Posted: 9th July 2018
What are the benefits of TRE (Tension, Stress & Trauma Release Exercises)? Can it help us with resilience?
Often, if trauma and tension is stored in the body it can distort our experience of the present. Trauma is anything that overwhelms our system.
Humans beings are generally able to access huge stores of resilience. We are designed to overcome traumatic experiences, however, sometimes we can get stuck in negative or painful loops when experiences have been to much to process fully.
For example mums who have a traumatic, life threatening car accident may not be able to process their own trauma because they have to focus on their children. Their own requirements can be dismissed and pushed deep inside as they look after their family. They may become ill, in pain or overly anxious as the loop keeps replaying.
One of the great benefits of TRE is that we can gently and slowly process overwhelming events from our body/mind system. It doesn’t matter what happened or when it happened and we don’t need to re-tell the story. We let our bodies do the talking.
What is TRE?
The TRE exercises are simple and easy to learn and the process of physical and psychological transformation they bring about is often astonishing and life changing. The goal of the exercises is to start a self-directed, but innate, tremoring process. We often see animals shaking when they are scared and they do this to ‘discharge’ the natural physical responses to fear and bring themselves back into harmony and relaxation. Think of a dog coming to sit next to you on bonfire night, they will gently tremor to ‘shake off’ their fear of loud noises.
The TRE tremors are profound in nature feel very instinctive. They usually start in the legs and pelvis, but can show up anywhere. There is no right or wrong way to tremor. The tremors tap into the body’s natural release mechanism to discharge tension and trauma held in the tissues. Once you have learned the exercises, and can allow the tremors, you can let the body do its own healing and gently disperse stored overwhelming experiences from the tissues a little at a time.
When using TRE most clients report feelings of profound and peaceful release never previously experienced. Additionally resilience can greatly improve, we are able to ‘bounce back’ and recover from difficult experiences. If taught correctly TRE is also something clients can take away and do themselves at home to great benefit.
However participating in a group or with a Certified TRE Provider can further enhance the experience. Having your process held and witnessed in safety can be deeply healing and also specific interventions, designed just for your body, can also be used. For example there are specific interventions to help release tension from the chest or lower back.
Other benefits of TRE can include:
Less chronic tension, aches and pains
Lowered stress levels
Feeling more grounded and present
Better sleep patterns – deeper, longer sleep
Better sex life and stronger sex drive as muscles which have held years of tension relax
Feelings of empowerment
Feeling calmer and less ‘triggered’ by stressful events
More able to meditate
Greater ease of movement
Deeper sense of self acceptance
When attending a TRE Workshop the energy and release is shared and it is often comforting to be with others and discuss and witness their process – and to realise we are all the same as our bodies unwind.
Humans are essentially tribal in nature and need to connect. We often feel safer this way. Experiencing the benefits of TRE in a group can help smooth out the ripples of trauma allowing them to gently fade as your body returns to harmony.
