Why I'm grateful I started shaking

Three weeks ago, my neighbour's dog reminded me how incredible our bodies are.

I always felt he's quite a troubled little dog. He's usually on the lead and I generally talk to him in a calming, reassuring voice, telling him that we know each other, that I live here, too and that all's good.

Not THE dog, just to illustrate - Photo by Ayubu Lulesu on Unsplash

Well, on that occasion he wasn't on the lead, shot out of my neighbours' flat, made a beeline towards me, attacked me and bit me three times.

It happened within seconds and I only remember that one moment I was standing in front of my door, the next the dog had attacked me and the owner was standing there in disbelief.

As his visitor grabbed the dog by its collar and I felt safe, I said to everybody:

Gosh, I'm shaking, I can hardly get the key in the lock to open the door – but that's great, as my body is supporting me beautifully.

So even in this situation I was educating my environment on the benefits of shaking.

I acknowledge that for many people these shakes might have felt frightening or embarrassing, but to me they felt like a relief and the reassurance that my body was functioning perfectly.

"Shaking signifies to the body: I'm safe now

I can release the tension that I needed to create

during some sort of threat." David Berceli, PhD, creator of TRE

You might have heard me saying that our bodies are so TREmendously amazing, because they support us after we've gone through big stress.

Because when we experience a sudden threat, our nervous system automatically shifts into survival mode. Our heart rate increases, stress hormones are being released and our muscles prepare to fight, flee or freeze.

Once the danger is over, the body also has a built-in way of helping us come back out of survival mode.

And this natural mechanism is shaking – something we share with all mammals.

You can see it beautifully in dogs when, after a frightening encounter, they shake quickly and briefly and then carry on with life.

We humans are designed to do it in exactly the same way.

"I was thinking of my dog,

he shakes it off

and then feels alright.

And now I do the same."

Anne

Admittedly in many day-to-day situations when we feel 'just' stressed, maybe because of a deadline, work pressure or an argument with somebody … the brain overrides this bodily response.

We tell ourselves to:

• pull ourselves together

• stay strong

• keep a stiff upper lip

and we probably grin and bear it.

Yet from a physiological perspective, shaking demonstrates that the nervous system is working on completing the stress cycle rather than leaving us stuck in it. And this can only be a positive thing.

In a way I'm grateful that this dog presented me with a chance to consciously experience my body in a way I tell everybody about.

My nervous system was most certainly in Flight or Fight, but I neither fought with the dog, nor run away from it – so I didn't burn off the excess energy through movement.

But my body then started tremoring, which helped me to overcome the shock.

And when you only learn one thing today, please keep in mind that these tremors are supportive.

So, next time you encounter somebody who is shaking after a highly stressful situation:

• maybe when knees wobble after a car accident or after receiving bad news

• when hands start shaking if somebody doesn't like public speaking

• when you witness a woman after childbirth who is going through postpartum shivers

please reassure them that their body is supporting them, please give them the space and time to tremble and be there for them in a calm and reassuring way. I bet they'll thank you later.

"This all makes sense.

I'm now sure that my postpartum shivers

prevented postnatal depression."

Francesca

And with TRE we deliberately invite the body to access this same innate mechanism safely and retrospectively. This will complete the stress cycle.

Thankfully my cousin, who was visiting from Berlin, was with me at the time and provided initial support and first aid, making sure I'd better go and get medical attention.

Good news is that the three bites were superficial, the staff at the Urgent Treatment Centre were super kind and I was put on antibiotics (which caused more side-effects than the actual bites, but that's another story).

I admire dogs who are shaking off stress so naturally and I've also shared before that I am slightly scared of dogs (must come from a childhood incident) and over the years, especially the last six years since I've taken up my TRE practice it's gotten so much better and I can be near dogs – something that I really struggled with before and which is a sign of a better regulated nervous system.

A nervous system that isn't on super high alert, because there's a dog around.

Well, that got a wee dent because of this incident, but I know I have the most innate tool to shake off the stress of the dog attack because by practising TRE I deliberately invite the body to access this same natural mechanism safely and retrospectively. This will complete the stress cycle.

I'm convinced my nervous system will support me, so that I'm not always on high-alert – is there danger? Is the dog in the stairwell? - when I open my front door.

By now two of the bites have healed nicely, one has almost healed.

What stayed with me is the fact that my body immediately did what it was designed to do.

This demonstrates so nicely, that our bodies hold far more wisdom than we might be aware of.

Often we try and think or analyse us out of a situation or are seeking for external solutions, but we have it all within us.

After the session I felt I have more energy. I feel refreshed, like I've been breathing more fresh air.

I feel much clearer in the mind, more positive and with more energy.

Susan  

And that's why I'm so keen to help others rediscover this innate gift through TRE.

If you have experienced similar stressful situations – not necessarily dog related – and would like to discuss anything, have questions or are now curious about your TREmendously amazing body, I'd love to hear your thoughts.