What is TRE and Neurogenic Tremoring?
TRE is a body-based approach to releasing stress, tension and trauma. TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises) is a series of simple movements designed to activate the body’s natural tremor mechanism, often referred to as neurogenic tremors. These tremors originate in the nervous system and are a built-in biological response to stress, tension, and trauma.
TRE® is a body-based approach to releasing stress, tension and trauma.
Rather than relying on talking or cognitive processing, TRE works directly with the body to:
release deep muscular patterns of stress
down-regulate the nervous system
support the body in returning to a state of balance and self-regulation
This is why TRE® is often described as a bottom-up approach, it works through the body, not just the mind. A bottom-up approach to releasing trauma focuses on reseting the body’s nervous system and processing physical sensations before tackling cognitive thoughts. By utilizing somatic (body-centered) techniques, individuals release stored survival energy: fight, flight, or freeze from the brainstem and limbic system. It pairs well with the top down cognitive approaches of therapy and coaching.
The body already knows how to heal
One of the core ideas behind TRE® is simple:
The body has its own innate ability to heal and restore itself. When we experience stress or trauma, the body contracts and prepares for action. If that stress isn’t fully discharged, it can remain held in the body as chronic tension. Neurogenic tremors are the body’s way of discharging that excess activation.
In animals, this happens naturally after a stressful event—they shake, reset, and move on. In humans, this response is often inhibited or overridden. TRE creates a safe and controlled way to allow this natural release process to happen again.
A self-directed and empowering practice
TRE® is designed to be simple, accessible, and self-directed. Once learned, it becomes a tool you can return to on your own to support
ongoing stress release
nervous system regulation
increased resilience over time
Rather than fixing or forcing change, the practice invites listening to the body and following its cues. Each person’s experience is different, and the process unfolds at the pace your system is ready for.
At Hammock Earth School we have online and in-person introductions to TRE and Neurogenic Dancing every month and drop-ins every week. Thu is a Certified TRE® Provider and has significantly shifted from 40 years of a dysregulated nervous system (CPTSD, Chronic Illness, Trauma, Burn out, Multi-time Founder) and credits this practice as fundamental in her healing and nervous system regulation.
I see it as:
A way to come back into relationship with your body.
A way to release what’s been held without needing to explain it.
A way to feel safety not just understand it cognitively.
This work is part of a larger field of somatic and nervous system practices, in the embodiment circle and in somatic coaching. It’s simple. But not always easy. And deeply powerful.
What if you didn’t need to push through or figure everything out?
What if your body already knows how to release, regulate, and return to balance and just needs the space to do so?
TRE is an invitation to trust that.
What people begin to notice over time
With regular practice, something subtle begins to shift. Not all at once. Not in a forced or dramatic way. But gradually—through the body remembering safety again.
People often report:
less worry and anxiety
a reduction in stress, including symptoms of CPTSD
deeper, more restful sleep
more energy and endurance throughout the day
a softening of chronic muscular tension
greater emotional resilience
less tension in the hips, lower back and pelvic floor
support in healing old injuries held in the body
a more regulated and responsive nervous system
an overall sense of relaxation and ease
improved relationships and connection with others
reduced impact of vicarious trauma, especially for caregivers and space holders
Each body unfolds in its own way so it's less about achieving a certain outcome by a specific date but about creating the conditions for your system to restore itself, naturally. Reach out to Thu to ask any questions or give this a try.
Resources to learn more:
Finding the right teachers and becoming part of the global TRE community has been so helpful and life changing for Thu. Here are some more trusted resources to learn more.
Community Notes
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