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Therapeutic Tremoring - Shake Off Stress And Trauma

 

Shaking is the natural way to release tension and return the body to its normal homeostasis. It is a primal impulse to a stressful situation. Animals naturally shake to release tension after a life-threatening event.

However, we human's have been socially conditioned to stoically grin and bear. We pretend that all is fine, play the cool guy. Show the world that we are unfazed by life's events.

Sadly, this unnatural demeanour that we adopt traps the stress in our bodies. This negatively influences our physical and emotional health.

After all, our bodies do keep a score.

Neurogenic Tremors and Trauma

When we are threatened the body releases huge amounts of stress hormones to help us overcome the danger. That is the flight-fight response kicking in and we literally shake with fear.

This shaking is known as neurogenic tremors.  These tremors help to reduce over-activity in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. The body's complex neuroendocrine system that regulates our stress response, our emotions,  energy storage, and release.

Neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky wrote a book called, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. The reason being that zebras and other animals know how to dissipate stress. They simply shake it off and get back to living in the moment.

Sadly, human beings, gradually lose this skills of re-calibrating their nervous systems. From a young age, we are admonished to stop acting like cry-babies. Or we are threatened with dire consequences if we don't stop our tantrums and shut up. As a result, we learn to suppress our feelings.

This repression of our emotional trauma causes it to be stored in our skeletal muscles. Our bodies and minds are intricately connected.

Humans and PTSD

Childhood traumatic experiences make us more hypersensitive to stress. We are easily upset by minor infractions and stressors. Our brain and body are frozen in an “anticipatory stress response” or the negativity brain bias loop.

Trauma therapist Peter Levine wrote in his book the Waking the Tiger, that animals don’t get PTSD. The reason being, once out of danger, they shiver and shake and release the trauma from their bodies.

Human beings develop PTSD because of frozen emotions. In the case of childhood abuse, there is no escape. The child has to freeze his emotions as the source of trauma is most often the parent.

Long-term suppression leads to excess energy being trapped in our bodies This results in chronic emotional and physical tension and mental distress.

Repeated activation of the stress response contributes to high blood pressure, promotes the formation of artery-clogging deposits. Further, stress causes brain changes leading to anxiety, depression, and addiction.

David Berceli's Tension & Trauma Release Exercises TRE

Tension & Trauma Release Exercises (or TRE®) is a simple yet innovative series of exercises.  Created by Dr David Berceli,  TRE safely activates a natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating. This releases muscular tension, calming down the nervous system.

Moreover, when this muscular shaking/vibrating mechanism is activated in a safe and controlled environment, the body is encouraged to return back to a state of balance. This therapeutic tremoring helps the body release deep muscular patterns of stress, tension, and trauma.

It consists of six exercises,  that evoke natural “neurogenic” tremors in a controlled and sustained way. They come from the centre of gravity i.e. psoas muscles.

Therapeutic neurogenic tremors unleash powerful contractions which reverberate through the entire body. The tremors move along the spine, releasing deep chronic tension from the sacrum to the cranium.

TRE helps reverse the body's anatomical reaction to stress and systematically dissolve the tension pattern created as a result of traumatic events.

Just Shake Your Stress Away

Other simple and easy ways to shake out the stress and trauma in our bodies:

1) Ping Shuai Gong - Swing Hands Exercise: This simple swinging-hands exercise improves Chi (qi) and blood circulation through the theory of "Ten fingers connecting the heart" opening all our body meridians and stimulate bone marrow, to rid toxins from the human body.

2) Kim Eng - Shaking Practice:  This simple shaking can be done anywhere, just shake out the part which feels tense. Jump, kick and throw your hand up. Surrender to the shaking. Let out any sounds that want to come out. You will feel the release of tension.

3) Crawling - The Best Mind Body-Exercise: Just get on fours with the kids and crawl and shake away your tension.

Keep It Simple

Forget about, meditation, yoga and other complicated disciplines.

Believe me, shaking is one of the easiest and quickest way to release stress. All the wild animals do it. Undoubtedly,  human beings are also programmed to shake off the excess energy in their bodies. You need to let loose your inhibitions and shake off your tension.

Like Taylor Swift rightly sings,  Shake it off: 

Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

... in my mind saying it's gonna be alright

 

(from my blog: https://mindkindmom.com)

 

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Comments (12)

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I'm disheartened to see such a amazing tool referenced, like TRE Yoga, and have it end by saying, Awwe. just shake and crawl around on the floor. TRE Yoga is not equivalent to just shaking it off.  It is also unlike any other YOGA I've done and I found it is not nearly as challenging for those who have difficulty sitting still.  It is a more active event, rather than passive resting.  It is also a highly focused and effective method, particularly for those who suffer PNES from PTSD.  Yes, caution should be used the first couple of times that you do it, which is why it should be done in class with a trained TRE teacher. 

Now, I just open the app on my phone and self-regulate. It is an excellent method.  I really hope people do not come away from this believing that it is either typical yoga or equivalent to child play.  Yes bouncing, crawling, shaking can be momentarily helpful, but it is by no means equivalent to the therapeutic effects of TRE Yoga. Those who might benefit could be amazed at the benefits.

