TRE® is a series of simple exercises designed to invoke neurogenic tremors as a way to release deep chronic muscular tension held within the body. The main muscle that we focus on is the psoas that is the gravitational center of the body.
In the first few exercises we stretch hip and leg muscles then while lying down on the back, with feet together and legs apart, most of the shaking will take place. These exercises should not be performed into the area of pain. If 0 is no tension and 10 is strong tension, you want just above moderate tension at a 7.
Exercise 1: Lateral Ankle Stretches
Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, feet straight ahead, knees slightly bent. Roll your feet onto the outer edge of one foot and inner edge of the other foot. Put all your weight equally on both feet. Take a deep breath, then roll your feet to the other side. Repeat 6-10 times on each side. Shake out feet.
Exercise 2: Calf Raises
Stand with one foot forward, put your full weight on that foot, using the foot behind for balance. Rise up on your toe for a second and come back downs. You can also hold on to something for balance. Repeat 10-15 times on each foot until stressed to a 7 level of tension. Shake out your leg after each.
Exercise 3: Quad Exercises
Stand with one foot forward, put your full weight on that foot, using the foot behind for balance. Bend and straighten the leg that you are standing on, making sure your knee doesn’t move in front of your toes. Repeat 10 times on both legs. Shake out your leg after each.
Exercise 4: Forward Stretch
Stretch legs wide apart with feet pointing forward. Bend forwards, let your head drop forward, and stretch your arms out with your fingers touching the floor (or as low as you can if you can’t touch the floor). Take 3 breaths. Bend one knee and walk your hands to that foot and take 3 breaths. Bend other knee and repeat on other side. Finally reach back between your legs as far as you can and breathe.
Exercise 5: Low Back Arching Stretch
In the same stance as exercise 4, put your fists on the small of your back and push the pelvis forward. The bow should be in the lower part of the body, not in the upper part of the back and never to the point of pain. Lean your head back and take 3 deep breaths.
Keeping the bow in the back, twist to one side and look over your shoulder. Take 3 deep breaths. Twist to the other side and take 3 more deep breaths. Finally return to the original position and breathe.
Exercise 6: Wall Sit
Shake body out. Sit with your back against the wall—feet apart—and your knees bent. You should be able to see your toes. Rest your hands against your sides. Keep the tension level at 5 in the quads. The legs will begin to quiver. When the stress level increases, come up the wall a bit more to keep it at a 5. This activates the shaking mechanism even though the level of stress in the quads is low. Let it happen. It can take from 1-5 minutes. Shake out your legs.
Exercise 7: Adductor/Psoas Muscle Shaking To Activate the Transcortical Loop
Lie on the floor, push the soles of your feet together, and let your knees fall open. Lift pelvis at least slightly off the ground (or as high as you can if you are stronger) and hold. Hold this position for at least a minute.
After a minute, drop your pelvis and rest. Then, with soles of your feet touching close your knees, raising them up about 2”—slightly engaging the adductor muscles and wait for the tremor to activate. As the legs destabilize and the tremor activates, close your knees some more. The shaking will continue and may move. Allow it to continue. Close the knees even more and allow the tremors to continue. At this point your nervous system has been activated and you just need to rest and follow your body’s lead and allow it to take the tremor where its intelligence knows it needs to go.
If you feel uncomfortable at any point with the intensity you can always stop the shaking by sliding your legs down flat on the floor and taking a rest. After you feel more comfortable you can return your legs to the same position they were in and the shaking mechanism with reactivate, starting from where you quit.
Finally, you will want to place your feet flat on the floor only a few inches apart and your knees spread slightly wider open than your feet. This will begin to produce a more integrated movement in the legs, pelvis, and lower back and a kind of wiggling sensation that goes along the spine up into the neck and shoulders. This is the autonomic nervous system relaxing the spinal column that is a part of the core structure of the body. This is a parasympathetic response that is the calming effect of the nervous system. If possible do this for 15 minutes.
To quit, slide your legs down onto the floor and rest for a couple minutes. Then roll over on your side and gently rise into a sitting position.
What To Expect
The tremors vary from person to person. You may feel furious trembling or barely feel a thing. The more you do it the more the trembling will spread starting in your legs and hips, moving to your stomach, then chest and head. I have also found that once you have done it a few times, you will be able to initiate the shaking process without all (or even any) of the exercises—like only the ankle stretch and the wall sit before you lay down on the floor.