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# 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. | |
tags: article,health | |
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article | |
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