What Is TRE? Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises Explained

Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) is a body-based method that uses a series of simple physical exercises to activate neurogenic tremors—involuntary shaking that helps your nervous system release stored tension and trauma. Unlike talk therapy or other somatic approaches that require a practitioner's guidance, TRE taps into your body's natural self-regulating mechanism: the same tremoring response animals use to discharge stress after a threat passes.

Developed by David Berceli, PhD, in the early 2000s while working in conflict zones, TRE offers a way to access trauma release without needing to retell your story or relive traumatic memories. The tremors do the work.

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker trained in body-based approaches, I see TRE as one tool in a larger toolkit for nervous system healing. It is not a replacement for therapy, but for some people, it provides a direct, embodied way to work with stress and trauma that complements clinical treatment.

Where Did TRE Come From?

David Berceli, PhD, created TRE during two decades of trauma relief work across nine countries, including Israel/Palestine, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and Yemen. As an expert in trauma intervention and conflict resolution, Berceli noticed something consistent across war zones and disaster areas: after acute danger passed, people's bodies would shake involuntarily. This tremoring appeared to be the body's natural way of discharging overwhelm.

Berceli recognized that this response mirrored what researchers like Dr. Peter Levine observed in animals. Wild animals routinely face life-threatening events—a gazelle fleeing a predator, a deer freezing in headlights—yet they rarely develop lasting trauma symptoms. One reason: after the threat ends, their bodies discharge the mobilized survival energy through tremoring and shaking. Their nervous systems complete the interrupted stress cycle.

Humans have the same neurogenic tremor reflex, but we often suppress it. We learn early that shaking signals weakness or loss of control. We override the body's natural discharge mechanism, and that unresolved activation stays lodged in our nervous system as chronic tension, hypervigilance, or shutdown.

Berceli developed a sequence of exercises specifically designed to fatigue the psoas muscle and other deep core muscles, triggering that tremor reflex intentionally. The result: a simple, repeatable practice that people can use to access their body's built-in stress-release system.

What Are Neurogenic Tremors?

Neurogenic tremors are involuntary muscular shaking driven by the autonomic nervous system—the part of your body that operates below conscious control, managing threat response, stress activation, and return to calm.

When you experience acute stress or trauma, your body mobilizes massive amounts of energy to support survival. Your muscles contract, preparing for fight or flight. Your heart rate spikes. Stress hormones flood your system. If the threat resolves before you can fight or flee—if you freeze, or if the danger simply passes—that mobilized energy does not automatically dissipate. It remains stored as muscular tension, bracing patterns, and nervous system dysregulation.

The psoas muscle, a deep core muscle connecting your lumbar spine to your femur, is particularly involved. The psoas contracts violently during the freeze response. Research on trauma's psychobiology has shown that survivors often carry their history in braced shoulders, a frozen diaphragm, and a chronically contracted psoas (Neurolaunch, 2024).

Neurogenic tremors are the body's mechanism for completing that interrupted discharge. The function of these tremors is to reset the autonomic nervous system and balance stress hormones after a threatening event. By initiating tremoring, the body shifts out of high-stress sympathetic arousal and back into parasympathetic safety physiology—the state where healing, rest, and digestion become possible again (TrustNoura Academy, 2024).

This is not unique to humans. Neurogenic tremors appear across virtually every mammal species and operate through ancient autonomic pathways.

How Does TRE Work?

TRE consists of seven simple exercises that gently fatigue the muscles of the lower body—particularly the hip flexors, psoas, and legs. The exercises typically take 15 to 20 minutes and do not require flexibility, strength, or prior movement experience.

Once the muscles are sufficiently fatigued, you lie on your back with your knees bent and feet together, allowing your knees to fall slightly apart. In this position, the tremoring usually begins. It might start in your legs, then spread to your pelvis, abdomen, or other areas. The shaking is self-regulating: your nervous system controls the intensity and location, and you can slow or stop the tremors at any time by straightening your legs or shifting position.

The tremors are not something you do. They happen to you. Your job is to stay present, allow the movement, and trust your body's process.

Sessions typically last 15 to 30 minutes, though beginners are encouraged to start with shorter durations—10 to 15 minutes—and gradually build tolerance as their nervous system learns to regulate the release.

