Guided TRE Session with Dr. David Berceli: Release Tension & Trauma

Understanding TRE and the Shaking Mechanism

• 💡 Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) restimulate a genetically encoded mechanism in the human body to release deep muscular tension.
• 🧠 The core of TRE is the neurogenic shake response, a natural reflex that helps the body release stored stress and trauma.
• 🎯 Stress and trauma cause a fetal response, contracting front body muscles; TRE uses extension to reverse this and evoke shaking.

Guided Activation Steps

• ✅ Begin by lying on your back with feet together, knees open (butterfly/frog position), and pelvis lifted to stretch adductor muscles and the front of the body.
• ⚠️ Maintain a stress level of 7 (on a 0-10 scale) and avoid pushing into pain during the exercise.
• 🦵 To activate shaking, slide feet slightly away from the pelvis and apply a gentle inward stress on inner leg muscles, as if trying to close the knees.

The Body's Natural Release Process

• ⏳ The shaking mechanism moves at the speed of the nervous system, requiring patience as it may take time to manifest.
• 🌊 Shaking often comes and goes in waves, releasing one contracted pattern before moving to another.
• 🔑 The goal is for the shaking to reach the soaz muscles, which are key "fight or flight" muscles connecting the legs to the lumbar spine.

Deepening and Interacting with the Shake

• 🧘‍♀️ Consciously interact with the shaking by slowly adjusting knee and foot positions to find where the mechanism stays activated and travels deeper.
• 🌬️ Incorporate deep breaths and sighs to facilitate diaphragmatic release and help the tremor mechanism move through the body.
• ⚖️ Be aware that left and right sides may shake differently due to past injuries or tension patterns, and the body will naturally try to correct this.

Post-Session Integration

• 🛑 To stop, gently slide your legs down flat and rest for 1-2 minutes to allow the body to integrate the release.
• 🛌 When getting up, roll to your side and push up with your hands to avoid re-contracting the front muscles that were just released.
• ✨ Participants often report feeling deeply calm, peaceful, and relaxed, with a sense of reset energy, as the shaking can eventually travel throughout the entire body.