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The connection between TRE and Chasing Cars

  • Writer: Sylvia
    Sylvia
  • May 20
  • 6 min read

A while ago I took part in a Community Co-Regulation Sing-a-Long and it was so uplifting – the choir master was super encouraging, the shared experience and the collective resonance of voices created a powerful sense of connection, it was great – and one of the songs quite apt, more of this later.


No macro flowers today, but a car; smiling after all
No macro flowers today, but a car; smiling after all

This experience reminded me of a lecture by Bessel van der Kolk, psychotherapist and author of the best-selling book The Body Keeps the Score, who said:


“It's becoming increasingly obvious to me that psychotherapists have a very small segment of capacity of what they can do for people. And that maybe yoga teachers, body workers, choral conductors, martial arts instructors … may have at least as much to offer as we do.”

Obviously, I'd like to add … “and TRE Providers”.


As Bessel always emphasises: We need to bring the body into the equation.


Anyway, one song we sang was Snow Patrol’s beautiful ballad, Chasing Cars – and you can find the words below.


Admittedly, I didn't know that song as my music taste is rather narrow-minded – generally I prefer the music by composers who have been dead for at least a century.


Never mind, this song is beautiful.


As I sang the lyrics, I couldn’t help but reflect on how closely they connect to the practice of TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises).


TRE, like singing, stimulates the vagus nerve which plays a key role in the parasympathetic (Rest and Digest) nervous system. This stimulation can promote relaxation, reduce stress and anxiety and help us find a sense of calm.


Also it's not about external intervention. It's about connecting with your own inner resources, allowing your body to do the work while giving your busy mind a break.


As we know, the body has an innate wisdom to heal.



OK, let's look at the lyrics in more detail - and here you can listen to the song and feel free to sing along.


"If I lay here, if I just lay here. Would you lie with me and just forget the world."


This is TRE in a nutshell, right?


Although, it’s not "just lying there".


TRE is lying there with intention – allowing your body to tremor, to release what it no longer needs and to trust the body's inherent wisdom to find its own path to healing.


It's about experiencing a deep state of relaxation and forgetting the world for a moment. It’s a meditative state where your mind quietens, your body takes over and the chatter of daily life fades away.


You don’t need to analyse, explain or overthink.


You can simply be.


As many people say: TRE is a form of meditation for people who can't sit still.


And you can see it in your face afterwards, the deep relaxation is indeed visible.

 


"We'll do it all, everything, on our own."


Yes, you can!


TRE is about empowering yourself. It’s not about relying on someone else to “fix” you, heal you or “make it better.”


Instead, it’s about taking responsibility for your well-being, knowing that your body holds the key to releasing tension and to down-regulating an overly active nervous system.


With TRE, you can do it all on your own – no expensive equipment, no endless appointments.


Just you, your body, and the innate wisdom within.


Once learned, it's a tool for life which will save you time and money. That's a fact.



"Forget what we’re told, before we get too old."


TRE invites you to step away from the general narratives we’ve been taught: That healing has to be hard, that we need someone else to “fix” us, that stress and tension are just “part of life” or that we have to see a counsellor or psychologist to talk things through, to analyse, to cognitively make sense of things, events and the past.


Sure, it works for many people, but not for others. It didn't do anything for me.


So it’s a reminder to reconnect with your body’s natural ability to heal itself – to forget the stories and instead trust the wisdom of your body and your nervous system.


As David Berceli, the creator of TRE so poignantly says:


"There is an undiscovered gift inside the human body and I am just trying to help people and say: This gift is in you, use it, because it's designed to help you."

“I don't quite know how to say how I feel”


As we said before, we don't always need to express everything with words, it's not always helpful or necessary to talk things through or to analyse past situations.


Just 'be'.

And feel.

Feel yourself, feel your body (do you feel your body?) and give your constantly busy mind a break from running round and round in circles.


How refreshing!



"Show me a garden that’s bursting into life."


When you allow your body to release stored tension, it’s like clearing away the weeds to make space for something beautiful to grow.


TRE helps you create that inner garden – a body that feels lighter, a mind that’s clearer and an overall sense of equilibrium.


You don’t need to talk your way into feeling better. You don’t need to force your body into relaxation.


With TRE, you support your body’s innate process and in return it shows you the vibrant life that’s waiting on the other side of tension, aches, pains, anxiety, irritability, anger …



"All that I am, all that I ever was is here in your perfect eyes."


TRE helps you reconnect with yourself on a profound level.


As the tremors release the layers of stress, you can begin to see yourself more clearly – your wholeness, your strength, your resilience.


And as you start to feel better within yourself, you might notice that your relationships can improve, too.


Why?


Because you tend to be calmer and much more composed, rather than snapping back at any comment somebody might have made – often without a hurtful intention.



Lie There and Let Go


So, the next time you hear Chasing Cars, let it remind you of the simplicity and beauty of healing through TRE and – most importantly – your TREmendously amazing body who's got it all inside.


TRE is your invitation to "just lie there" – to release, to tremor and to forget the world for a little while.


It’s a practice that allows your body to do what it was designed to do: Heal itself.


You don’t need anything. And once you've learned how to practise TRE safely, you don’t need anyone – just yourself, your body and the courage to let go.


Remember:


What comes out of your body doesn't make you ill. What stays in there does. The body never lies.

TRE offers pathways to release, to find peace within and to rediscover the innate wisdom of your body.


You are not alone in your struggles – whatever they are – healing can emerge from within.


Are you ready to experience TRE for yourself?


Let’s do it. I'm here for you and invite you to get in touch for a fact-finding chat as all good things start with a conversation.

 




Chasing Cars


We'll do it all, everything, on our own. We don't need anything, or anyone.


If I lay here, if I just lay here.

Would you lie with me and just forget the world.


I don't quite know how to say how I feel.

Those three words, I said too much, but not enough.


If I lay here, if I just lay here.

Would you lie with me and just forget the world.


Forget what we're told, before we get too old

Show me a garden that's bursting into life.


Let's waste time, chasing cars, around our heads.


If I lay here, if I just lay here.

Would you lie with me and just forget the world.


All that I am, all that I ever was

is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see.


I don't know where, confused about how as well

just know that these things will never change for us at all.


If I lay here, if I just lay here.

Would you lie with me and just forget the world.




PS As a non-native speaker, I'd say it should be: If I lie here, if I just lie here.


What do you think? It must be artistic freedom, right?

 
 
 

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