What Is TRE? How Tension Releasing Exercises Work

Learn about the seven TRE exercises, why they cause the body to shake, and how to practise them safely.

Written by Jess O'Garr – Clinical Psychologist

Have you ever noticed your body shaking after a frightening experience, a stressful confrontation or an intense emotional event? Shaking and trembling can be natural physical responses to stress, but most of us instinctively try to suppress them.

Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises, commonly known as TRE™, use a series of physical movements to deliberately encourage involuntary muscle tremoring. Developed by Dr David Berceli, the technique aims to help people explore and release physical tension through the body's natural shaking response.

Unlike Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR), which involves deliberately tensing and releasing individual muscle groups, TRE uses physical exercises that gradually fatigue and activate muscles, particularly around the legs and pelvis. This can produce spontaneous shaking or vibration, which you can allow to continue for a short period.

TRE is promoted as a technique for managing stress and physical tension. However, claims that tremoring directly releases stored trauma or treats post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) require more scientific evidence. TRE should be considered a possible complementary practice rather than a replacement for established psychological treatments.

What Happens to Your Body During TRE?

When we're stressed or frightened, our nervous system prepares us to respond. Muscle tension increases, our attention sharpens, and our bodies prepare for physical action.

TRE uses controlled physical exercises to encourage muscle fatigue and shaking. Rather than deliberately shaking your body, the intention is to allow involuntary movements to emerge while maintaining control over the intensity and duration of the experience.

Berceli describes this as activating the body's natural tremor mechanism. The shaking may begin in the legs or pelvis and can sometimes spread to other areas of the body.

An important part of TRE is self-regulation. This means noticing how your body responds, allowing only as much movement as feels manageable, and stopping or resting whenever necessary. You don't need to force or endure tremors.

What Are the Seven TRE Exercises?

The standard TRE sequence includes seven exercises. The first six involve standing movements and stretches that prepare the muscles, while the seventh involves lying on the floor and allowing tremoring to occur.

The following is an overview of the sequence demonstrated by Dr David Berceli. It is intended to help you understand the technique, rather than replace the full instructional demonstration or individual guidance from a qualified provider.

Exercise 1: Ankle Rolls

Begin by standing comfortably and gently rolling towards the outside edges of your feet, alternating from side to side. The movement stretches and mobilises the ankles and lower legs.

Repeat approximately seven or eight times on each side, moving at a comfortable rhythm. When finished, return your feet to the floor and gently shake out your legs.

Exercise 2: Calf Raises

Place one foot forward and the other slightly behind you for balance. Keeping most of your weight on the front leg, repeatedly raise and lower the front heel.

Continue until you notice moderate muscle fatigue, described in the demonstration as approximately seven out of ten on a fatigue scale. Stop, shake out your legs and repeat on the other side.

The aim is to create manageable muscle fatigue, not pain or exhaustion.

Exercise 3: Thigh and Hip Exercises

Stand with one foot forward and the other behind you for support. Shift most of your weight onto the front leg and gently lower your hips backwards, as though sitting into a chair.

Return to standing and repeat until you notice moderate fatigue in the working leg. Shake out your legs before repeating on the other side.

This exercise works the larger muscles of the thighs and hips, which play an important role in the subsequent tremoring sequence.

Exercise 4: Inner Thigh and Back Stretch

Stand with your feet comfortably apart and bend forward from the hips, allowing your knees to remain slightly bent. Let your upper body relax without forcing the stretch.

Hold for approximately three comfortable breaths before moving your hands towards one leg. After another three breaths, move towards the opposite leg, then return to the centre.

When finished, slowly return to standing and gently shake out your legs.

Exercise 5: Front-of-Body Stretch

Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart and your hands resting on your hips or lower back. With your knees slightly bent, gently move your hips forward while allowing a comfortable extension through your torso.

Hold for three breaths, then rotate gently towards one side. Return to the centre before repeating on the opposite side.

Avoid forcing the movement or extending your back beyond a comfortable range.

Exercise 6: Wall Sit

Stand with your back against a wall and gradually bend your knees, sliding down into a supported sitting position.

Berceli recommends beginning at a manageable level of effort, approximately five out of ten. As your legs become fatigued, you can move slightly higher up the wall to reduce the intensity.

The demonstration allows approximately three to five minutes for this exercise, with adjustments as needed. Some people begin to notice involuntary shaking in their legs during this stage.

If the exercise becomes uncomfortable, straighten your knees and return to standing. There is no need to push through pain or excessive fatigue.

Exercise 7: Floor Tremoring Sequence

The final exercise is performed lying on your back with your knees bent. In the demonstration, the soles of the feet are initially placed together, allowing the knees to fall comfortably outwards.

The sequence involves small changes in hip and knee position, sometimes including gently lifting the hips, followed by periods of rest. These positions are used to encourage involuntary tremoring in the legs and pelvis.

Once shaking begins, the intention is to allow the movements to occur without deliberately producing them. Berceli's demonstration describes tremoring periods of approximately five to ten minutes, but the appropriate duration depends on the individual and their response.

