2022-01-05 - TRE, Tension or Trauma Releasing Exercises ======================================================= TRE stands for Tension or Trauma Release Exercises. It is a set of exercises that helps to evoke the psoas muscles--a major set of muscles where we often store physical, emotional, and mental stress in our bodies over the course of our lives--to release neurogenic tremors. This combination of neurological and physiological involuntary tremors can lead to a release of deep tension, stress and trauma, helping the body to return to a calmer and balanced state. In other forms of stress-relieving practices such as mindfulness meditation, we use our neocortex to monitor our bodily function (i.e. breathing). This is an example of a "top-down" approach. In somatically based approaches such as TRE, they tap into our autonomic nervous system and reach out to the limbic system and neocortex creating a "bottom-up" approach. TRE is not just a physiological exercise, but also a neurological workout. TRE was created by Dr David Berceli, an expert in trauma intervention who used to work in war-torn places. Over the years, he noticed how people often responded to crisis by curling into a foetal position, which contracts the psoas muscles. Observing that children would shiver (or tremor) and shake, but adults would not, Dr Berceli found that adults stopped themselves from shaking because they were worried that they would frighten the children, or were afraid of embarrassing themselves. Interestingly, animals in the wild respond to stress or predators in a similar way, collapsing into a frozen position in extreme danger, and getting out of such a position through shaking and tremoring. Wanting to help people tap this natural mechanism to release deep tension and stress, Dr Berceli discovered more about the human anatomy and other body-related therapeutic modalities, and created TRE. In the first few exercises we stretch hip and leg muscles then while lying down on the back, with feet together and legs apart, most of the shaking will take place. Exercise 1 ========== Stand with your feet hips-width apart. Roll your feet onto the outer edge of one foot and inner edge of the other foot. Put all your weight equally on both feet. Then role your feet to the other side. Repeat x10 on each side. Exercise 2 ========== Stand with one foot forward, put your full weight on that foot, using the foot behind for balance. Rise up on your toe, let your back foot leave the ground. Stand on your toe for a few minutes (you can hold on to something for balance). Repeat x10 on each foot. Exercise 3 ========== Stand on one foot, bend the other knee behind you in the air. Put both hands down on the ground, on either side of the foot for balance. Bend and straighten the leg that you are standing on. Repeat x10 on both legs. Exercise 4 ========== Stretch your feet wide apart. Put your fists on the small of your back. Bend knees, push your pelvis forward and lean your head back and breathe. Repeat x3 times Straighten up then turn and look as far as you can over your shoulder and breathe (legs still apart, hands still on back). Change and look over the other shoulder. Repeat x3 for each side. Exercise 5 ========== Legs wide apart bend forwards, stretch your arms out with your fingers touching the floor. Bend one knee and walk your hands to that foot and breathe. Bend other knee and do the same. Repeat x3 for each foot. Exercise 6 ========== Shake body out. Stand with your back against the wall, feet apart and bend your knees--you should be able to see your toes. Rest your hands against your sides. 5 minutes. Exercise 7 ========== Lie on the floor, push the soles of your feet together, legs apart. Left pelvis about 2cm off the ground and hold. 5 minutes or for as long as you can make it without pain. Drop pelvis, with soles of your feet touching lift knees 5cm off the ground for 5 minutes, then 10cm for 5 minutes and finally 15cm for 5 minutes. Rest. The tremors varies from person to person. You may feel furious trembling or barely feel a thing. The more you do it the more the trembling will spread starting in your legs and hips, moving to your stomach, then chest and head. To see any difference you may do the exercises every day for ten days. One central tenet of TRE is that our bodies innately know what to do. However, our culture lacks bodily trust. In the beginning it is very important for it [TRE] to be a pleasant experience, and that means self-regulating. Three self-regulating tools: * Slow down the tremor by either opening arms and legs in clamshell position, or stretching legs out. * Stop the tremor by puting legs out, locking the knees, and flexing the feet. * Modulate the tremor by changing the distance between the knees. TRE is not an extreme sport. Sometimes less is more. Moderation shows leadership to your nervous system. Polyvagal Chart Jen Donovan, Whole Body Healing, Eugene, Oregon tags: article,health Tags ==== article health