Have you heard about TRE? AKA the shaking technique? Perhaps someone has suggested you try it. I hope this article helps you understand its benefits a bit more.
What is TRE?
First off, TRE stands for (T)ension + Trauma (R)educing (E)xercises. The technique consists of seven exercises that help the body activate a natural reflex mechanism of shaking and/or vibrating. This shaking is called the therapeutic tremor. It’s therapeutic because it has a calming affect on the nervous system.
The first way TRE helps you feel better is through the shaking mechanism itself. The shaking is calming for the nervous system. When the nervous system is in a calm state, you feel more at peace within yourself.
Who discovered the shaking mechanism?
The founder of TRE, David Bercelli began noticing how children and adults respond to danger. Children shook in terror in a frightening situation. Adults held themselves upright so the children wouldn’t know they were afraid. Bercelli noticed his body wanted to shake in the face of danger, but he kept it from doing so. He concluded, if your body is able to protect itself by contracting tighter and tighter, it must be able to relax itself in a natural way as well.
Many years later he discovered and expounded upon the shaking mechanism and its key role in nervous system regulation and healing trauma.
The second way TRE can help you feel better is once learned, you can use this technique on your own to help yourself recover from stressful experiences.
Why do we shake?
We learn through social cues to turn off this natural shaking mechanism. In extreme cases it’s nearly impossible (for good reasons) to control the body’s natural response to trauma or stress. Perhaps you’ve experienced the aftershock from a car accident so intensely that you “shook like a leaf”. Or, after your body rushed to escape danger, you quivered with fear. This shaking mechanism is built-in to your nervous system to release what is no longer necessary once your body is out of harm’s way.
TRE is a self-healing technique because you induce the therapeutic tremor in a safe environment on your own schedule. Once you learn how to safely and effectively elicit the therapeutic tremor on a regular basis, you naturally become more accepting of your body’s natural response to stress.
Whether someone has experienced a traumatic life event or accumulated stress over the course of a lifetime, releasing unnecessary tension helps the body and mind return to a more calm and peaceful state. Since its development, TRE has helped thousands of people worldwide in more than 35 countries reduce the effects of stress, tension and trauma. The reported benefits of a regular TRE practice include, but are not limited to:
- less worry and anxiety
- better sleep
- fewer PTSD symptoms
- reduced muscle + back pain
- more energy and endurance
Most relaxation techniques rely on conscious control. TRE relies on unconscious control, allowing an individual to listen to music or watch TV while the involuntary muscular shaking process does all the work.
Finally, TRE helps you feel better without you having to “do” anything. You can sit back and relax and trust that your body knows exactly what to do. Additionally, TRE is a tool that can help you prevent the accumulation of chronic stress, tension and trauma.
Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, it is! But how does one learn this shaking technique?
How to learn Tre®…
Traditionally, Tre® is shared in a group or individual setting with a certified Tre® Provider. During a TRE session, the client is guided through the series of seven exercises to safely and effectively elicit the therapeutic tremor. You can also learn by purchasing David Bercelli’s book or following along with a video online.
When you learn from a certified provider, you’ll receive individual support to help regulate and modulate the tremor to your level of comfort and resilience. Clients are asked to rate their emotional and physical well-being before and after each session to determine the overall effectiveness of TRE.
