This blog is my place to vent and share resources with other parents of children of trauma. I try to be open and honest about my feelings in order to help others know they are not alone. Therapeutic parenting of adopted teenagers with RAD and other severe mental illnesses and issues (plus "neurotypical" teens) , is not easy, and there are time when I say what I feel... at the moment. We're all human!

Monday, February 4, 2013

Books and Methods Review - Methods - TRE

What is TRE?

TRE stands for Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises
A video about how it works
The latest book:   The Revolutionary Traume Release Process: Transcend Your Toughest Times by David Berceli (Author)
TRE is a simple technique that uses exercises to release stress or tension from the body that accumulate from every day circumstances of life, from difficult situations, immediate or prolonged stressful situations, or traumatic life experiences (i.e., natural disasters, social or domestic violence).
TRE is a set of six exercises that help to release deep tension from the body by evoking a self-controlled muscular shaking process in the body called neurogenic muscle tremors. The uniqueness of this technique is that this shaking originates deep in the core of the body of the psoas muscles. These gentle tremors reverberate outwards along the spine releasing tension from the sacrum to the cranium.
The exercises are a simple form of stretching and are used to gently trigger these voluntary muscle tremors.
Once the technique is learned and mastered after several sessions, the warm-up exercises can be accelerated or replaced with your normal exercise activity like walking or yoga, and the technique then becomes a quick and effective method for consistent relaxation. Eventually, these tremors will evoke themselves naturally in a rest position to reduce any stress or tension that was accumulated over the course of the day.
TRE is being used by thousands of people around the world as an effective tool for releasing chronic traumatic stress, physical tension and emotional trauma. It is also quickly becoming a popular way to release the everyday stress, tension, and anxiety that evolves comes from the daily pressures of life

Marythemom:  I haven't actually tried this, although the book/video is on my wishlist.  I do know that trauma, especially pre-verbal trauma is stored in the central nervous system, and it is released through tremors.  When Bear first came to live with us he was experiencing PTSD flashbacks and night terrors.  He was totally freaked out by the fact that afterward he was shaking like a leaf.  Luckily I had just been to a lecture on this phenomenon and was able to reassure him it was not just normal, it was a good thing.  

1 comment:

LB said...

I've done this a few times. I like it for me as a mom/caregiver but I haven't seen how it is modified for kids. If you have yoga experience & background, it fits in nicely. I've also seen it called Core Release & Restore.