Tremor Release Exercises (TRE): The Body’s Built-In Shaking Medicine

The Discovery of Neurogenic Tremoring

David Berceli was working in war zones. Not in a research lab, not in a therapy office, but in bomb shelters in the Middle East and Africa. A social worker and body-based trauma specialist, Berceli spent years living in conflict areas — Lebanon, Sudan, Uganda, Israel, Yemen — providing trauma relief to communities experiencing ongoing violence. During repeated bombing raids, he noticed something that would eventually reshape his understanding of the human body.

In the bomb shelters, children trembled and shook during and after the explosions. The adults did not — or rather, they actively suppressed their trembling, embarrassed, believing it signified weakness or cowardice. Berceli observed that the children recovered faster. They would shake, cry, and then return to playing. The adults, who held their bodies rigid and controlled their responses, developed chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia, and post-traumatic symptoms.

Berceli began investigating this trembling mechanism. He found it in every mammal he studied. Polar bears, after being darted and tranquilized for research, shake violently upon waking before calmly walking away. Dogs shake after a stressful encounter. Gazelles shake after escaping predators. This was not a learned behavior. It was an innate neurological pattern — a hardwired discharge mechanism for releasing the excessive energy generated by the stress response.

He called it neurogenic tremoring — tremors generated by the central nervous system itself, distinct from pathological tremors (Parkinson’s, essential tremor) and distinct from shivering (thermoregulation). He published his foundational work in The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process (2005) and Trauma Releasing Exercises (2008), outlining a simple, self-administered protocol that could activate this natural tremoring mechanism in anyone.

The Psoas: Muscle of the Soul

The epicenter of TRE is the psoas major muscle — the deepest core muscle in the human body. The psoas originates from the lumbar vertebrae (T12 through L5), passes through the pelvic bowl, and attaches to the lesser trochanter of the femur. It is the only muscle that connects the spine to the legs. It is the primary hip flexor, essential for walking, running, and the fetal curl.

Liz Koch, researcher and author of The Psoas Book (1981, revised 2012), has called the psoas “the muscle of the soul.” This is not mystical hyperbole. The psoas is intimately connected to the diaphragm through fascial continuity (the medial arcuate ligament), meaning that every breath you take involves the psoas. It is innervated by the lumbar plexus and sits directly in front of the spine, adjacent to the kidneys and adrenal glands. The sympathetic ganglia — the nerve clusters that drive the fight-flight response — run directly along the psoas.

When the body goes into fight-flight, the psoas contracts. It pulls the torso toward the legs in the flexion pattern of self-protection — the fetal position. In chronic stress, the psoas becomes chronically shortened and tight, pulling the pelvis forward (anterior tilt), compressing the lumbar spine, restricting the diaphragm, and creating a cascade of musculoskeletal problems: lower back pain, hip pain, shallow breathing, pelvic floor dysfunction, and digestive disturbance.

More than this, Koch and Berceli both argue, the chronically contracted psoas holds the emotional charge of unresolved stress and trauma. The psoas is the body’s alarm wire. When it cannot release its contraction, it signals the brain — continuously — that danger persists. Releasing the psoas is not merely a muscular event. It is a neurological reset.

The Seven TRE Exercises: A Step-by-Step Protocol

The TRE protocol consists of seven exercises designed to progressively fatigue and stretch the major muscle groups of the legs, pelvis, and core, ultimately inducing a state of muscular exhaustion in the psoas and its synergists. This fatigue activates the neurogenic tremoring mechanism.

Exercise 1: Ankle Stretch Stand on one foot and rise onto the ball of the foot, holding for 1-2 minutes. The calf muscles begin to fatigue and tremble. Switch feet. This activates the lower kinetic chain and begins to establish a tremoring pattern from the ground up.

