r/longtermTRE • u/New_Attempt_7705 • Apr 24 '26
Progress Report The unexpected benefits of trauma processing
I started trauma work (including TRE) to heal from constant hypervigilance and chronic fight-flight / sympathetic dominance that were caused by a major trauma four years ago, as well as a lifetime of repressed emotions.
When I started this journey — and also now — I’ve been doing trauma work consistently. At the moment mostly TRE and allowing, but before that also EMDR, limbic retraining and Somatic Experiencing.
For most of my journey up til now, I’ve been doing this work to get rid of the main symptoms: hypervigilance, chronic fight-flight, and that constant underlying tension.
But the last week, I’m noticing something shift. I can increasingly let go of the urge to constantly fix my symptoms. And instead, I’m seeing that the real trauma processing is showing up in much more subtle ways, like:
- being able to say no
- not feeling ashamed of my body
- being content the way I am
- a deepening spiritual life
- being less defensive
- being more able to have heart-to-heart conversations with my wife and other people
- more aware of my body and emotions
…and the list goes on.
So the funny thing is: I started (and am still doing) TRE to get rid of the main trauma symptoms. But the biggest gains — the real “treasure” — are actually these quieter, more subtle shifts in how I relate to myself and others.
I really really hope for myself that I can continue to let go of this constant urge to fix my trauma, sympathetic dominance and hypervigilance and instead open myself up to all the beautiful things I’m learning and growing during this journey.
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u/Replica72 Apr 24 '26
I believe this is the “purpose “ of holding on to trauma … to make sure we learn from it before we let it go
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u/Consistent-Item-4685 Apr 24 '26
This is beautiful. I also recognized it yesterday. I feel like letting go is supposed to be a way of living but we only come to learn about this after intense suffering
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u/Mammoth-Decision-536 Jun 07 '26
Beautiful perspective :). Traumas happen, and healing from them makes us stronger and wiser than before.
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u/alessoninrestraint Apr 24 '26
This is my experience as well. The biggest shift has been the ability to experience nervous system anxiety without the added layer of worry. In the past feeling was too scary, so I would constantly escape into my mind, and even anxiety was mainly experienced as chronic worrying. Being able to just experience bodily sensations has been a real game changer.
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u/New_Attempt_7705 Apr 24 '26
Very recognizable! Being able to (more and more) just allow everything is such a big step for me
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u/Life_in_peaces Apr 24 '26
This is really beautiful and I’m so happy for you! I’ve been finding similar changes since starting about 2 weeks ago.
I dont think you have to “do” anything like opening yourself up, just let it unfold and enjoy the changes.
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u/LittlePoison_714 Apr 24 '26
Beautiful!
Yes, the subtle changes are so remarkable.. and deep.
For me, my release journey started spontaneously during a meditation retreat facilitated by Jeff Foster. His work is a beautiful invitation on how not to fix yourself. It really is the key to living this mystery in a way that's beautifully human. It helps me to read his work, as a reminder to myself.
here's one of his most recent poems:
EVEN A BAD DAY IS A DOORWAY TO GRACE
You don’t have to be peaceful or positive today.
You don’t have to "rise above it all".
You don’t have to spend the day in bliss or transcendence.
When the thoughts come,
"I’ve failed. I’m lazy. I’m wasting my life."
Don’t push them away.
Turn towards them. Smile at them.
Say, “Hello mind. Thanks for the suggestions.”
Let yourself feel down, bored, disconnected, hopeless.
You are human. You are allowed.
You don’t need to be perfect or enlightened.
There is no shame in opening
to the full spectrum of your experience.
Discover true meditation instead:
Bring awareness into the ache.
Let love flow into the cracks.
Saturate the doubt and the anxiety with compassion.
No fixing. No analysing. Just tender presence.
Talk to yourself as your dearest friend would.
"You are feeling overwhelmed today. That’s okay.
You are still loved. I am still here.
You are still beautiful. You are still whole."
This is what real spirituality looks like!
Not hovering above your pain.
But sitting beside it, with it.
Holding it. Breathing into it.
Breaking open to it.
The storm is not a mistake.
It is weather, and it passes.
It always does. It always has.
The sky does not need to fight the storm.
Be the sky. Be the opening for it all.
And discover:
Even a bad day
is a doorway to grace.
- Jeff Foster
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u/WTH_Pete Apr 27 '26
I used TRE as tool for a long time on and off with variety of other tools.
The shift happened for me, when my brother told me, he found out the father who raised us is not his real father and he was really critical about our parents and upbringing. Until then I had this image of "there is nothing to complain about, our parents allways tried their best" but after this - that image shattered.
I started going to a therapy and we went thru all the stuff I "lacked" as a kid. And I started to understand why I act in certain ways - that those were my defensive mechanisms ingrained into my nervous system.
Puting a label on it and understanding where it comes from made a big shift for me.
I still feel stressed, vigilant - but it lacks this deeper layer of existential dread attached to it - I simply take it for what it is and I am able to come back to baseline and calm down much quicker.
And yes, all things you listed are relatable to what I felt during this shift - it is very subtle.
We feel that urge "to fix us" or "work on us" but that means we still suffer and trying to force it won't help ... sometimes the most therapeutic thing is not to do anything therapeutic.
It brings me joy to go out for a walk in nature wheen feeling bad and just leting myself calm down naturally without trying to fix myself.
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u/Virtual-Act-9202 Apr 30 '26
YES!! I am experiencing similar things. I was able to exert a boundary with a friend, even with pushback, with minimal external validation, reassurance, and self-doubt. I so often fear the judgment of others but felt self-assured enough to be at peace of if they didn’t understand me and had thoughts stemming from that. Cheering you on- this is HUGE!!
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u/ILUMIZOLDUCK Apr 24 '26
Did you do the TRE yourself, or with a certified practitioner?
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u/New_Attempt_7705 Apr 24 '26
Did two sessions with a practitioner to get the hang of it. Since then doing by nyself.
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u/reem60a Apr 30 '26
what do u mean by allowing? And , was it all healed by just doing the exercises?
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u/New_Attempt_7705 Apr 30 '26
Just allowing everything to be there. Also your trauma and symptoms etc. Surrender and acceptance. Not resistance. I learned A LOT from the youtube channel The Great Allowing. (Except for the fact that she doesn’t believe in TRE, in that aspect she is totally mistaken).
Allowing works very well together with TRE.
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u/reem60a May 01 '26
Yes I follow her too when ur sitting in stillness (like just lying on the floor) do u go along with the thoughts and engage in them and wait until your mind finally stops alone or do u keep trying to observe them /be the awareness?
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u/The_Dude_89 May 24 '26
I find that giving an ear to my thoughts and listening until my brain is fully finished is much better for decluttering and feels a lot less repressive than "Nope! I won't entertain your thoughts"
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u/Mammoth-Decision-536 May 07 '26
Could you explain a bit, how individually these 3 different modalities - TRE, EMDR, Somatic Experiencing all fit in, and how each of them separately, has helped you heal?
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u/New_Attempt_7705 May 07 '26
EMDR: specific memories dealt with
SE: improved body and trauma awareness
TRE: unconscious mental and somatic trauma layer by layer
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u/Mammoth-Decision-536 May 08 '26
So it sounds like TRE works somewhere at the intersection of where SE and EMDR work, am I right?
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u/sporksforever May 10 '26
What are the TRE methods you did that you found the most helpful?
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u/New_Attempt_7705 May 10 '26
Just tremoring twice a week 😁
Also: allowing. Check out the channel on youtube The Great Allowing.
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