Shake it Off Naturally - Reduce Stress, Anxiety and Tension with Trauma Release Exercises, David Berceli PhD

Jones, thank you sharing informations about TRE.
At first, when I watched video you posted I fought that yoga instructor is faking. But, I was wrong.
I tried couple a times and I was stunned how my legs was shaking. It is strange feeling at first, but as soon as I relaxed it was great feeling. I notice that is better for me to try to relax and not concentrated on shaking because if I do that shaking decreases.
And some exercises looks like yoga, but benefits (at least for now, I just tried couple of times) are different. After yoga I feel revitalized and peacefully and after TRE exercises I felt lightness in my leg and relief. I will try tonight more, this is one of the thing when you try you want more :-).

This is picture from video Jones posted, and if you didn't watch video maybe for someone this will be interesting:

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Dakota said:
It is strange feeling at first, but as soon as I relaxed it was great feeling. I notice that is better for me to try to relax and not concentrated on shaking because if I do that shaking decreases.
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Thanks for posting the picture - it's a good reminder.

It was mentioned somewhere in the material on TRE that if the shaking goes on for more than 15 minutes, you can stop it by clenching your fists, so it makes sense that it might be limited if you're not relaxed.
 
Really enjoy these exercises. I shook in the legs a lot but only a little did I shake in whole body. Very fun. I will keep practicing.
 
seek10 said:
I could find very few video's that has all the exercises in sequence and without all that theory.
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Agree, the one you posted is the best example.

Jones, I wonder what you think is it ok that I'm doing just yoga stretching before I lay down in 'position for shaking' :-)? I watched other videos and some people do that before.

Also, if I understood correctly the exercises that you mention in your first post is what is shown in video seek10 posted, right?

When I get tired of holding legs in position that is shown in first video I just lower my feet to the floor and in that position shaking don't reduce, even increases. In videos that I've checked that position and other people are using it.
 
Dakota said:
Agree, the one you posted is the best example.

Jones, I wonder what you think is it ok that I'm doing just yoga stretching before I lay down in 'position for shaking' :-)? I watched other videos and some people do that before.
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I don't think it would hurt - the major thing seems to be that you can tire major muscle groups out with the exercises to help induce the tremoring. If you're getting the muscle burn and fatigue in the exercises then it's all good from what I can gather. In regards to the dog video's I've noticed with my own dog that she used to tremor a bit during the stretches. I've tried that out and I can stretch in a way that produces tremoring during the stretch, and sometimes goosebumps too. The dogs haven't necessarily worked the muscles to fatigue, but then they mightn't need to because they have a regular routine of stretching, tremoring and shaking so it's possible that they haven't stored as much trauma in their bodies as we have if that routine is indeed about stress/trauma release from their bodies.

Also, if I understood correctly the exercises that you mention in your first post is what is shown in video seek10 posted, right?
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Very similar - but like I said, I think the important thing is that the exercises induce burn and fatigue in the muscles so that the tremoring is induced. It might be that some exercises work for some better than others.

When I get tired of holding legs in position that is shown in first video I just lower my feet to the floor and in that position shaking don't reduce, even increases. In videos that I've checked that position and other people are using it.
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Well if it works then I'm guessing there's no issue. I think the guide on not allowing the tremoring to continue for more than 15 minutes is probably the most important thing to consider - that and knowing that you can stop it.

I had another shot at holding the position for tremoring two nights ago and found that I had a greater amplitude of tremors if I read a book at the same time - it seemed to work better if I distracted myself rather than concentrating on my body and waiting for the tremors!
 
I just did TRE about two hours ago for the first time. It didn't take long to fatigue my leg muscles, and I only did the tip toe calf, wall lean, and lie down pelvic raise. But even so, I had to do the pelvic raise during shaking because I seemed not fatigued enough. I was also doing it wrong, because I forgot what position initiates the shaking. I had my feet apart and not the feet soles touching.

I did it for about 20 minutes, the first 10 doing it wrong so only occasionally shaking. I felt like I wanted to cry and that I didn't want to do this and have stuff come up, so I had some resistance. At the end when I had the hang of it the shaking seemed to go up through my abdomen and then through to my head and then stopped. I thought I'd quit then. I also was nauseous, and had eaten dinner 1.5 hours previous. So it's best on an empty stomach.

I had mild dizziness too when done. I'm not used to shaking my head that much. I felt a release and relaxed at the end despite some dizziness. Not sure if I'll get time this week, so maybe I'll try again next weekend.
 
This doesn't seem to relieve specific pains or stiff muscles, but what I noticed a day or two after my first time trying it, was that I had a general muscular feeling of looseness. So I think it does loosen up the fascia over a large scale on your body. So you feel a little bit more limber, and that may translate into a better mood.

And two days or so after I had first done the TRE exercise, I was still sore. I was able to start shaking while lying down to go to sleep. But I think it's best done on the floor with a yoga mat. And I notice that my knees flail quite far, so I kind of fear busting the inside kneecaps (if there is such a bone) in the event my knees meet with great force. I think putting a pillow between my legs would solve this though.

