More about TRE (Trauma Release Exercises)

What is TRE?

TRE is a series of 7 simple exercises, which when done in an environment of safety, illicits the body’s natural tremor response, which works to discharge ‘stuck’ defensive energy from the body.

This allows you to-

• release old patterns of tension, trauma and stress from the body

• encourage flexibility and balance in your nervous system

• move out of (chronic or acute) states of fight/flight/freeze

• encourage greater connection and feedback between body and mind

• increase capacity to tolerate difficult feelings

• bring a sense of safety, comfort and ease

The core condition of a TRE practice is feeling safe. Learning the exercise and experiencing the tremors/ integration period whilst being taught by a trained practitioner sufficiently skilled, empathic, and regulated to hold space for people is a vital part of the process- at least in the beginning before a personal practice is established.

Without safety, there is little therapeutic value to the practice. This safety is fostered by the rapport between facilitator and person practicing, and the felt experience of remaining grounded throughout the practice.

By being compassionately witnessed, and feeling present in one’s body whilst connected to their environment and the people around them, the person doing TRE feels safe to let go, be curious about and trust the process, trust their body, experience the tremors as enjoyable, and allow the nervous system to move out of survival states into a more parasympathetically dominant state.

By selectively tiring muscles in the lower body especially the calf muscles, quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteals, adductors, and psoas, and lying down in a receptive position, TRE seeks to encourage neurogenic tremors- arising from the Central Nervous System.

These tremors are usually felt first in the muscles targeted in the exercises but often move up to the diaphragm, along the spinal muscles, into the neck, jaw, and shoulders.

The activation of tremoring is a functionally necessary part of moving out of the ‘freeze’ response in other warm blooded animals. Note the way that 2 male ducks fight over females in any duck pond around the country- afterwards, they do a little shake- then they will swim together unperturbed, as if nothing happened, their altercation never to bother them again.

Humans have inhibited this response due to societal/ parental expectations of ‘keeping it together’- to their collective and individual detriment. By intentionally activating these tremors, humans can complete the stress response, and become more connected to their bodies, leading to a reduction in stress, tension, trauma and pain.

Done regularly, TRE can consistently bring humans back to a state of balance and connection, and represents a major positive addition to a person’s self care practice. It also just feels wonderful.