool that, once learned, can be used independently as needed throughout one’s life, thereby continuously supporting and promoting personal health and wellness. More information can be found here: https://traumaprevention.com/

The first time I did TRE® I was amazed. The facilitator told us that we were going to do these 7 exercises, and then we would lay down and shake. She explained that all mammals have this biological response.

“Have you ever watched a bird fly into a window? If it survives, you see it shake for a few moments on the ground before it gets up and flies away. It’s almost as if it is having a seizure, but then it’s totally fine.”

I thought.. wow, that’s super cool. But what do you mean I’m just going to shake? Like, involuntarily?

I was skeptical, but that didn’t last for very long. It took us about 15 minute to complete all of the exercises, all very simple. She instructed us to fatigue our muscles to about our 7 on a scale of 1-10.

Then we laid on the ground, and my thighs and pelvis started to tremor, involuntarily. She came around a few times to make sure we were okay & to be sure we were staying present.

I knew shortly after this first experience that I would someday get certified as a provider.

Our biological response

All animals have a biological response to trauma & stress. That response is to enter 1 of 3 states - fight, flight, or freeze. After the threat has passed (aka after the gazelle has outrun the cheetah, or the cheetah got distracted by a tastier dinner), the mammal then shakes, or tremors, to release the charge built up in the body from the stressful experience.

In Fight & Flight, your nervous system enters sympathetic state - your body is having a biological response to whatever stressor you are experiencing because it is trying to protect you from the perceived danger.

When you are relaxed, you are in parasympathetic state. You are perceiving no apparent threats, and therefore your body is in rest & digest mode. You’re chill.

When our bodies do not discharge those stress hormones through fighting or fleeing, that experience can get stored in the physical body, leading to chronic pain and stress and contributing to a number of health issues.

When we do the 7 TRE exercises, we are able to access this imprint of trauma via the psoas muscle. The psoas muscle is the only muscle that connects the upper and lower parts of the body, and it is also the main muscle activated in fight or flight - it helps us contract quickly to protect our inner organs. Next time you hear a startling noise, notice what your body does. Do you open your body up? No. You contract, using your psoas muscle.

When we access this imprint of trauma, we are able to access the biological response to stress, fear & trauma that all other mammals have…shaking & tremoring.

Check out this video here of a gazelle shaking after the threat has passed …

Accessibility Means Available to Everyone!

So basically, we can help our bodies release all that tension and trauma that is stored in the body by allowing it to access its natural mechanism for releasing it.

This is groundbreaking for many reasons, and for many people.

It allows you to release stuck energies and traumas without having to talk about it. For highly traumatized people or people who just have trouble talking about things, this is great. While psychotherapy is an incredible tool, the reality is that our bodies play a huge part in the storing of our trauma & tension. We can forgive those that have caused us pain, we can rewrite all those stories that no longer serve us… but if the trauma is still being stored in our bodies, we may continue to be triggered by the things that our bodies have learned to have a biological fight, flight, or fear response to, even if the threat is no longer present.

In addition, it is financially accessible.

The result? Less tension in our bodies. Who doesn’t want that?

Interested in booking a session? Contact me!

Additional Resources

LINK TO THE OFFICIAL TRE® PAGE

DR. DAVID BERCELLI’S YOUTUBE PAGE

Ted talk on the ACEs study: how childhood trauma impacts long-term health

Books:

• The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process – Transcend Your Toughest Times Dr. David Berceli 

• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma – Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.

• The Body Bears the Burden-  Robert Scaer MD

• Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers  -Robert Sapolsky 

• The Polyvagal Theory - Stephen Porges