Exercise 2: Toe Touch Standing Forward Fold Stand with feet hip-width apart. Slowly roll down to touch the toes (or as far as comfortable). Hold for 2-3 minutes. The hamstrings and erector spinae muscles stretch and fatigue. Trembling often begins in the legs.

Exercise 3: Wide-Leg Forward Fold Stand with feet wide apart, toes slightly turned in. Fold forward, letting the head hang. Hold 2-3 minutes. This targets the adductors (inner thigh muscles) and begins to fatigue the pelvic floor.

Exercise 4: Squat Against the Wall (Wall Sit) Lean against a wall in a partial squat position, thighs approaching parallel to the floor. Hold until the quadriceps burn and tremble (typically 2-5 minutes). This is the most physically demanding exercise and produces significant muscular fatigue in the thighs and hip flexors.

Exercise 5: Standing Hip Flexor Stretch Stand in a lunge position with one knee on the floor. Gently press the hips forward, stretching the psoas on the back leg. Hold 1-2 minutes each side. This directly stretches the psoas and its fascial connections.

Exercise 6: Supine Butterfly Lie on your back with the soles of the feet together and knees falling open (reclined cobbler’s pose). Rest here for 2-3 minutes. This opens the inner thighs and pelvic floor, releasing tension held deep in the pelvis.

Exercise 7: Supine Bridge with Controlled Descent Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor about two feet apart. Lift the pelvis into a bridge position. Slowly bring the knees together, inch by inch. As the knees approach each other, neurogenic tremoring typically begins in the legs and moves into the pelvis, abdomen, and sometimes through the entire body. Let the knees separate again. Allow the tremors to flow for 5-15 minutes.

The tremoring in Exercise 7 is the therapeutic payload. It may begin as subtle vibrations in the thighs and progress to visible shaking that ripples through the pelvis, spine, and torso. The practitioner (or self-practitioner) simply allows the tremors to move through the body without controlling or directing them.

The Experience of Neurogenic Tremoring

People experiencing TRE tremoring for the first time often describe it as surprising, relieving, and oddly pleasant. The tremors are involuntary but not uncontrollable — you can stop them at any time by straightening the legs or shifting position. They feel fundamentally different from anxiety-induced shaking. There is no sense of threat. The body is simply vibrating, releasing, recalibrating.

Common experiences during and after TRE include: warmth spreading through the pelvis and abdomen, spontaneous deep breathing and yawning, emotional release (tears, laughter, anger), tingling in the extremities, gurgling and release in the digestive tract, a sense of lightness or spaciousness in the body, improved range of motion in the hips and lower back, and deep relaxation or drowsiness.

Some practitioners report vivid dreams, emotional processing, and shifts in chronic pain patterns in the hours and days following a TRE session. These are understood as ongoing integration as the nervous system reorganizes around the released tension.

Self-Regulation: The Critical Skill

Berceli emphasizes self-regulation as the cornerstone of safe TRE practice. The tremoring mechanism, once activated, can access deep layers of held tension and emotion. Without the ability to modulate the intensity, a practitioner risks overwhelm — flooding the nervous system with more activation than it can integrate.

Self-regulation in TRE means:

• Starting slowly: First sessions should be 10-15 minutes of tremoring, not 45 minutes.
• Modulating intensity: Bringing the knees closer together increases tremor intensity. Widening them decreases it. Straightening the legs stops tremoring entirely.
• Stopping when enough is enough: If emotions become overwhelming, if dissociation occurs, or if the body signals distress, stop. More is not better.
• Practicing regularly but moderately: 2-3 sessions per week of 15-20 minutes each is a common recommendation for ongoing practice.
• Resting after: Allow 10-15 minutes of quiet rest (savasana) after tremoring to let the nervous system integrate.

Clinical Evidence

TRE research is still in relatively early stages compared to modalities like EMDR or CBT, but a growing body of evidence supports its efficacy.

A 2016 randomized controlled trial by Berceli, Salmon, Bonifas, and Ndefo published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress found that TRE significantly reduced PTSD symptoms in military veterans compared to a control group. Participants completed 12 sessions over 6 weeks.

