What is TRE®?
TRE® (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises) was Founded by Dr. David Berceli, PHD - he’s a field traumatologist and sociologist. The origins of TRE® come from when Dr. Berceli was in war zone countries. When he was in the bomb shelters, he noticed when a bomb went off, everyone curled into the fetal position. However, after the bomb subsided, the children would shake and the adults did not. This piqued his curiosity, and so Dr. Berceli asked the adults why they didn’t shake. It wasn’t that the adults couldn’t shake - they felt like they had to hold it in, or “keep it together” for the children, to not be seen as weak, but rather strong. It was this observation that led to the birth of TRE® - after all, if there’s a way to come into trauma, there has to be a way out of it.What do we think of someone who shakes? Do we still think they are just fine or do we think they are weak, strange, perhaps even incompetent (especially if they’re giving a presentation)? These are the biases we hold against shaking. TRE® flips our bias on its head by transforming our relationship to shaking through this emerging process.
What Does TRE® Consist of?
Similar to yoga, TRE® consists of 7 preparatory exercises that release deep muscular patterns of stress, tension and trauma. Ever heard the phrase, “the issues are in the tissues?” Well, TRE® speaks to this and helps move stuck energy throughout the body. These 7 preparatory exercises stretch and release tight muscles, allowing the body to access the tremoring mechanism (aka: neurogenic tremoring). Neurogenic means, “coming from the nervous system.”
TRE® addresses many issues such as: stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain/tension/injuries, hypervigilance, overwhelm, burnout, PTSD symptoms, immobility, insomnia and overall, increases your resilience, improves your relationships and regulates your nervous system.
Why Haven’t I Heard of TRE®?
Tremoring (or shaking) is innate in all mammals. Let’s take your dog for example. They might shake when there’s a thunderstorm, or when they’re around a lot of people (or insert your pet’s “trigger”). That is the dogs’ nervous system’s natural way to discharge the stress of that “threat” or stimuli. Most mammals shake off their stress, except for humans - that’s why we have trauma. What’s happened with humans however, is that we have conditioned ourselves not to shake. We suppress it, just as we have learned to hold back a cough, a burp or a sneeze. Societally, we've been “molded” to not do x, y, z behavior, and that includes shaking. This explains why a lot of us haven't heard of TRE® and also why we have a negative connotation with the act of shaking or tremoring. Some of us even have a visceral reaction to hearing these words. (I know I did at first! My grandmother had Parkinson’s disease, so I had a very negative connotation with the word; as I unpacked this, my relationship to shaking changed).
Why do we want to shake?
Through shaking, we build resiliency. When we build resiliency, we can move from having an automatic or knee jerk reaction, to a more thoughtful response (ex: going straight into rage vs. tending to ourselves). In other words, our reaction to triggers lessens, and we develop self-regulating skills.
What is the Window of Tolerance?
The window of tolerance describes the range of emotional and physiological energy in which a person can effectively function and manage stress. Within our window of tolerance, also known as the "optimal zone," individuals can process emotions, think clearly, and respond to challenges without becoming overwhelmed. This nervous system state is called Social Engagement or Ventral Vagal. When stress is manageable, the body and brain remain balanced, allowing for clear decision-making and emotional regulation.
We get out of balance of our window of tolerance when due to stress and trauma, entering the states of hyperarousal (fight or flight), also known as sympathetic energy, where we tend to feel anxious, angry, or panicked. On the other side of the spectrum, we have hypoarousal (freeze or shutdown), also known as parasympathetic, where we may feel numb, disconnected, or emotionally flat. These states represent the nervous system's response to overwhelming stress, making it difficult to function effectively.
Expanding the window of tolerance is important for managing stress and trauma. Practices like mindfulness, TRE®, or grounding techniques help regulate the nervous system and keep individuals within their optimal zone, allowing them to build resilience and cope with challenges more effectively.
Other self-regulating activities include:
Yoga
Meditation
Exercise
Tapping
Tai Chi
Connecting in nature
Talking and connecting with a loved one (co-regulation)
What is Co-Regulation?
Co-regulation is the process of regulating your emotional and physiological states with another person(s), through social interaction. This is the foundation of connection: to support another person by providing support, empathy and to be a safe presence for whatever they’re going through: emotions, stress or trauma. This is how we maintain emotional health and stability in relationships
Co-regulation is essential in trauma healing, as trauma can disrupt our ability to manage our own emotions. Through co-regulation, we create stable and emotionally healthy relationships.
Co-regulation is important in all our relationships, yet particularly with children as we teach them how to self-regulate through co-regulation. Being able to self-regulate means they will grow up to know how to manage their own emotions and stress with less external support.
Who is TRE® Good For?
TRE® is for anyone who’s experienced stress, tension or trauma. This includes children and adults. This tool is particularly great for adults with jobs that involve high stress, emotional labor or secondary (vicarious) trauma: health care workers, first responders, founders/CEOs, managers, HR leaders, entrepreneurs, mental health workers, teachers, customer service reps, sales people, retail workers, actors/performers, athletes, and hospitality workers.
Conclusion
TRE® has become an integral part of my life and work because of its simplicity and profound impact. I love TRE® because once you learn it, you have it for life. It's a tool that is entirely yours—you don't need any special equipment, just yourself. Whether you're lying on the floor, sitting in a chair, or standing in your living room, TRE® is adaptable to your needs and lifestyle. This freedom to practice it anywhere, anytime, allows you to stay connected to your body and nervous system, every moment, allowing you to release stress and tension in a truly empowering way.
About the Author
My name is Sarah Giencke. I am a Nervous System and Resilience Coach who is Certified in TRE® (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises). I am the Founder of Riset Resiliency, a wellness consultancy, on a mission to reduce workplace suffering by co-regulating nervous systems. This year, I was recognized as one of the Top 25 Emerging Culture Creators in Wellness in 2024 - awarded from Culture Amp. Through my work, I help people reconnect and reclaim power and balance over their bodies and nervous systems, so they can live less stressful and more peaceful lives. Having an intimate relationship to trauma, I deeply understand the connection between trauma and adverse life effects - for me, that looked like being easily triggered, hypervigilant & experiencing chronic tension. I emphasize building safety first, and then through TRE®, I help people build self-awareness and gain back their self-agency.
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