Last night I tried to start TRE while in bed and I was able to. Just lift your pelvis up and fatigue those muscles. But I didn't sustain it very long, so I think unless you're still sore after doing some of the exercises, then you won't be able to do it on command.
 
3DStudent said:
This doesn't seem to relieve specific pains or stiff muscles, but what I noticed a day or two after my first time trying it, was that I had a general muscular feeling of looseness. So I think it does loosen up the fascia over a large scale on your body. So you feel a little bit more limber, and that may translate into a better mood.

And two days or so after I had first done the TRE exercise, I was still sore. I was able to start shaking while lying down to go to sleep. But I think it's best done on the floor with a yoga mat. And I notice that my knees flail quite far, so I kind of fear busting the inside kneecaps (if there is such a bone) in the event my knees meet with great force. I think putting a pillow between my legs would solve this though.

Last night I tried to start TRE while in bed and I was able to. Just lift your pelvis up and fatigue those muscles. But I didn't sustain it very long, so I think unless you're still sore after doing some of the exercises, then you won't be able to do it on command.
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If it is sore, take it slow. minute or two in stretch and break (lying flat on floor or on mat) , max 10 or 15 minutes in total, 2 times max/week in the beginning, as one facilitator said. I heard it can release too much emotions if over done. It also can take some time for the body to start release it in the beginning. If nothing happens, may be you don't have much to release too.

I am not sure how good it is when done on the bed. It is common for people to use yoga mat on the floor. The theory is, the initial exercises aimed to strain( level 7 out of 10) the muscles so that they can release. so i think bed may not be right place to do it.
 
I tried the exercises outlined in the video yesterday, and I found a surprising resistance to them. I was already in a somewhat tender state from earlier that day, but figured to give it a go anyway. I found that I was significantly less tolerant to the discomfort of tiring the muscles to that shaking state, which normally is no issue for me since I often push much past said discomfort while working out. So while I didn't notice much of an emotional release, I did experience the resistance, and will try again maybe tomorrow or during the weekend.

I also noticed that during the night I had more vivid dreams that I've had lately, and that I'd briefly wake up after each one. The two I remember now are one in which my cat was being attacked by a bunch of other cats, and for some reason I couldn't help, which felt powerless and very disturbing. The other one was also about feeling powerless, in which I got on a city bus, and I was the only one in there, but I had gone way past my intended stop, or it was a wrong bus, or something like that. So perhaps the release of feelings of helplessness are coming up through my dreams rather than in waking thoughts. I will report further as I continue to experiment with this.
 
Thank you very much to Jones for this thread.
I do the exercices since 3 months now.
1st session: nothing. 2nd session: lots of tremors in my limbs. 3rd and following sessions: I don't need to do stretching exercices, it shakes immediately (I lie on the bed). . Sometimes my trunk and/or my shoulders shake too.
My tremors are very short (around 10 seconds). I do it everyday as it is not incomfortanle and takes me less than 1 minute.
I noticed that if (on the position lied, on my back) if I lift my head up, the muscles of my face shake too! i liked it because I notice (when I'm mindful) that I have my face muscle tense, always.
But I never had emotional release :-(
Yesterday, I have done a HIIT and then immediately lied on my back (bent knees): the shake was stronger and it involveddall my body. But only 10 seconds as always. But no emotional release. I guess it can require more time before a release?

Bed or not bed: in my case, the shakings are the same if I lie onto my bed or on the floor.
 
Here's another example of animals shaking off their stress/trauma. In the video below a leopard has caught an impala - but some baboons chase the leopard away. If you want to watch from the point after the leopard has been chased away, start at 1.50. At first the impala is very still and breathing very shallowly - almost imperceptibly. Then it starts taking deeper breaths around the 2.00 mark. Then at the 3.00 mark it starts shaking. By 4.05 the impala is up and running away.


 
Yes, it's absolutely amazing impala's ability to go into "immobility" or "freezing" state and in that way, maybe, save herself. This video is one of the best examples of this, IMO.
Dr. Peter Levine talks about it in Waking the Tiger:

Nature has developed the immobility response for two good reasons. One, it serves as a last-ditch survival strategy. You might know it better as playing possum. Take the young 8 impala, for instance. There is a possibility that the cheetah may decide to drag its 'dead' prey to a place safe from other predators; or to its lair, where the food can be shared later with its cubs. During this time, the impala could awaken from its frozen state and make a hasty escape in an unguarded moment. When it is out of danger, the animal will literally shake off the residual effects of the immobility response and gain full control of its body. It will then return to its normal life as if nothing had happened. Secondly, in freezing, the impala (and human) enters an altered state in which no pain is experienced. What that means for the impala is that it will not have to suffer while being torn apart by the cheetah's sharp teeth and claws.
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