I'm taking a break …
… from raving about TRE ... well, kind of.
Summary:
What can TRE do for you?
TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) is a body-based practice. What can you expect from it and what if your experience is different from everyone else's?
In this article, I explore Dr Yusef's experience of TRE and share what my own clients have reported, from feeling less tense and sleeping better to noticing a quieter mind and more ease in everyday life.
I also explain why less is more when practising TRE, why it's important to approach it gradually and with care and what to consider if you don't experience tremors straight away.
Above all, this is an invitation to approach TRE with curiosity rather than expectations. You don't need to have experienced trauma to explore it and you don't need to take my word for it.
I teach. I don't treat. My role is to guide you as you explore TRE and help you decide whether it could be a useful self-care tool for you.
So, let's look at other people's experiences.
Maybe you are one of the - so far - 1,1 million people who have already seen Dr Yusef's video about his TRE experience?
There are several things I find particularly interesting about his story and maybe some of them sound as familiar to you as they did to me.
Dr Yusef shared that he initially dismissed TRE because he thought it was only for traumatised people.
That made me smile as this was my initial belief, too.
And I suspect that this is one reason many people never even give TRE a second thought.
That makes me sad, but also hopeful, because both Dr Yusef and myself got another chance to explore TRE and understand its benefits.
TRE is a body-based practice that people explore for different reasons – including 'just' everyday tension and stress.
So perhaps it's worth looking at TRE with fresh eyes?
Dr Yusef describes his own experience and the changes he's noticed in himself and the data he's monitored using his wearable device.
He also talks about trauma - he explains quite well what trauma is – and the nervous system and if you are interested in more scientific info about what's going on in your system, see also David Berceli's (he's the creator of TRE) explanations on it here.
It's also important to note that Dr Yusef's experiences are his very own experiences – they are not the same as mine and won't be the same as yours.
We are all unique, we arrive at TRE with different bodies and different life experiences. We carry tension in different parts of the body, worked on ourselves in different ways and might have already tried a range of approaches to health and well-being to get to the root of our symptoms.
“I’d done therapy, yoga, breath work … you name it. But TRE did something different, without my busy brain, my body does the work.
It’s like hitting the reboot button. I feel lighter, less reactive, more me.” David
Therefore every body responds differently and everybody will make their own experiences.
That's why I don't want you to watch his video and expect to experience what he describes.
Most importantly, I don't want you to assume TRE isn't for you because your experience different to his.
Your experience is yours. And it's unique to you and your body.
What might you notice?
Over the years I had clients give me all kinds of feedback.
Some people notice more or less immediately that their body doesn't feel as tight as before, e.g. their back or jaw feels much more relaxed
Others say they experience fewer aches and pains – I had clients with fibromyalgia or ME who felt pain free for hours after a TRE practice
Some notice that their minds feel quieter or that they feel less anxious, irritated or on edge
Many have told me they sleep better
Some people don't notice much themselves, but the people in their environment notice that they seem to be more relaxed – should I say chilled? – which often means they respond to situations, rather than react immediately and therefore relationships improve
As Dr Yusef started by talking about meditation, it also reminded me of clients who are regular meditators and who were describing the feeling after TRE as quite different to how they feel after meditation.
I love that, because there are many routes to bringing in more calm and relaxation into your life – and there's certainly a valid reason that TRE is often described as meditation for people who can't sit still.
"I follow a committed meditation practice,
but the feeling I get after TRE
feels even deeper than after meditation."
Shara
I'm personally not sure about achieving enlightenment, but that doesn't mean some TRE enthusiasts might have experienced it.
Either way, I encourage you to approach TRE with curiosity and a sense of enquiry, rather than a checklist of results or an image in your head of what your tremors will look like, because you've seen some videos on my website or on social media.
Remember, we are all unique – and this is fabulous.
I also like the fact that Dr Yusef – unlike many social media influencers – makes it quite clear that he's not an expert or a trained TRE Provider and that 'this stuff carries risks'.
And that's where I would like to issue a careful warning:
Dr Yusef shares that he practised TRE for 30 (!) minutes per day in the first months of his TRE journey.
Wow, I thought, that's a lot – and many of my TRE colleagues found that equally unhelpful.