What Does the Research Show?

While TRE is a relatively newer modality compared to established trauma therapies, emerging research suggests it can reduce trauma symptoms, anxiety, and chronic stress.

A 2024 study by Parker et al. examined TRE's effects on trauma symptoms in East African refugee women. After eight weeks of practice, participants experienced a 33% reduction in trauma symptom severity and a 64% increase in the number of symptoms that disappeared completely (Parker et al., 2024).

Skovgaard et al. (2025) conducted a randomized controlled trial published in Advances in Mind Body Medicine examining TRE for people with multiple sclerosis. The study demonstrated safety and efficacy for this population.

A 2021 pilot study by Oh & Shin found that TRE reduced anxiety among participants. Another 2021 study by Torres de Almeida & Rodrigues demonstrated that TRE regulates the autonomic nervous system and increases heart rate variability—a physiological marker of nervous system flexibility and resilience.

These studies are preliminary, and more rigorous, large-scale research is needed. But the findings align with what many practitioners and clients report: TRE can help shift a stuck nervous system.

How Is TRE Different from Other Somatic Approaches?

TRE is often compared to Somatic Experiencing (SE), another body-based trauma therapy developed by Dr. Peter Levine. Both approaches recognize that trauma lives in the body and that healing requires working with the nervous system, not just the narrative. But the methods differ significantly.

Somatic Experiencing is a relational, conversational therapy. The practitioner guides your attention to bodily sensations—tracking, titration, pendulation—within a therapeutic relationship. SE requires a trained clinician and often engages directly with specific traumatic material. The work is precise, attuned, and deeply relational.

TRE is body-first and largely self-directed. Once you learn the exercises from a certified TRE provider, you can practice independently at home. TRE does not require you to discuss or revisit traumatic memories. The tremors do the releasing without verbal processing.

As one comparison describes it: "TRE invites the body to release through movement; SE guides release through awareness" (Red Beard Somatic Therapy, 2024).

Somatic Experiencing excels in one-to-one clinical work addressing specific traumatic material with precision and relational attunement. TRE shines as an accessible, repeatable practice for ongoing stress and nervous-system regulation, suitable for individuals and groups alike.

Many practitioners train in both and use them together. They are complementary tools, not competing approaches.

Who Benefits from TRE?

TRE can help anyone dealing with chronic stress, but it is particularly useful for:

• Trauma survivors whose bodies remain stuck in hypervigilance or shutdown long after the original events ended
• People with PTSD or complex trauma who experience chronic tension, intrusive body memories, or nervous system dysregulation
• Adult children of alcoholics or addicts (ACOA) who grew up in unpredictable, high-stress environments and learned to brace against constant threat. I have written more about how childhood trauma patterns persist in the body in my post on intergenerational trauma.
• People in addiction recovery who are learning to inhabit their bodies again after years of numbing through substances
• Anyone with chronic anxiety whose nervous system is stuck in overdrive, producing physical symptoms like muscle tension, shallow breathing, or jaw clenching
• People who find talk therapy helpful but still feel physically stuck

Is TRE Safe?

TRE is safe for most people when practiced responsibly, but it is not appropriate for everyone.

You should not use TRE if you are experiencing:

• Active dissociation or psychotic episodes
• Acute psychiatric symptoms that require stabilization first

You should consult a certified TRE provider or medical professional before practicing if you:

• Are pregnant
• Have a complex trauma history that includes significant dissociation
• Have physical limitations or medical conditions that affect movement or nervous system regulation

TRE can activate stored trauma material, and for some people, that activation can feel overwhelming without proper guidance. If you have a history of complex trauma, working initially with a certified TRE provider—ideally one who is also a licensed therapist—ensures you have support if intense emotions or body memories surface.

TRE is not a substitute for clinical treatment. It should not replace therapy, medication management, or other medical interventions when those are clinically necessary.

Can You Do TRE on Your Own?

TRE is designed to be a self-administered practice once you learn the exercises. Most people start by attending an introductory session or workshop with a certified TRE provider who teaches the exercise sequence and helps you understand how to regulate the tremoring.

