TRE Information

TRE Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I do these exercises?

If you are not experiencing any adverse reactions to the exercises, you can do the exercises every second day or so for the first 3-4 weeks to gradually release the chronic tension from the body. Those who find them energizing tend to do them in the mornings afternoons or when requiring additional energy, while those who find them relaxing tend to do them at the end of the day to assist with deeper sleep. You can also simply add 15 minutes or so of shaking onto your existing exercise program as the muscles will already be fatigued in place of performing all the lead in exercises to invoke the tremors. After 3-4 weeks you can reduce the exercises to a couple of times a week or whenever you are aware you are feeling stressed or beginning to hold tension in the body again. They are a tool for you to use to continue to process stress and tension throughout your life rather than a once off intervention.

Do I have to do all the standing exercises?

Not necessarily. The exercises are developed to systematically fatigue the large muscle groups of the back and legs so if you have already exercised you can just add the shaking exercises lying on your back to the end of the session. However, if you haven’t yet exercised, doing the full series of exercises will tend to invoke stronger and more sustained tremors to release more deeply held tension from the body.

Why do the tremors sometimes change between large and small?

The large tremors tend to break up the gross tension held in chronically tight muscles and can have a balancing or aligning effect on the body especially around the pelvis. Once this deeply held tension in the body is reduced, a finer tremor is often felt like a purring, vibration or movement of heat running through the entire body. Often the tremors will change between these stronger, larger ones and smaller finer ones during the one session. However your body tremors is absolutely fine and appropriate to your body’s need to release its tension.

Why are the tremors only in my legs and pelvis?

Your body will shake however it needs to in order to release it’s specific pattern of tension and holding. Often the shaking will be felt initially in the legs and pelvis but begin to move further throughout the body as the exercises are regularly practiced and the deep chronic holding preventing the free flow of energy throughout the body is released. Once the body is totally calm and relaxed, many people are able to feel a fine vibrational flow of energy or heat throughout their entire body.

What are the TRE Self Regulation guidelines?

These exercises should be done only if they are pleasurable and you feel safe and grounded in the process. If you begin to experience physical pain adjust your position and/or modify the speed or intensity in a way that relieves the pain. If no adjustment and/or modification can be found, stop the process, sit up and get a glass of water.

If you are feeling emotionally overwhelmed and/or uncomfortable, slow down or stop the TRE process until you feel safe and grounded again. Once again sit up and get a glass of water.

If you are doing TRE for the first time, TRE®, LLC recommend you only tremor for a maximum of 15 minutes and only do TRE 3 or 4 times a week.

Once you have learned the skills of “self regulation” and you have been doing TRE for a few weeks you can lengthen your tremor time and/or increase your frequency at your own discretion.

Why does TRE® make people feel better?

The exercises activate a shaking mechanism, which causes the muscles to relax. Relaxing tense muscle patterns can often reduce stress in the spine, neck, shoulders and pelvis. When tension is released anywhere in the body, the brain registers a reduction in pain signals, producing new hormones that promotes healing.

How do people benefit from periodic TRE® practice, stress management and popular relaxation techniques?

Stress, anxiety and trauma are common events in people’s lives. We often experience stress on a daily level, either at home or at work. The body constantly responds to elevated levels of stress by contracting the muscles to ‘get through’ the problem. However, we seldom recognize these contractions until we experience pain, discomfort or illness. By practicing preventative techniques like TRE, we can prevent stress and tension levels from elevating to a point of chronic illness.

How do people benefit from periodic TRE® practice, stress management and popular relaxation techniques?

Stress, anxiety and trauma are common events in people’s lives. We often experience stress on a daily level, either at home or at work. The body constantly responds to elevated levels of stress by contracting the muscles to ‘get through’ the problem. However, we seldom recognize these contractions until we experience pain, discomfort or illness. By practicing preventative techniques like TRE, we can prevent stress and tension levels from elevating to a point of chronic illness.

What if I felt overwhelmed in the days following the exercises?

