Learn about TRE
Trauma/Tension Release Exercises, devised by David Berceli, offer a profound and life changing practice
to regulate your nervous system using the natural and innate tremor mechanism the body uses
to release stress hormones, muscular tension and emotional stress.
The tremor mechanism has been shut down culturally, usually in childhood, so it is simple and natural
to re-engage with it and gently reintroduce it to your body. First, consciously and intentionally and
allowing more deeply as the body itself is fully capable of healing deeply without our needing
to take control of this process.
The same brain stem mechanism that arouses fight/flight/freeze/fawn also has the ability
to turn it off, to return to a baseline of connected, calm and responsive.
TRE can, of course be practiced alone and that is the beauty of it, so why choose a facilitated session?
I have found over the course of working with people that they experience a deeper tremor that
moves more freely through the body when they are supported and feel safe.
There are also certain wounds that we all carry that are relational in nature
and need a relational context to be met.
My role is multi-layered, my presence, whether online or in person allows people to let go
into the tremor more deeply, I guide people to return to the sensation and keep attention
with the tremor, when alone they are more easily lost in thought and distracted.
There is also a practical dimension of my training and experience to guide and prompt gentle changes in
posture or position to allow the tremor to move more fully through tension and holding in the body
I used TRE daily for the first 2 years, with a consistent practice ever since and have met and
processed so much that my own nervous system is calm and well regulated.
This allows me to provide a calm and centred container for whatever someone is meeting.
My reviews will give you a good sense of how this feels for people.
Benefits of TRE
A Healthy Coping Mechanism
When our nervous system is dysregulated we all have different learned behaviours to calm ourselves; food, alcohol, smoking, drugs, sex, shopping.
Learn to notice what is happening internally (anxiety, unease, irritation or anger) and turn to TRE rather than to harmful patterns that increase feelings of helplessness and poor self worth.
Body-Led Healing
TRE uses the body’s natural reflexes to release tension and restore well-being without requiring verbal processing of past trauma.
For many, talking about their past is a barrier to accessing the help they need. TRE reintroduces you to the power of the body, no story needed.
Self-Help and Versatility
Once learned, TRE becomes a lifelong tool for stress relief and emotional regulation. It complements other treatments and can be taught in various settings, including large groups.
You are in control of your own healing this is a very empowering thing to experience that you have ways of coping that aren't in the hands of someone else.
Groups or One to One
How to learn and practice TRE is a personal choice. For many people a group setting is supportive and social and can deepen their experience of the tremors
One to one sessions offer a more personal and tailored experience of exploring your body's response to the tremors and supporting and deepening that directly and specific to you.
Nervous System Regulation
What does Nervous System regulation actually mean? You have almost certainly heard of the fight or flight response, sometimes called the Stress Response but understanding what a dysregulated nervous system feels like and how it impacts our day to day life can be an important first step towards taking back control of your body's responses to your environment which can leave you feeling overwhelmed.
A Protective System in overdrive
Humans, along with other mammals, have an instant 'on button' that protects us by causing us to fight, flee, freeze or fawn when we perceive a threat to our survival.
The difference between humans and other mammals is that we do not just activate this system in the face of actual danger.
We activate this 'state of emergency' through thought and our perceptions of safety and danger.
This means we can activate an emergency response state within our physiology because we are remembering a stressful event, because the tone of voice someone uses, or a raised voice in our presence triggers the response.
All of this is happening below our conscious awareness and we may not even realise why we rarely feel completely calm and centred.
More importantly, we can remain almost constantly in a mildly or even moderately dysregulated state.
This is exhausting for the body and the individual, but it also creates a real and lived impact on the experience of life.
When there is a high level of perceived threat the person can shutdown and withdraw.
Decision making becomes so challenging, doubt can permeate all aspects of life and the ability to engage, take risks and do new things, is severely curtailed and restricted.
As you develop your practice with TRE, you begin to release the stored stress hormones and the deep tension patterns in the musculature.
As well as the initial sense of relaxation and wellbeing this brings, you will notice the impact in all areas of your life as the background levels of anxiety and/or irritation start to reduce as a consequence.
As the stored traumas and stresses release they no longer activate your nervous system.
You will begin to notice changes occuring in situations that previously upset and provoked a reaction within you.
You may notice that they do not have the same activating and distressing effect anymore which is incredibly freeing.
How does a dysregulated nervous system impact you?
Why is it relevant?
Did you know that human beings co-regulate?
We align our nervous system states with those around us. As babies and children our baseline state was learned from and aligned with our parents.
Learning to regulate our own nervous system and release stored trauma and tension is a gift not just to ourselves but to our children and our loved ones.
As we become calmer and feel safer we share this state with those around us and they too are positively impacted.
Signs of Nervous System Dysregulation
Sympathetic Activation
Fight Mechanisms
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Frustration
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Reactivity
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Irritation
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Anger
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Rage
Sympathetic Activation
Flight Mechanism
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Worry/Unease
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Anxiety
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Fear
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Panic
Parasympathetic Activation
Freeze Mechanism
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Helplessness
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Raised pain threshold
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Depression
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Numbness
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Dissociation
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Freeze