Trauma & Tension Release Exercises (TRE):
Online Sessions Now Available
TRE is an innovative modality that consists of a sequence of simple exercises that assist the body in releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension, and trauma. Created by Dr. David Berceli, PhD, the exercises are designed to stretch and mildly fatigue a certain group of leg muscles to induce the tremoring/vibrating of the body. The tremor response is our natural innate reflex mechanism that helps us recover from stressful and traumatic events. TRE helps to optimize the nervous system and return the organism back to a state of homeostasis.
How TRE Works:
TRE is based on the concept that in stressful or traumatic events, our body is genetically encoded to contract to protect itself. We are also genetically encoded to release such contraction by tremoring and shaking, but, as adults, we tend to repress this natural healing response because shaking has a negative social connotation - we don’t want to look weak, weird, sick, scared, etc. By doing TRE we are reactivating this natural releasing mechanism called neurogenic tremoring.
If the body does not release muscular tension, it can eventually lead to chronic pain and difficulties with mental, emotional, physical, and relational health. We cannot fully resolve stress and trauma if the body has not released tension and chronic contraction patterns.
TRE focuses on releasing the psoas muscle, which connects the lumbar vertebrae to the pelvis. This powerful muscle holds physical, emotional, and mental stress that we carry in our bodies over the course of our lives.
The psoas is the main muscle involved in the “fight or flight” response of the body. When you're startled, your psoas contracts; when you experience mental or emotional stress, the psoas will respond by tightening.
TRE also creates neurogenic tremors in the autonomic nervous system. These tremors both allow the nervous system to discharge energies related to the defensive response of flight, fight, and freeze; and communicate to the brain that the body is no longer in danger for which the responses were initiated.
Our psoas muscle is connected to our diaphragm, which is the major muscle of respiration. When the psoas is tight we are not fully able to extend our diaphragm, which means that we are not able to take a full breath. When we are taking short and shallow breaths our body is in a constant state of Sympathetic Arousal (fight or flight). When our Parasympathetic Nervous System (rest and digest) is offline, we are unable to properly digest and absorb our food nutrients and our immune system is not functioning at an optimal level.
Since a tight psoas muscle pulls down the diaphragm, doing TRE will help to relax and extend our diaphragm. Reported benefits of practicing TRE also include: less worry and anxiety, reduced symptoms of PTSD, more energy and endurance, improved marital relationships, less workplace stress, better sleep, less relationship conflict, reduced muscle and back pain, increased flexibility, greater emotional resiliency, decreased symptoms of vicarious trauma, healing of old injuries, lessened anxiety surrounding serious illness, and relief from chronic medical conditions.
Who can benefit from TRE?
Whether you are a parent/spouse who would like more patience with your family, a victim of violence or accident, a veteran suffering from PTSD, an athlete, or simply a person who wants to become more resilient and just feel better in life, you can benefit from TRE. It is designed to be a self-help tool that, once learned, can be used independently as needed throughout one’s life, thereby continuously promoting personal health and wellness. TRE sessions can be done in person or via video call.
Instructor: Azra Gojačić
Azra is a highly skilled, compassionate, and uplifting TRE instructor. Her own life was changed by TRE when she found it to be the single most effective modality that helped her to free her body from trauma. Having grown up in Bosnia and Herzegovina near the front lines of the war in the 90’s, she can deeply relate to those who have been in combat or faced other serious traumas that leave the body in a state of dysregulation. She also enjoys teaching TRE to those who simply want to release the tension and stress of everyday life, to feel more light and free. To learn more about the trauma healing work Azra and I do together, please visit the site of our Bosnia and Herzegovina-based NGO, Optimal Vibrations. Your participation in our online classes makes it possible for us to offer donation-based healing workshops in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we are very thankful for your support.