The absolute golden rule of TRE is to never do more tremoring than you are able to comfortably integrate into your life. If you felt overwhelmed in any way after the exercises, firstly, reduce the duration of tremoring as well as possibly doing the exercises less often. If you are unable to successfully self-regulate the process, please contact a TRE instructor. Remember TRE is not a psycho-emotional process and is not intended as a substitute for professional assistance where required. While the tremors do not create emotions or overwhelm in the body, for a small percentage of people they may lead towards unresolved trauma held in the body that may require professional assistance for integration and resolution.

Will TRE release emotions?

While the tremors only relax the muscle tension from the body, for many people this relaxation allows deep emotions to arise that have been held in the body as chronic tension and holding. While many people experience no emotional content during the exercises, for others emotions can be felt arising either with or without associated thoughts or memories.. As long as you are comfortable with these emotions, simply allow them to arise and release in the same way you allow the tremors. If the emotions are overwhelming or too uncomfortable, you can simply stop the process by laying your legs out flat or lying on your side. In such cases you should do the exercises with a health professional or someone who can support you through the process.

Why do I shake differently from other people?

Just as every person’s life experience, body history and pattern of holding tension is different, the shaking will be individual and specific to your body’s needs. You may even get the shaking in different places or in different positions each time you do the exercises.

What does Self-Regulation mean in TRE?

Self-regulation is the ability to tolerate and control ones emotions, thoughts, feelings, and sensations independently of external supervision or regulation. Cognitive neuroscience research suggests that successful self-regulation is dependent on top-down control from the prefrontal cortex over subcortical regions involved in survival and emotion.

Self-regulatory collapse is when the individual cannot control their own overwhelming emotions, thoughts, feelings, and sensations.

Are there any special conditions or directives about doing TRE alone?

TRE is a safe and effective stress release technique for most people. Although the exercises appear simple and easy to learn, the deepest value to learning TRE is with a Certified TRE Provider. Though many people report immediate benefits from a single session of TRE, it is recommended that TRE be used as a consistent practice on an as-needed basis, either alone or in groups, to sustain its benefits over time.

It is imperative that persons with any clinical diagnoses or psychiatric conditions, or persons taking medications for any diagnoses or conditions, consult their medical professional or a Certified TRE Provider* to ensure they learn TRE self-regulation appropriately and correctly. It is your responsibility to match your needs with the skills of your Certified TRE® Provider. You can contact a Certified TRE Provider if you have questions or if you feel anxious, confused and/or concerned. https://treprovider.ca

*Certified TRE Providers have a wide range of professional expertise, skills and experiences. It is your responsibility to research the qualifications of the person you contact to make sure they have the knowledge, skills & experience you need for your particular situation. Each provider is independent of TRE, LLC and it is their responsibility to work within their scope of practice and licensure.

Why is TRE® a revolutionary tool for everyday stress, anxiety or trauma?

These unique, yet simple, exercises activate an involuntary shaking in the muscles. Therefore, an individual does not use the conscious control of their body or brain that most relaxation techniques rely upon. TRE taps the unconscious part of the brain so one can actually watch TV or listen to music and allow the shaking do all the work.

Why does TRE® seem to improve sleep and build resilience?

The body intuitively knows how and when to put itself to sleep. Difficulty sleeping is simply a symptom that something is out of balance with the body. Sleeplessness is often the signal that stress, anxiety and tension are causing the “sleep mechanism” to not activate properly.

Deep muscular relaxation, which TRE elicit, induces the body to activate the rest/digest, relaxation response of the parasympathetic nervous system that allows the body to sleep. Resiliency can be attained when the individual can work, respond to stress, play, and then rest. If deep adequate rest, and the relaxation response, is not a part of the individual’s daily life, resiliency is compromised.

Integrating TRE® Into Work and Other Health Modalities

How is TRE used as a therapeutic tool to reduce anxiety, anger, stress, tension and post trauma symptoms?

It can be used as a therapeutic tool because these symptoms can be difficult to manage at times. They might seem overwhelming. The process of using this tool in a therapeutic context provides the therapist with the ability to use the body as part of the stress reduction process without needing to have advanced degrees in body psychotherapy.

How does TRE® compliment yoga, meditation, exercise workouts, and spiritual practices?

