TRE®: Tension, Stress, and Trauma Releasing exercises
What is it?
TRE® refers to Tension, Stress, and Trauma Releasing Exercises. It is a collection of light exercises that aims to induce a natural, reflexive, muscular shaking or tremoring response to reduce muscular tensions relating to how stress, injuries, and traumas can be held in the body. With practice, the body can return towards a calmer, more balanced state of nervous system activity when the tremor mechanism is activated in a grounded and well-regulated manner.
Where did it come from?
It was first developed by Dr. David Berceli, a specialist in trauma intervention, who identified a need for a body-focused, easy-to-access treatment to compliment traditional ‘talk-it-out’ therapies for PTSD and stress management. From his work with individuals that have suffered traumatic experiences he noticed that certain postures and body reactions associated with stress and trauma seemed to transcend culture, language, and geography. TRE® was initially designed to help those who have experienced significant physical or psychological traumas and live with their unresolved effects(1,2). TRE® can help address how stress and trauma can be “stored” in the body without requiring to verbally go into the details of the experience or your life history.
What is the theory behind TRE®?
During a stressful event your body tenses muscles involved in the fight/flight response – these are muscles priming us for action or protecting us (eg. fetal position) (1,2). Traumatic experiences (eg. accidents or injuries) or less severe but repeated stressors may overwhelm your body’s normal coping mechanisms, causing prolonged and heightened autonomic nervous system activation, and lead to chronic tension of these muscles.
From observations in nature, mammals have a built-in ability to release deep tension patterns and muscle contractions through shaking/tremoring. In terms of evolution, an organism’s fitness (ie. ability to survive) would likely be reduced if the negative effects of stress and tension were allowed to build in the body without having a means to return to baseline
It is thought humans have been largely socialized out of this due to body shaking being perceived as abnormal or pathological. TRE® helps you relearn this natural mechanism in order to reduce muscular tensions in a safe and controlled way to return our body to a natural, more balanced state.
What is involved?
TRE® involves 7 easy to control exercises that stretches or fatigues muscles commonly activated during a stressful experience (keep an eye out for a future blog post with more on this!). It also helps us activate the tremor response.
During the exercises you aim to build up to a 7/10 stretch or fatigue sensation in the working areas. Learning what this feels like is important in helping you better recognize sensations that present in your body, termed “interoception”. Many adults have learned to become skilled at ignoring certain sensations (eg. hunger, aches and pains, tingling, posture, fatigue, etc) in order to navigate our busy, modern-day lives. While this can help us be productive it can impair our awareness of bodily sensations and tensions.
The tremors themselves are often described as a shaking, swaying, or brief tensing and then relaxing of muscles. They typically begin in the legs and pelvis (more about this in a future blog) but as muscles are allowed to release their tension the tremors may move to other sites of residual tension in the body.
It is possible to have an emotional release (eg. laughing, crying, and other emotions) during TRE®, which can also be therapeutic if done in an environment that feels safe and conducive to healing.
Importantly, more is not always better when it comes to the tremoring in TRE®. As such, it is beneficial to have a experienced provider guide you through the early learning process to help you learn to regulate the tremoring and give you valuable insights into your body’s tremors.
Who can learn TRE®?
All humans can learn to access the tremoring mechanism. If you are healthy enough for light exercise you are healthy enough to learn and use TRE®! Modifications are available for those with movement impairments or other physical limitations.
Those with a history of complex trauma, physical injuries, psychological conditions, or have questions/concerns are encouraged to get in touch to determine whether TRE® is right for you at this stage of your stress/tension management journey.
If you have unhealed fractures, have had recent surgery, or are currently pregnant TRE® is not currently recommended for you(1,2). Check back in when you’ve had time to recover and are cleared by a healthcare professional (like your friendly neighbourhood Physio!) for light exercise.
Benefits
No one is immune to the effects of stress. Therefore, everyone can find benefits from incorporating the tremoring mechanism into their self-care routine to manage the daily stresses that occur throughout our lives.
Most who practice TRE® find it relaxing and enjoyable. It can assist in (1,2):
- reducing the impacts of stress
- calming muscular tension, anxiety, and pain
- improving sleep quality and flexibility
- enhancing resilience to future stressors and traumatic experiences
- promoting calmness and grounding
- learning how to regulate an over-active nervous system
Note: Like any exercise routine, regular TRE® practice is needed to experience many of these benefits.
How it links up with Physio and Chronic Pain Management?
Physiotherapy is a profession focused on improving patients’ quality of life through assessment, treatment, and management of injuries, pains, chronic conditions, and unhelpful movement patterns(3). Chronic pain management, though complex and not completely understood, is a category of care that many Physiotherapists have expertise in. It is recognized that chronic pain involves some form of dysfunction of your nervous system, which then leads to a myriad of symptoms and complications. As such, this writer believes that not only the causes of this dysfunction but also the resulting effects from it can lead to the complex experience of increased stress (ie. maladaptive sympathetic arousal) on your body.
Empowering individuals by teaching them tools to manage their own symptoms is a vital element of chronic pain management and a key component of my Physiotherapy practice.
With practice, TRE® can be used as an independent home exercise routine to manage life’s stresses, such as:
- intense work or home environments
- injuries or procedures
- poor ergonomics
- repetitive movement patterns
- and many more…
What to expect during a TRE® session?
Appointments are private, 1-on-1, and 60 minutes in length. I am committed to working with you to create a safe environment that will allow you to focus inwards on movements and sensations in your body.
To get started all you need is a private and comfortable place to lie down, access to a wall (helpful for a couple exercises), loose clothing, and an openness to learn about your body.
Sessions begin with a brief review of what TRE® is and how it can help. We will then move through the 7 exercises, trial accessing the tremoring mechanism, and then debrief together about the experience.
Characteristics of the tremors will vary from person-to-person in frequency (speed of movement), amplitude (amount of movement), and location in the body because each human body has had unique life experiences that can lead to different regions becoming more or less affected. While the tremoring is involuntary I will help you to re-learn how to manage the intensity and location (takes lots of practice!) to promote a more calm, relaxed state.
Do you learn better from video than text? Check out this great video!
Link: Testimonials for TRE® with Dale
Looking for even more info!? You can also visit https://trecanada.ca or Dr. David Berceli’s website.
References
Ronhovde, S. (2021). Module 1 and 2 lectures [powerpoint notes]. Retrieved from Global TRE® Certification Training.
TRE For All. (Undated). Areas of Understanding and Awareness in the Practice of TRE. Distribution limited to Trainees of the Certified TRE Provider program.
Retrieved from: https://bcphysio.org/public/what-physiotherapy
- Thanks for reading and keep looking for more posts in the future on other ‘hot topics’ in the world of Physiotherapy and Physical Rehabilitation!