A 2017 pilot study by McCann at the University of Cape Town found significant reductions in anxiety and improvements in quality of life in South African healthcare workers using TRE, a population with high rates of secondary traumatic stress.

A 2019 study by Herold and colleagues at the German Sport University Cologne examined the physiological effects of TRE and found measurable changes in autonomic nervous system regulation, including shifts in heart rate variability consistent with increased parasympathetic tone.

Berceli’s own work in post-conflict communities — including programs in Uganda, Rwanda, Israel, and Haiti — has generated observational evidence of widespread symptom reduction in populations with limited access to traditional psychotherapy.

Integration with Trauma Therapy

TRE is designed as a self-help tool, not a replacement for professional trauma therapy. Berceli positions it as a complement to modalities like Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, sensorimotor psychotherapy, and psychodynamic approaches. It is particularly useful as a daily or weekly self-regulation practice that supports and extends the work done in clinical sessions.

Many SE practitioners have integrated TRE into their protocols, using the tremoring mechanism to access and discharge held tension that might otherwise take many sessions to contact through the more subtle tracking of the felt sense. EMDR practitioners have found that TRE can reduce overall nervous system activation between sessions, making the bilateral processing more effective.

In clinical settings, TRE is often introduced after an initial stabilization phase, once the client has developed sufficient body awareness and self-regulation skills to manage the intensity of neurogenic tremoring. For individuals with complex PTSD, dissociative disorders, or psychosis, TRE should be introduced cautiously and under professional guidance.

Contraindications and Precautions

TRE is generally safe for most people, but specific contraindications apply:

• Pregnancy: The deep pelvic engagement of TRE may stimulate uterine contractions. Pregnant women should consult their healthcare provider.
• Recent surgery: Particularly abdominal, pelvic, or spinal surgery. Wait until cleared by the surgeon.
• Active psychosis or severe dissociative disorders: Neurogenic tremoring can access deep layers of held experience that may overwhelm a fragile ego structure. Professional guidance is essential.
• Seizure disorders: While neurogenic tremoring is distinct from seizure activity, the tremoring can occasionally become intense enough to concern individuals with epilepsy. Medical clearance is recommended.
• Severe chronic pain conditions: In some cases, TRE can temporarily increase pain before it decreases, as held tension is mobilized. Careful titration is essential.
• Fragile emotional states: Individuals in acute crisis, active grief, or early recovery from addiction should approach TRE gradually and ideally with professional support.
• IUD or pelvic implants: The intense pelvic tremoring may cause discomfort. Start gently and monitor.

The golden rule of TRE self-regulation: if it does not feel safe, stop. The body’s wisdom is the final authority.

The Shaking Path of Jaguar

In every culture that practices ecstatic ritual, shaking appears. The San Bushmen of the Kalahari dance until they shake, activating what they call n/um — a healing energy that rises from the belly. Quaker worship (the name itself comes from “quaking”) involved involuntary trembling understood as the movement of the Holy Spirit. Kundalini yoga traditions describe kriyas — spontaneous body movements including shaking — as signs of energy release along the spine.

TRE places this ancient knowledge on a neurological foundation. The shaking is not metaphorical. It is the body’s own medicine — an autonomic discharge mechanism as real and as essential as sweating, crying, or sleeping. We have been trained to suppress it. TRE simply removes the suppression and lets the body do what it has always known how to do.

In Villoldo’s framework, the Jaguar of the West moves through fear and emerges transformed. TRE is a physical enactment of this transformation — the body literally shaking off the residue of old threats, releasing the armor of chronic contraction, and returning to its natural state of fluid, responsive aliveness. The tremor is the Jaguar’s purr — the vibration of a predator at rest, digesting what it has consumed, ready for whatever comes next.

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When was the last time you allowed your body to shake without stopping it?