After that initial training, you can practice at home as often as feels right for your nervous system—typically two to three times per week. Some people practice more frequently during high-stress periods; others use it occasionally as a maintenance tool.

The self-directed nature of TRE is one of its strengths. You are not dependent on ongoing appointments with a practitioner. You learn a skill that becomes part of your own nervous system regulation toolkit.

That said, people with complex trauma histories often benefit from periodic check-ins with a certified provider to ensure the practice remains grounding rather than destabilizing.

How Does TRE Fit with Therapy?

TRE works well as a complement to psychotherapy, not a replacement for it. Therapy provides the framework for understanding your experience, processing traumatic memories, and integrating what surfaces into a coherent narrative. TRE offers a direct, body-based way to discharge stored tension and teach your nervous system that it can move between states.

In my practice, I integrate body-based approaches like trauma-informed yoga and somatic therapy alongside traditional talk therapy. Some clients use TRE as part of their home practice between sessions. Others work with a certified TRE provider separately while continuing clinical therapy with me. The combination is often more effective than either approach alone because healing trauma requires both understanding the experience and releasing what the body has been holding.

Where to Learn TRE

If you are interested in trying TRE, look for a certified TRE provider. TRE certification is offered through TRE for All, Inc., and certified providers are trained to teach the exercises safely and help you navigate the release process.

You can find certified providers through the TRE Global Directory. Many providers offer both in-person and virtual sessions, making TRE accessible even if there are no local practitioners in your area.

Some therapists integrate TRE into their clinical work. If you are already working with a trauma therapist, ask if they are familiar with TRE or can recommend a provider.

Your Body Knows How to Release

One of the most powerful aspects of TRE is its simplicity. You do not need to fully understand your trauma. You do not need to articulate what happened or why you feel the way you do. You need only to create the conditions for your body to do what it already knows how to do: discharge, release, and return to balance.

That does not mean TRE is easy. Allowing your body to tremble when you have spent years holding yourself together can feel vulnerable and uncomfortable. But for many people, it also feels profoundly relieving—a tangible, embodied experience of tension leaving the body.

Healing from trauma requires more than one tool. It requires patience, support, and often multiple modalities working together. TRE is one evidence-informed practice that can help your nervous system remember what safety feels like.

As both a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Registered Yoga Teacher trained in body-based approaches, I work with clients who are exploring somatic practices like TRE, trauma-informed yoga, and other nervous system tools. I offer trauma therapy in Alpharetta, Georgia, with telehealth available throughout Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. If you are curious whether body-based trauma work might support your healing, you can reach out to schedule a consultation.

References

Oh, D., & Shin, E. (2021). The effect of TRE on anxiety. Asia-Pacific Journal of Convergent Research Interchange, 7(9). https://treglobal.org/research/

Parker, J., Shook, B., Washington, D., English, B., & Tatum, C. (2024). The effect of Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) on trauma symptoms in East African refugees. Psychology. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377712805_The_Effect_of_Tension_and_Trauma_Releasing_Exercises_TRE_on_Trauma_Symptoms_in_East_African_Refugees

Red Beard Somatic Therapy. (2024). TRE vs Somatic Experiencing: How the two approaches compare. https://www.redbeardsomatictherapy.com/post/tre-vs-somatic-experiencing-how-the-two-approaches-compare

Skovgaard, L., et al. (2025). Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises for people with multiple sclerosis: A randomized controlled trial. Advances in Mind Body Medicine, 39(1), 4-12. https://treglobal.org/research/

Torres de Almeida, L., & Rodrigues, M. (2021). Effect of TRE on autonomic nervous system and heart rate variability. https://treglobal.org/research/

TRE Global. (n.d.). About Dr. David Berceli. https://treglobal.org/about-dr-david-berceli/

TRE Global. (n.d.). Research. https://treglobal.org/research/

TrustNoura Academy. (2024). Neurogenic tremoring: Unlock your body's natural stress relief mechanism. https://www.trustnouracademy.com/post/neurogenic-tremoring-unlock-your-body-s-natural-stress-relief-mechanism

Neurolaunch. (2024). Neurogenic tremors: The body's natural stress release mechanism explained. https://neurolaunch.com/neurogenic-tremors/