What actually is, TRE – Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises?

Wellness | So, what actually is, TRE – Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises?

“And how are you today”?

This question gets probably the highest number of dishonest answers – are you pleading guilty, too?

Admittedly, we can't all be well, fabulous or amazing all the time, but let's be honest: it's impossible to go through life without experiencing some degree of stress. We all face challenges and stressors such as work or family life, the daily news and politics, environmental concern and last but not least everything we've gone through since Covid 19 hit, e.g. restrictions, fear, uncertainty, grief etc. – our resilience has certainly been put to the test.

Some people use forms of self-medication, eating, drinking, drugs etc., others hand themselves over to somebody to fix them, e.g. a counsellor or physiotherapist … but our bodies are so amazing, we can heal many ailments ourselves – or at least kick-start the healing process.

Did you know that stress is associated with almost 90% of all illnesses?*

Or that 90% of people who go to see a physician for their symptoms are told that no cause can be found?**

We've probably all experienced that the more challenging life gets, the more we tense up and when we are stressed, we are holding all this tension in our bodies.

This tension – over time – can lead to all kinds of aches and pains, especially psychosomatic pain – back/neck/shoulder pain, teeth-grinding, sore joints, tension headaches, gastrointestinal conditions … the list is endless ...

If stress is the root of so many health issues, what can we do? How can we calm our nervous system?

No points for the right answer, though, we probably all know – at least in theory – that we need to relax more. And there are different ways to do so, from sports and breathing exercises to mindfulness, yoga or laughter etc.

A fairly niche, but quite impressive modality is TRE – Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises, developed by Dr David Berceli.

TRE is a somatic self-help tool, a sequence of exercises that help the body to release deep muscular patterns of stress. This supports the body to return to a state of balance, i.e. a more relaxed nervous system – and it can have many positive effects, e.g. deep relaxation, more resilience and positivity, better sleep, less pain etc.

How does it work?

The easiest way to explain TRE's principle is by watching a dog.

Yes, really, bear with me …

A dog (in fact any mammal) who experiences a stressful situation – think of a not so friendly encounter with another dog or noisy, frightening fireworks – immediately shakes off the excess stress after this situation and then happily gets on with life.

As all mammals (and this includes us humans) are genetically encoded to tremor, TRE taps into this reflex by activating our natural mechanism of shaking to release tension.

Shaking off stress is so good for us, but we have been socialised not to do so. Centuries ago, when we were out hunting and gathering, we most certainly did allow ourselves to tremor.

Sure, it would be perceived as weird if you'd start tremoring after an argument with your boss. Of course you don't want to show weakness or vulnerability.

But what if you could shake off the stresses of daily life in a controlled manner?

Well, you can!

By learning TRE you gain a tool for life. A self-help method to take your health and well-being pro-actively into your own hands, well bodies.

Want to check it out yourself?

Please visit www.tremendousTRE.co.uk for more information, Sylvia Tillmann, a Certified TRE Provider offers regular classes online – one-to-one or in small groups – so you can learn how to practice TRE safely.

Let us know if you'll join the many who are saying: TRE is tremendous!

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* Dr Madan Kataria, the founder of Laughter Yoga

** Peter Levine, PhD (one of the somatic pioneers) in an interview with Dr Gabor Maté (trauma, addiction, stress and childhood development expert)