Exercise, workouts and yoga often reduce tension in the muscles and help increase strength and flexibility. Many tension patterns and contractions are deep inside the body, often without our conscious awareness. TRE uncovers these less conscious but obvious tension patterns. The contractions release tension at this deeper level. When this occurs, the body takes on greater flexibility and resilience. This increased awareness of a ‘deeper sense of self’ often extends itself into the realm of the ‘spiritual’ to which many people aspire. Once there is a deeper felt sense of oneself, there is a natural deeper sense of connection to others and the ‘universe’ or the ‘spiritual’.

Why can periodic TRE® help reduce workplace conflict and facilitate cooperation?

Conflict is caused by stress and tension whether at work or home. People who are calm and relaxed do not experience much conflict. However, remaining in a place of calmness and relaxation is difficult because daily life challenges our relaxed state. Periodic TRE continually reduces the levels of daily stress and anxiety in the body that give the person access to a more relaxed state of mind. The combination of a relaxed body and relaxed mind can lead to a reduction of conflict in all areas of one’s life.

More details for those ready to learn TRE®:

What is the best way to learn TRE®?

Many people can learn TRE by reading books and/or watching the DVD. However, some may benefit better if guided through the exercises by a Certified TRE Practitioner. One might have an immediate result from the exercises and others might not experience the results until after practicing the exercises a few times.

Because the TRE process can be intense and somewhat overwhelming, those who find TRE to be challenging might want to be guided through the exercises by a Certified TRE Practitioner or attend a workshop. Check out the website for Certified Practitioners in your area, for scheduled workshops or for practitioners who can work with you via Skype.

How much time is needed to do TRE®?

TRE, like any other new method might require some time to get used to. Although the exercises are designed to be easy and simple to follow, for some, it can be like riding a bike, jumping rope or learning to ski — it might take a little practice. Once the exercises are learned and the shaking is activated a few times, the process will move much faster. We suggest that 15 minutes of the shaking/tremor release will
be enough for one session. Although some have such a positive experience in this release process that they extend this time for much longer. Over time some TRE uses have found that they do not need to do the full exercise process and find they are able to activate the release without the full routine.

How often should I practice TRE®?

Once you have learned the TRE process and you are comfortable with the process you can do TRE everyday if you like. We recommend that you do TRE at least two times per week. However, even occasional use of TRE will be beneficial to reducing deeply held muscular tension.

Why might a TRE® facilitator or Skype-coach be beneficial?

If people believe they have deep traumas that have strong emotional components, they might find it safer and easier to have a private session with a Certified TRE Practitioner who can guide them safely through the exercises and teach them how to self-regulate any emotions that might surface.

What does strong or gentle shaking mean?

If the shaking is strong it is an indicator that the large muscles in the body are breaking up ‘iceberg-like’ tension in the muscles. These tension blockages create strong shaking until they break up and the energy can flow more easily. Finer movements are equally important in reworking our tension holding patterns. Beware of making judgments about the intensity of your shaking and what this all means.
This process will ebb and flow with varying intensity and you need to trust the body is doing exactly what it needs to in order to release held tension.

Do these exercises cause emotions to surface?

Because these exercises relax tightly held muscles, buried emotions can surface for some people during deep muscular relaxation. Others report no particular emotional feelings and just experience a physical shaking that leads to reduced stress. Both situations are perfect. Each session is unique. The body simply does what it needs to do. The goal is to allow this process to emerge naturally.

If you experience emotional feelings while doing TRE, please be very respectful of the process. If you begin to feel vulnerable, sensitive, overwhelmed or scared and want to stop the exercises, simply straighten your legs and lock your knees. Stay in this position for a few minutes. Or, you may want to curl up in a ball, walk around, or eat something. The point is to do what is needed to get comfortable again or come back to your present reality, we call this “grounding”. Take your time. In practicing TRE it is very important to learn “self-regulation” where you shake/tremor from a place of safety and are able to come in and out of the TRE process. A few find they want or need a TRE Practitioner to assist them in learning self-regulating skills. Others may find it helpful to enlist friends, family and/or therapist in this process.