TRE is an approach which involves exercises that stretch certain muscle groups, starting with the feet, then the ankles, calves, thighs, psoas, trunk, back and shoulders. By stimulating these muscles, it then allows them to shake naturally on their own in order to release stress and traumatic memories in the body.
How does it work?
If we observe animals in the wild, we can understand how the nervous system works and how it regains its equilibrium, even after a life-threatening situation. Let’s take the example of a gazelle. As soon as it perceives the presence of a lion, its system goes into a state of alert, its muscles contract and all the energy in its body is put at its disposal so that it can run as fast as possible to escape the danger. If the lion chasing it gets too close and it knows it has lost the race, it has one last chance of survival: to freeze, to play dead. The lion, believing it to be dead, will continue his way. Once out of danger, the gazelle will regain consciousness and its body will shake to evacuate the powerful energy that the body had deployed for its survival but which had been imploded (blocked inside). Once the shaking has stopped, the gazelle will resume its activity, as if nothing had happened, without any trace of trauma.
In our case as humans, the mind and its conditioning often prevent us from letting nature do what it needs to do to restore balance and harmony. This is more complicated than for animals! If we prevent ourselves, consciously or unconsciously, from shaking, from releasing this energy and integrating this experience, then there is trauma – and, in a more benign case, there is daily stress accumulating.
With this TRE approach, we can reconnect with the intelligence of the body and nature, and begin to release the excess stress and/or traumatic energy we still have in our system. You don’t have to have experienced major traumas to benefit from this technique: it also helps to release stress, so that it doesn’t build up day after day.
The unique exercise routine of TRE is specifically designed to access the nervous system and activate its natural down-regulating process. By continuously activating this system, we can gently relax the body and restore the harmonious balance of the nervous system. By doing this, reorganizational behaviour emerges in the person’s brain, spine, nervous and myofascial systems, as well as in their life as a whole. Resiliency is developed and the human organism is restored to health.
The exercises are very simple and after one or two sessions, most people are completely autonomous to practise on their own.
