What is Tension and Trauma Release Exercise (TRE®) ?:

Developed by Dr David Berceli, TRE® is a self-help technique that deliberately activates our bodies’ instinctive shaking/tremor mechanism in a safe and controlled way.  Session by session, these tremors help to release the build up of muscular tension patterns that have been stored in the body during stressful and traumatic life experiences.

Slight trembling occurs naturally in life when our nervous system is over-activated. In a crisis nearly everyone has experienced trembling (also during high excitement of the positive sort) but the phenomenon has been misunderstood in the medical world and people have come to associate it with weakness. Yet, in many cultures and historically, shaking is known to be a healthy recovery mechanism.

Trembling fulfils an important function in our bodies – it is our organism’s natural way of restoringcalm and balance to our central nervous system (homoestasis).

What happens in a TRE® session?

The TRE®exercises are designed to activate muscle groups from the ankle upward to the centre of gravity of the body, which is protected by the psoas muscles. When shaking is evoked in these powerful core muscles, it slowly but surely pulsates throughout the entire body travelling along the spine, releasing deep chronic tension.
When tension is released anywhere in the body, the brain registers a reduction in stress signals and lowers the output of stress hormones.

Regular TRE practice helps with:

• quality of sleep and normalize sleeping patterns
• stress related headaches and migraine
• general anxiety
• anger issues (reactiveness)
• chronic pain, especially back and neck pain
• pain and stiffness related to operations and old injuries
• the tendency to ‘space out’ or ‘go blank’ under stress
• avoidance habits (such as being fearful of certain activities or places due to negative past experiences)
• unhealthy habits of self-soothing and self-medication (such as emotional eating, using drugs or alcohol etc.)

Why TRE®?

In more than 30 countries, TRE® is being taught and practiced successfully for recovery from chronic stress symptoms related to trauma. It is a physical way of releasing tension and does not require you to talk about your experiences. The body ‘knows’ what to do and how to do it – this mechanism is a natural form of stress release. However, stress and trauma therapy that does involve talking and sharing will also benefit from the physical release. Afterwards, you are much calmer, will sleep better and have a more robust emotional capacity. Long term, TRE® is proven to strengthen physical and emotional resilience.

Disclaimer: If you are currently in Psychiatric care and are taking psychotropic medication, you may still be able to use TRE® but you are advised to ALWAYS work with a certified TRE® Provider and include your Therapist in the process. The same applies if you are diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder, PTSD or Developmental Trauma. If you suspect you may suffer from one of these conditions and are not diagnosed, you are also advised to work with a certified TRE® Provider. It is of importance that your TRE® experience is a positive one that empowers you and the best way to guarantee this is to work with someone who knows the method inside out and can answer all your questions. 

WE WANT YOU TO KNOW that every certified TRE® Provider is using TRE® for themselves – the training is deep and empowering and includes a one on one session under supervision. People decide to train in TRE® because of their positive personal experience with it.

Ways Of Learning TRE® 

You can buy David Berceli’s books, CD and brochure and try TRE by yourself at home.

You can book one on one sessions with a Provider. You will need to complete between 4 and 6 sessions to learn how to do TRE® on your own. You will be taught how to do the exercises and how to regulate the tremors. The presence of a trained Provider has proven to be of the utmost benefit in learning TRE®. Your Provider will also guide you in your long-term journey with TRE® after you take over to tremor on your own.

You can attend TRE® group sessions with a Provider. In our Provider Profiles we strive to include the information about group session offers however it is always advisable to contact the Provider about your options. You may also bring a group of interested people from your area together and ask a Provider to facilitate a series of sessions. There are group sessions for beginners that run 4 to 6 weeks with one session a week and group sessions for people who have already learned TRE® and want to progress.

You can attend a TRE® Introduction session in your area.

You can attend a TRE® Workshop in your area

Choose a Class for you:

1 on 1 classes take place in Esher, Surrey, or over Zoom (Worldwide)

We recommend at least 4-6 sessions for you to fully understand the TRE® process and how it works in YOUR body. Thereafter you can do it in the comfort of your own home for the rest of your life.

Classes:

If you prefer to keep up the routine of your TRE® experience with a Provider – then please join me for my weekly classes over zoom every Monday at 11:30am, Tuesday 8:30pm, Friday at 08:00am (uk times). You will thoroughly enjoy the experience in this beautiful and tranquil setting.

Classes are recommended for those who already know the TRE® process. So if you are interested please contact me for your first 1 on 1 session and we can take it from there.

TRE® enhances your life.

TRE® enables us to teach the body to release all of our stored stress, tension and trauma through neurogenic tremors. These tremors are innate mechanisms of the human body; if we were still in touch with our bodies and their ability to heal themselves we would release stress this way naturally. The tremor mechanism is similar to the experience you can have when your body has a high fever and begins to shiver. The main difference however is that this TRE® neurogenic tremor is experienced when you are completely calm and safe and as a result is Restorative and not just a Release based as in the moment of danger.

When our bodies are faced with stress or tension, we make a subconscious decision to either fight-or-flight.  We may feel completely overwhelmed and freeze. In this case, we dissociate from the stress or trauma.

Following these different reactions, some people may battle to engage their parasympathetic nervous system and return to a balanced state. For example, a traumatic or stressful road incident, such as a car accident or hi-jacking, may cause us to experience an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and adrenaline whenever we are in a car. In this case, our bodies enter a continuous cycle of fight-or-flight, leaving us feeling ‘on edge’. It is essential that we resolve this triggered state.

The goal of TRE® is to give closure to the fight-or-flight response, and bring the body down to a lower state of arousal (an ‘un-triggered’ state).

• Improvement in health & autoimmune conditions,
• Greater resilience
• Better emotional stability
• Less reliance on unhelpful coping mechanisms
• Recovery of Cognitive Abilities
• Significant reduction in physical pain
• Decrease in “trigger” level (increasing the “tipping point” of your nervous system)
• Better sleep & rest
• Restorative bodily functions

Who can benefit from TRE®?

Since this shaking mechanism in the muscles is part of our natural behaviour as humans, everyone can benefit from TRE®. This shaking of the muscles, increases the resiliency of the body as it causes deep relaxation that naturally reduces stress levels. It can release emotions ranging from mild upset to severe anxiety whether it is caused by work stress, excessive worry, conflict relationships, physical stresses or trauma from accidents.

Are you a

• parent/spouse who would like more patience with your family,
• a victim of violence or accident,
• a soldier suffering from PTSD,
• an athlete,
• an employee who finds that being in your job is overwhelming meeting the demands and pressure of work life
• or simply a person who wants to become more resilient and just feel better about life, you can all benefit from TRE®!

Reported Benefits include:

• Less Worry & Anxiety
• Reduced Symptoms of PTSD
• More Energy & Endurance
• Improved Marital Relationships
• Less Workplace Stress
• Better Sleep
• Less Relationship conflict
• Reduced Muscle & Back Pain
• Increased Flexibility
• Greater Emotional Resilience
• Decreased Symptoms of Vicarious Trauma ( Stories of others, news etc)
• Healing of Old Injuries
• Lessened Anxiety surrounding Illness
• Relief from Chronic Medication

TRE® is designed to be a self-help tool that once learned, can be used as needed, throughout one’s life, thereby continuously supporting and promoting personal health and wholeness.