TRE® or Tension & Trauma Release Exercises is a modality that supports the body in releasing patterns of stress, tension, and trauma, accessing the body’s ability to self-regulate and self-restore, through tremor or vibration.

TRE® activates the body's natural tremor or vibration reflex, in a safe environment. This unlocks muscle tension and deeply calms the nervous system. This tremor reflex is one of the body's relaxation mechanisms, both in humans and animals, being a natural way through which the body can release its contraction patterns, reducing the load of stress hormones and thus bringing itself to a state of equilibrium.

Practicing TRE® reestablishes, in time, the natural rhythms of the organism. It also allows the recovery of one’s energy resources by reorganizing muscle and fascia reactions coupled to the emotional/thinking/behavioral patterns, which practically maintain trauma, anxiety, stress and PTSD alive in our bodies.

TRE® overcomes the barrier of language, of speech, being a strictly somatic process, which does not require the recounting of traumatic stories, the recollection of feelings, or the problems that generated stress, or trauma.

When this vibration mechanism is experienced in a safe environment, the body is encouraged to return to its natural state of homeostasis and harmony, from the inside out, a state which increases in duration as the practice of TRE® is acquired as a natural tool of self-adjustment & self-restoration.

The process was created by Dr. David Berceli, PhD.

People describe the after-feeling as calmer, energized, relaxed, rested, present, and grounded.

Benefits reported after several months of practice:

Physical: relief of symptoms of many inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, psoriasis, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome

Pain: relieving the symptoms of migraines, back pain, knee pain, hip pain, neck pain, shoulder pain

Emotional: reducing feelings of anger, fear, worry, control, and anxiety - leading to more restful sleep for many

At work: feeling grounded, confidence in one's abilities, openness, inner calm, easier expression and socialization

In relationships: people tend to feel safer and more open to intimacy and communication, more present, generous, stable, self-aware

From my point of view, the most impressive consequence of practicing TRE®, in the long run, is the fact that it expands our self-awareness. It brings us in contact with ourselves - our body, emotions, and sensations, with what we have forgotten, ignored, and rejected within.

Besides the releasing of tension/stress and the regulation of the nervous system, which many other modalities can support with, when getting on the floor, being present in our bodies and simply allowing them to let go on our behalf of what no longer serves, there is a deeper reconciliation that takes place.

It is a way of putting aside the control we have given our minds over our bodies and that creates a new type of trust in ourselves, one that most people haven't experienced in a long time. I'd go as far as saying there is a healing in this, and a reconnection to wise facets of ourselves we have collectively, as a society, shunned in our desire for control over our lives and for knowledge.

There is a wise unknown in all of us and practicing TRE® we create a space where we can meet it.

It is generally recommended to experience TRE® 4-8 times with a certified facilitator before starting to practice on your own regularly - this allows you to:

• discover how to activate the tremor mechanism in ways that are appropriate for you specifically
• gives you time to feel safe with self-regulating this process on your own
• experience different ways in which the movement can flow through your body once it starts - every session is unique in sensations and movement
• learn adjustments you can make to support your body in comfortably releasing stuck patterns
• become more aware of your body and soften the mind's grip over it - this a process that is much more efficient when facilitated at first
• get comfortable with the sensations that show up when you are letting your body move of its own accord, knowing there is someone with you to support, adjust, ground, and contain what emerges - sometimes when a deep pattern of tension is released it comes with an emotional reaction
   
  

Each of us has our individual history of stress and trauma, which means that the recommended number of sessions to practice this modality responsibly will vary from one person to another. 

Once the ability to self-regulate is embodied, it is commonly suggested to continue the practice of TRE® 1-4 times/week; as you experiment you will see what is a good rhythm for you. A full session done on your own usually lasts between 15 and 40 minutes.