 

Cheryl Miranda posted:
Virginia Farr posted:

TRE is great for some people, but it can be way too much for others. Especially those with developmental trauma. For some, it takes months or more to recover. Sadly, those trained in TRE lack resources to guide these folks to safe regulation. This is a key piece lacking in the training. 

Virginia, thanks, that's an interesting observation. Healing from childhood trauma is tough mainly because for many finding a safe place and person is like finding a needle in a haystack. 

It is also tough because they have a very narrow window of tolerance for stress/regulation. TRE can push them over the threshold and they are unable to find regulation. It can be extremely overwhelming and last a long time. 

Many people trained in TRE only take a couple of weekends worth of training along with a few reviews of sessions. There is little training in resolving adverse events. While some are trained therapist, others are not. 

While I can see how it can help with stress without a history of trauma. Those with trauma really need to be careful and have training in how to resolve adverse events. Significant harm can be done. 

 

Virginia Farr posted:

TRE is great for some people, but it can be way too much for others. Especially those with developmental trauma. For some, it takes months or more to recover. Sadly, those trained in TRE lack resources to guide these folks to safe regulation. This is a key piece lacking in the training. 

Virginia, thanks, that's an interesting observation. Healing from childhood trauma is tough mainly because for many finding a safe place and person is like finding a needle in a haystack. 

TRE is great for some people, but it can be way too much for others. Especially those with developmental trauma. For some, it takes months or more to recover. Sadly, those trained in TRE lack resources to guide these folks to safe regulation. This is a key piece lacking in the training. 

Richmond Heath posted:

Thanks for sharing your writing about TRE Cheryl and helping to share the shake with the world. I loved your article, right up until you said 'Forget meditation, yoga & other complicated disciplines.'

Please consider that statements like this are polarising and put off all the people reading the article who enjoy or like meditation, yoga or other complicated disciplines!

Please edit this article if you can so you are not turning people who like Yoga and Medication away from TRE as they can easily add or integrate TRE into their existing practices.

Please also keep an eye out for potentially polarising statements like this in any future writings you do about TRE so your writing can have the biggest impact in sharing TRE with the world, which is obviously your intention.

Regards,

Richmond Heath

Australian TRE National Co-ordinator

PS - I am also seeking a reference in Why Zebra's don't get Ulcers regarding animals shaking for 2 hrs then their adrenaline being back to normal. Do you happen to know if that is in that book and if so where i could locate that section? It's something David mentioned once but he can't recall where he referenced it from.

Thank you, Richmond for your feedback Really, appreciate it.  It is okay to point out things publicly as long as it is done with the right spirit. I am a work in progress and not a highly credentialed expert. 

I guess you have a very valid point. And I will look into making changes so as not to antagonize or invalidate another person's experiences. I was purely writing from my own experiences and till today I cannot sit still meditating - not when so many intrusive thoughts are running through my head.(I am in a better place now though). For me, sound healing music, guided meditation are other ways I get my mind to shift and relax. Well, each one is different and one size does not fit everyone. 

Sorry, I cannot help you with regards to the 'Zebras'!!!

Last edited by Former Member

Thanks for sharing your writing about TRE Cheryl and helping to share the shake with the world. I loved your article, right up until you said 'Forget meditation, yoga & other complicated disciplines.'

Please consider that statements like this are polarising and put off all the people reading the article who enjoy or like meditation, yoga or other complicated disciplines!

Please edit this article if you can so you are not turning people who like Yoga and Medication away from TRE as they can easily add or integrate TRE into their existing practices.

Please also keep an eye out for potentially polarising statements like this in any future writings you do about TRE so your writing can have the biggest impact in sharing TRE with the world, which is obviously your intention.

Regards,

Richmond Heath

Australian TRE National Co-ordinator

PS - I am also seeking a reference in Why Zebra's don't get Ulcers regarding animals shaking for 2 hrs then their adrenaline being back to normal. Do you happen to know if that is in that book and if so where i could locate that section? It's something David mentioned once but he can't recall where he referenced it from.

Tian Dayton posted:

Very interesting, as a psychologist who works with trauma I do think these look useful....however meditation and yoga are marvelous game changers....no need to choose, they are all good....

The healing process is different for each one of us. What works for me may not work for someone else. Keeping an open mind and exploring what is best for us is the key to becoming emotionally well again.

Very interesting, as a psychologist who works with trauma I do think these look useful....however meditation and yoga are marvelous game changers....no need to choose, they are all good....

Cheryl Miranda posted:

Thank you, Ruth. In the course of my self-healing, I have tried to go the route of meditation, yoga and have found doing all that really difficult. Finding easy ways to heal my trauma has been my life's mission. So glad you found this helpful.

I find yoga and meditation difficult. You made me realize today how I'm neglecting to listen to what my body is telling me Thank you. Onward!  

Thank you, Ruth. In the course of my self-healing, I have tried to go the route of meditation, yoga and have found doing all that really difficult. Finding easy ways to heal my trauma has been my life's mission. So glad you found this helpful.

Cheryl, oh you are so good. I love this. I'm going to print it. I will need to read it several times so I'll keep it handy and pull it out again from time to time. I also have a friend who needs to read this. Thank you so much. P.S. I wish my blog was up and running. Having tech problems.  Hugs Cheryl

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