What Are Trauma Release Exercises & Do They Work?

12 Dec

Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (or TRE®) are soft, gentle, and non-cathartic ways of releasing tension from the body. It consists of a simple yet innovative series of exercises that assist the body in releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension, and trauma.

Dr. Berceli created Trauma Release Exercises and built a training program to teach other clinicians how to implement them in mental healthcare because he believed that people can learn to handle their trauma responses. “We as a species are genetically encoded with the capacity to heal ourselves,” Dr. Berceli said in his book Trauma Releasing Exercises. “If we did not possess this ability, our species would have become extinct shortly after we were born.” Instead of continually experiencing trauma responses, Trauma Release Exercises can provide at least temporary relief, and in some cases promote long-term healing.

Now, if you’ve seen those videos and wonder how Trauma Release Exercises work, they “involve a sequence of exercises that help activate the body’s natural tremors. These exercises can vary but often involve gentle stretches and movements that target specific muscle groups.

What are the benefits of Trauma Release Exercises?

As anyone who has experienced trauma can tell you, it’s not a quick thing to get over and can lead to regular instances of poor mental health. Trauma Release Exercises can help you work through and resolve the way you respond to trauma. “When we experience trauma, our bodies activate a ‘fight-or-flight’ response, leading to increased muscle tension. This tension is often held in the body long after the traumatic event has passed, leading to symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. Trauma Release Exercises can help individuals regulate their nervous system by activating these tremors, which release tension stored in the body.”

What conditions can Trauma Release Exercises help treat?

Trauma Release Exercises can benefit people living with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and borderline personality. Among these mental health conditions, Trauma Release Exercises are commonly recommended for PTSD. Not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD, but it is a more prevalent diagnosis than many realize. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, between 13% and 43% of girls will experience at least one trauma, and 3% to 15% of them will develop PTSD. An estimated 14% to 43% of boys will experience at least one trauma, and 1% to 6% of them will develop PTSD. Young people might develop PTSD after experiencing neglect, school shootings, or a form of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse — among other events.

However, a person might also find Trauma Release Exercises helpful even if they don’t have a formal mental health diagnosis. They can support people in moving forward from bad breakups, domestic violence, affairs, sexual assaults, and active shooter situations or regulating the tension, stress in the body of athletes, or stress due to a high workload.

Trauma is inherently personal: an individual decides whether or not an event was traumatic to them. Another person might have experienced the same event or something society deems “worse” and not feel traumatized, but that doesn’t take away from or invalidate the initial person’s response.

The most important thing is to have an emotional safety plan in place. This might mean making your parents or another trusted adult aware that you’re going to try these exercises out or telling a friend you might call them if you feel overwhelmed. The plan should also detail signs that signal a need for a break from the exercises and how you plan to recoup after your Trauma Release Exercises. Aftercare could look like having a familiar, light, non-triggering show cued up to watch afterward, along with a bit of comfort food. Knowing precisely what will happen in the show while eating something that feels comfortable and familiar can help your body establish that it is safe and cared for.

Why TRE®?

TRE® is a safe and effective stress-release technique for most people. The exercises are perfect supplements for any process of trauma recovery and are an excellent self-regulation tool for built-up tension in the body. A person might also find Trauma Release Exercises helpful even if they don’t have a formal mental health diagnosis, like moving forward from bad breakups, domestic violence, affairs, sexual assaults, and active shooter situations. They can be helpful to people of all ages.

Improved capacity for grounding and self-regulation