Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE)

Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises, or TRE for short, is a simple way to relax the body and shake out tensions. It uses the natural shaking mechanism present in every mammal for getting rid of tension.

Start by laying on the ground on a mat. Pull your legs up and place your feet on the mat. Let both of your knees fall outward while keeping your feet touching the ground. In yoga, this posture is called the lying butterfly. Now gradually pull up your knees back up. When your legs start shaking, put your feet flat on the ground and vary the angle of your legs to find a sweet spot for shaking. Shake until your body takes a deep breath in and a long exhale out. Stretch your legs out and lay for a few moments to integrate the healing.

If you're really strong, it may take quite a while for your legs to start shaking. To speed the process up, you can push your pelvis off the floor until you start to shake and then lower your body back down.

I find TRE is wonderful to get rid of tension. It requires no conscious attention from me. There are no exercises to memorize. The body shakes as it needs. It has been an eye opening experience to learn about the wisdom of the body, independent of the mind.

I have noted a progression from when I first started doing TRE. In the beginning I had a lot of difficulty to even get my legs to tremor. When the tremor started it could get quite violent at times. Over time, this mellowed out as the tension in my legs subsided.

It took a few months of regular shaking before I was able to move the tremor into other areas of my body other than my legs. My hips and abdomen were next. As a new area of my body started shaking, again I experienced some violent outbursts of energy because of all the stored tension in these body parts.

My shoulders, head and neck were the last to start shaking. As I lay down for TRE, it happens now that my shoulders start shaking even before my legs.

For more information: check out David Berceli's website or his YouTube channel.