You can stop the tremoring at any time. The demonstration shows that extending your legs and pulling your toes back can help interrupt the shaking. You can also move into one of the resting positions with your knees bent and feet on the floor.

When finished, allow yourself a moment to rest before slowly rolling onto your side and sitting upright.

Because this final sequence is central to TRE, I recommend watching the complete demonstration rather than relying on written instructions alone.

Is TRE the Same as Progressive Muscle Relaxation?

Although both techniques involve the muscles, they work differently.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation involves deliberately contracting and releasing specific muscle groups to develop awareness of physical tension and encourage relaxation. It is a structured technique commonly used for stress management, anxiety and sleep difficulties.

TRE involves a series of exercises intended to produce involuntary muscle tremoring. Rather than repeatedly contracting and releasing individual muscle groups, the person allows spontaneous shaking to occur while monitoring their comfort and ability to stop.

Both techniques may be used as part of a broader approach to managing stress, but they are not interchangeable. PMR is generally simpler to learn independently, while TRE requires particular attention to physical comfort, emotional responses and self-regulation.

Can TRE Help With Trauma or PTSD?

TRE was developed with the intention of helping people manage the physical effects of stress and trauma. Some people report feeling calmer or less physically tense after practising the exercises.

However, the scientific evidence supporting TRE as a treatment for PTSD remains limited. Experiencing tremors does not establish that traumatic memories have been processed or that trauma has been released from the body.

In his instructional video, Berceli makes an important distinction between using TRE for general stress reduction and using it for trauma-related symptoms. He recommends contacting a certified TRE provider when working with mild trauma symptoms and undertaking TRE only with an appropriately clinically trained provider when severe trauma is involved.

This distinction matters because focusing on bodily sensations or experiencing involuntary movements can be uncomfortable or emotionally activating for some people. Individuals with PTSD, dissociation or significant emotional instability may need additional support to remain comfortable and in control.

TRE should not replace evidence-based PTSD treatments such as trauma-focused psychological therapy.

Clinical Observations: TRE for PTSD and Bruxism

Dr Al Griskaitis, Consultant Psychiatrist at The Psych Collective, has found TRE particularly useful for some of his patients with PTSD following a significant trauma trigger. In his clinical experience, the exercises appear to provide a physical outlet for the intense emotional and physiological arousal that can remain after a distressing episode, helping patients discharge some of that residual tension. He has also observed potential benefits when TRE is practised before bedtime by patients who experience bruxism (teeth grinding or jaw clenching). The theory is that reducing overall physiological arousal before sleep may also reduce muscle tension in the jaw, potentially helping with nighttime clenching or grinding. Importantly, these are anecdotal clinical observations, not scientifically established treatment effects. There is currently insufficient scientific evidence to conclude that TRE effectively treats PTSD-related distress or sleep bruxism, and these observations should not be interpreted as proof of effectiveness. TRE may be worth exploring as a complementary strategy, with appropriate clinical guidance, rather than as a replacement for established treatments.

How Do You Know When to Stop TRE?

An important principle of TRE is that you remain in control of the experience. You should not feel obligated to continue shaking simply because the movements have started.

Berceli's demonstration includes several ways to regulate the exercises, including reducing the intensity of muscle fatigue, returning to a resting position and deliberately interrupting the tremoring.

If you begin to experience pain, dizziness, significant emotional distress or a sense of losing control, stop the exercise and allow your body to settle. You can sit up, orient yourself to the room and take time to recover.

People with injuries, mobility limitations, significant medical conditions or concerns about whether the exercises are physically appropriate should seek individual advice before attempting the sequence.

The goal is not to produce the strongest possible shaking response. It is to engage with the exercise in a way that remains manageable.

Should You Try TRE for Stress and Anxiety?

TRE may appeal to people who prefer body-based approaches to stress management, particularly those who find traditional relaxation exercises difficult or unhelpful.

However, it is worth distinguishing between a technique that feels helpful and one that has strong evidence for treating a particular mental health condition. TRE is an emerging approach, and further research is needed to establish its effectiveness, appropriate applications and potential risks.

If you're interested in trying TRE for general stress reduction, begin by familiarising yourself with the official instructions and the ways to stop or modify the exercises. If you have trauma-related symptoms, seek guidance from an appropriately trained provider rather than attempting to work through difficult reactions independently.

You can find more information about TRE and certified providers through TRE's official website.

What Other Physical Techniques Can Help Reduce Stress?

TRE is one of several body-focused approaches to managing stress and physical tension. Other techniques include Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Autogenic Training, grounding exercises and physical distress tolerance skills.

At The Psych Collective, we focus on helping people develop practical skills for recognising distress, regulating emotional responses and choosing strategies appropriate to the situation.

For free guided relaxation exercises, visit our De-arousal Audio page, which includes Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Body Scan and Grounding recordings.

You can also explore our Distress Skills Workbook and other practical psychological resources for additional techniques to manage stress, anxiety and overwhelming emotions.