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TRE (Trauma and Tension Release Exercises)

What is TRE Trauma and Tension Release Exercises?

Please think of yourself as a computer for a moment. When our computer goes wrong, we don’t always have the solution, often there can be a collection of things that led to its slowing down. Any number of glitches throw a spanner in its machinery. Sometimes, what is needed is a reboot or I am reliably informed in computer speak, a defrag! This involves clearing old programmes stuff that’s redundant that no longer has a value or purpose, as this slows the function of our computer down. Once we defrag or reboot we return our computer to its factory settings, and we have a healthy functioning  easy to use computer again.

TRE Trauma Release Exercises are a defrag and reboot for both our emotional and physiological hard drive. Just like a computer, some of life’s downloads, such as the stressful traumatic events, affects our system a bit like a computer virus. They’re not supposed to be saved. They need to be cleared from our system in order that we can function in a healthy balanced way. We need to save only the information we  need and delete the stuff we don’t.

In the animal kingdom mammals have an instinctive reboot, which is activated automatically following any stressful or traumatic event. Following the event they instinctively release the tension through tremoring and shaking. You may have seen on a wildlife programme, once a  gazelle has escaped from becoming a lion’s dinner and is  out of danger, it will tremble and shake releasing the trauma energy. It will then happily get on with grazing as if life couldn’t be more tranquil.

It can do this because it has released/shaken off the fact that five minutes earlier it was nearly someone else’s lunch! We humans are also genetically encoded to do the same, but through our social evolution and the development of our brain’s prefrontal cortex we have misinterpreted shaking as a sign of trauma rather than a remedy and process of recovery from trauma.

TRE allows us to untie our bodies from our past experiences.

You may think “but all my issues are in my head not my body”. But current research is confirming that one affects the other and vice versa. When we experience ANY stress, tension, anxiety or trauma an instinctive response directed by an area of our brain called the amygdala reads this as a threat to our survival . It causes our body to contract and  our brain to activate the release of stress hormones. If we do not use our instinctive reboot to release this contraction, the tightness remains in our body .The brain then interprets from the continued contraction  that the threat is still present and so keeps us  fuelled with adrenaline ready to fight our foe, that’s the buzzed tensed feeling we experience. Until the brain can sense the release of the deep fight or flight muscles it will keep us primed for defence.

Now consider how many stressful events we may have encountered during our life, each one squeezing and contracting us a little more. Eventually we experience, back pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, abdominal pain infact eventually pain can affect any part of our body.How often have we heard the phrase  “when I heard the news I felt a knot in my stomach” or“I was so upset I had a lump in my throat”.Perhaps the last time you felt upset or stressed you felt tension in your shoulders and neck. These are some examples of our issues affecting our tissues.

Anyone can benefit from learning TRE. Whether you have suffered from hard trauma, like a car accident, from years of soft trauma like emotional or mental abuse, or are simply looking for a way to rebalance from the normal stresses of everyday life – you can learn TRE  to enable release from stress and tension held in the body and mind.

TRE helps individuals release stress or tension as a result of difficult life circumstances, immediate or prolonged stressful situations, or traumatic life experiences. TRE is a set of six simple exercises that help individuals release tension in the muscles, which in turn relaxes the anxiety of our minds, by reactivating an instinctive genetically encoded muscular shaking process in the body. The exercises elicit this shaking in a controlled and sustained manner. When activated in this way, this shaking, also called neurogenic tremors, begins to release deep chronic muscular tension held within the body. They come from the centre of gravity of the body (L3), which is protected by the psoas muscles.

When shaking is evoked at this powerful centre of the body, it reverberates throughout the entire body travelling along the spine, releasing deep chronic tension from the sacrum to the cranium. When tension is released anywhere in the body, the brain registers a reduction in pain signals and produces new hormones of relaxation and comfort.

Reported Benefits Include:

  • Less Worry & Anxiety
  • Reduces Symptoms of PTSD
  • More Energy & Endurance
  • Improved Relationships
  • Less Workplace Stress
  • Better Sleep
  • Reduced Muscle & Back Pain
  • Relieves Headaches & General Tension Pains
  • Improved Digestion & Elimination
  • Increased Flexibility
  • Greater Emotional Resiliency
  • Decreases Symptoms of Trauma
  • Healing of Old Injuries
  • Lessened Anxiety surrounding Serious Illness
  • Relief from Chronic Medical Conditions

TRE is a safe comfortable and natural process. People describe it as relaxing, enjoyable. uplifting and   find it deeply calming. Our bodies when reacquainted with its reboot through TRE just want to release and restore, knowing they are returning to a place of calm and natural balance.

How can TRE improve our sleep?

When we are stressed or emotionally unsettled, our brain interprets our tension as a sign of threat. It pumps us with adrenaline and cortisol in order to keep us alert and ready to fight the perceived threat.

This gives us a ‘caffeinated” buzzed feeling, as if we’ve had too many espressos. Difficulty sleeping is a symptom of our stressed “caffeinated” state. Using TRE  releases deep held tension affecting  subsequent deep relaxation of our body.

This in turn activates our Parasympathetic Nervous system,which controls our rest and digest and enables our bodies to sleep.

How can TRE reduce conflict daily?

Stress and tension are the ignition for conflict in all areas of our life. When we are stressed our fuse is short and the slightest comment or difficulty can lead to conflict. When we remain relaxed and in a place of calm  we do not experience much conflict. It can be tough to stay relaxed because daily life challenges our calm state. Practicing TRE  regularly continually reduces our tension and anxiety levels and so naturally enables us to find a relaxed balanced state. When we regularly empty our cup of stress or panic, we are far less likely to overflow in life’s tricky moments.

TRE promotes cohesiveness and openness between participants and can be a helpful tool for dispute resolution, both interpersonal and in corporate work environments.

Self-empowering healing

TRE offers a unique self-empowering self-care method designed to release deep chronic tension directly through the body experience.TRE is designed to be a self-help tool that once learned with a Certified TRE Provider, can be used as needed, throughout one’s life, thereby continuously supporting and promoting personal health and wholeness.

To learn more about TRE and Dr David Berceli who developed TRE please take a look at www.traumaprevention.com here you can hear stories from people who have benefited from TRE and see more videos of peoples tremor experiences.

A typical session

A TRE session involves some simple easy to do exercises that re-activate the instinctive tremor mechanism.   In the vast majority of experiences it is a pleasurable relaxing some say meditative experience. We can trust in our bodies deeper visceral intelligence to restore us. This is instinctive, accurate and deeply restorative. When we activate the tremors in this relaxed calm way, it  makes our journey to balance and emotional release enjoyable and relaxing.

I run weekly TRE Group Shakes  in Topsham and Exeter Cost £10.00 for an hour and a half.

1:1 charges are £45.00 for an hour and £60.00 for an hour and a half.

Please register your interest by email to  jopureyoga@gmail.com if you would like to join a local TRE group shake!

“Thank you so much for Monday, it was very successful and I felt calm and controlled. Thank you again Jo, you are a very talented teacher and I know your TRE will be enormously successful.”