I really feel strongly about this: when it comes to TRE, more isn't necessarily better.
Why?
Because I've heard far too many times that people dismiss TRE – often for two reasons:
They feel 'under the weather' or worse after a TRE practice or
They couldn't develop any tremors
Both experiences can be disappointing, particularly if you've been hoping to find something that helps – and then people miss out, which is a shame.
I always say: TRE is much more than a wee shake, it goes much deeper.
TRE is referred to as therapeutic tremoring for a reason and I believe it should be approached with care, rather than as a challenge to tackle.
“You held such a safe, supportive space. I felt completely at ease. Your knowledge and warmth made this such a transformative journey for me.” Judith
In my work as a TRE Provider I take a gradual and individual approach. How much practice feels appropriate depends on many factors.
Some of my clients – depending on their health/life history, their circumstances, stress levels, experiences, reactions etc. – only tremor for a minute or so in their first session.
The aim isn't to tremor for as long as possible or to make it a dramatic, cathartic experience, which might be re-traumatising, the aim in TRE is to introduce the body to this 'new' practice at a pace that feels right and manageable.
TRE's mantra is always: Less is more.
What we store in the body might have accumulated over years, if not decades. So it's important to release it slowly, rather than in one go.
I always explain it with the bottle analogy:
When you shake a fizzy drinks bottle and open it – the whole liquid escapes and you've got the mess all over the place.
However, when you open it slowly, release the pressure bit by bit, you have so much more control over what happens – everything will be fine and the content will stay in the bottle (you don't want to waste all that, let's say champagne, right?)
And while this isn't a scientific explanation, I think it paints a useful picture of your TRE practice.
For exactly that reason my approach is: start slowly, notice how you respond and adjust accordingly.
You don't have to do more to get more out of TRE and I want everybody to have a good experience, rather than dismissing TRE and being put off for life.
Let's now look at why people can't tremor, another question I hear a lot.
People are concerned that they can't possibly give up control or they won't be able to 'perform'.
First of all, there's no need to make tremoring happen. The tremors are involuntary and your body knows.
Having said that, the tremors only develop when we feel safe and grounded. If we are not, the mind is still in charge and won't allow the body to do its thing.
Well, I can reassure everybody that it is my role as your TRE Provider to guide you through the process, to make sure you feel safe and comfortable enough to move out of your head and into your body, in fact, to fully trust your body and what your body wants to do.
We are not forcing the body to do or perform, we explore what it's like when you invite the body to follow its innate mechanism.
This is also something I absolutely love about TRE: it invites us to pay attention to the body, rather than trying to think, talk or analyse our way through every experience.
As Dr Yusef says: '… being mainly in the mind-brain space we kind of neglect what's going on in the body'.
"I carried a lot of frustration in my body without realising it.
As the physical tension reduced, so did the emotional tension." Jo
And for those of you who are already practising TRE, there is another useful remark:
'Don't try and make sense of every sensation that comes up. The body doesn't exist in the world of concepts.'
I find this really helpful, we often want to explain things. I get it, because our minds like answers and reasons, logic and explanations.
And that's what I appreciate about TRE – we don't need to talk or analyse anything.
And, even better, you can give your busy mind a rest and let your body do the work.
For many people this can feel like a good change from constantly being in their often far too busy mind, trying to work things out.
What I'd like you to take away
Dr Yusef's experience is valid. Mine is different. And yours will be your own, unique one.
If you've previously dismissed TRE or tried it before and have given up, maybe this is a wee invitation to revisit it (you'll be in good company 😉).
Also, don't be put off by the 'trauma' element in the name – you might want to see TRE in the wider sense: as a natural stress hygiene tool.
You don't need to take my word for it, I'm not here to convince or promise or tell you what to do or experience.
If you'd like to, I teach you TRE.
I guide you to explore TRE, your body and to develop your own understanding.
My aim is also to help you decide whether TRE could be a useful tool for you.
If you are curious to take the first step, you might be interested in my assessment 'Could TRE be right for me?' or you can get in touch with all your questions.
And if you've tried TRE before, I'm curious to learn more about your experience and your thoughts.
Last but not least …
... if you are on Instagram, David Berceli posted recently two videos that feature men who share their experiences after a TRE session.
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