TRE® (Somatic Trauma Release)
Trauma Intervention, also known as TRE®, Tention and Trauma Release Exercises, is a somatic body-based practice designed to release tension and stress stored in the body. Through a series of simple exercises, TRE® aims to activate the body’s natural shaking mechanism, promoting relaxation and emotional release. Whether you’re struggling with PTSD, chronic stress, or unresolved trauma, TRE® offers a safe and effective way to support your healing journey and restore a sense of well-being.
Working with trauma
Trauma doesn’t just reside in our memory, it also resides in every cell in our body, in our nervous system, in our organs. To effectively work through trauma, adverse experiences, difficulty in life such as difficulty feeling joy, pleasure, contentment, relaxation, sexual trauma and other, we need to include the body in the release. Often times I work with beautiful people who have gone to traditional therapy, which is wonderful, but they’re still struggling, still not quite on the other side. This is where somatic trauma release comes in. If we consider the body was present all throughout our lives, imagine all that is stored in your cells. Trauma and adverse experiences can cause the body to go into a trauma-patterns making it so difficult to move from that space. Triggers, discomfort, inability to experience joy, feeling stuck or frozen or even hyper-aroused (many triggers; struggling to calm them), all of this is held by your body’s trauma pattern.
TRE® or Trauma and Tension Release Exercises, is a somatic body based practice for people suffering with stress, anxiety, trauma or PTSD. It doesn’t require talking about an event, feeling or issue, therefore it overcomes the language barriers that can bring up added stress. TRE® includes a series of easy stretches using the muscles of the lower body and builds up a little shaking in the legs.
TRE® is recommended for anyone who is feeling stressed, anxious or traumatized (including those who have witnessed other people’s trauma). It helps those who suffer from pain, inflammation or tightness in their body. It can also help people who have health, financial, family or housing concerns as well as addiction. If you have been involved in a vehicle or work place accident it can help to overcome the stress and trauma that comes with an accident. So in short, TRE® can help anyone who might be at a point in life where stress, overwhelm, anxiety and pain is compromising their health and wellbeing.
Every individual has their own history of trauma and stress which means that some people may require more sessions of TRE® with a practitioner and some are just able to learn it and then do the exercises by themselves. Once the technique is learned and regulated, it is recommended to continue with TRE® a few times a week (or when required) as a self-help tool for good health, resiliency and freedom from stress.
TRE is a life skill and essential to working through trauma (complex trauma and incidental trauma), stress, stressors experienced by the body such as operations, illness and accidents, grief, extended periods of uncertainty, difficulty maintaining healthy boundaries, “people pleasing” and other.
In my practice, I offer individual TRE sessions as well as couple TRE sessions.
A quick & simple animated explanation of TRE
Consider the stress and trauma an average South African experiences daily. These stressors are contained by the body and builds up a patterns negatively impacting health causing a reduced immune system, dysregulated nervous system fluctuating between triggered and collapsed, impacting your responses, how you view the world, yourself, and others, with the obvious influence on relationships.
TRE exercises is also highly beneficial to post-pregnancy, once the body has healed. Birthgiving, regardless of delivery, is experienced as trauma to the body.
Healing Trauma Through Somatic Release
Who will benefit:
- Low sexual desire
- Post-birthgiving
- PTSD
- Depression
- Feeling stuck
- Difficulty in experiencing emotions including positive emotions
- Complex trauma
- Trauma
- Suffered accidents (such as vehicle), broken limbs or illness
- Unexplained body aches
- High stress
- Chronic uncertainty
- Difficulty maintaining healthy boundaries
What to expect
Arrive in loose pants, as we include some light stretching exercises, bring along a water bottle.