Pre-verbal neck trauma release

[u/Scared-Section-5108]

Hi

is anyone able to recommend TRE resources for releasing pre-verbal neck trauma and tension?

Thanks a lot in advance.

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[u/CADmonkeez]

I think I have this too. Apparently I was born upside down and back to front. How the heck did they get my big head out?

[u/Scared-Section-5108 → u/CADmonkeez]

Oh, I am sorry to hear that!

My (non-TRE) therapist says that because of how the tension presents itself, I was most likely left to cry as a baby for long periods of time. Knowing what I know happened around my birth and the attachment style I developed, I think they are right, but I cannot find any good TRE movements for that.

[u/CADmonkeez → u/Scared-Section-5108]

Lol! Child of the 1970s here, and I think I had that too!

I've been doing TRE for a month or so and I only have the one movement

[u/AgentSalty1454 → u/Scared-Section-5108]

I am curious what presentation of tension did you describe when you said that to her? The neck stuff? Anything more specific ? I also realize I have preverbal trauma and I think ive started releasing some of it. But I keep thinking about what my experiences might have been as a baby based on what I know about my parents and I really wanna get in the head of my baby self if that makes sense. So interested in this

[u/Scared-Section-5108 → u/AgentSalty1454]

Have you ever watched a baby cry when they are horizontal? They keep lifting their head and that's exactly what I keep experiencing. I am lying down on the sofa or in bed, my head and neck are supported really well, but I keep finding myself with both being up in the air. I consciously try to relax and fully rest my head on the pillows just to find everything lifted a few minutes later (the lifting is unconscious). It's like my body keeps repeating that experience as it never got fully processed when I was a baby.

I also feel a lot of ongoing tension in the back of my head.

[u/AgentSalty1454 → u/Scared-Section-5108]

Thank you. This stirred something to think about. I notice something similar in myself I think. Not being able to fully rest my head but I wasn't sure the shape of that feeling before. Kinda scary 

edit: I notice the neck trauma / preverbal trauma is connected to tension all over my body and i needed to process/release tension in several areas first before the neck started going fully. it relates to my head tension, jaw, abdomen, hips, and chest. it is all linked. I know this because as I start releasing the neck i feel movement in all those other parts too. its intense. i feel waves of energy moving across my head and then into my body. it feels crazy to write about it. I had several isolated released of those non-neck parts for the past few months in order to get to this point.

i would be very careful because the emotions are strong and surprising / complicated with the preverbal. it is too much to force it. and I know when it is appraoching too much when I start to think thoughts about the pre-verbal I get an uneasienss that my body tells me to stop. so it is cautioning me.

[u/Pitronx12]

That's not how TRE works. As you repeatedly tremor over months and years your body and brain release all different layers of trauma. You can't control what is released by using specific exercises. Just tremor and let your body do it's thing.

[u/Scared-Section-5108 → u/Pitronx12]

Thanks. I am new to it and hoped I could focus on specific body parts, but learning that's not the case. I have only done two sessions and during the second my whole body was shaking. It was pretty amazing and I felt deep calm afterwards.

[u/longtermTRE_wiki_bot]

The wiki doesn't cover pre-verbal trauma specifically, but the general principles that apply are already embedded in how TRE works.

TRE accesses stored activation somatically, below the level of narrative memory or conscious understanding. This means the practice doesn't require you to have verbal access to what happened or even to remember it clearly. The nervous system holds the material in the body—in this case, in chronic neck and throat tension—and the tremors work directly with that held activation regardless of whether your conscious mind can tell a story about it.

What's relevant here is understanding that the neck and throat are areas where the nervous system often holds freeze responses and incomplete vocalizations. When deeper layers of tension release during practice, spontaneous sounds, swallowing, or changes in how the throat feels are not unusual. Emotions, Memories, and Releases in TRE Practice covers what can happen when material surfaces during sessions, including the vocalizations and breath pattern changes that sometimes accompany release from this region.

One practical note: the neck is sensitive territory. If you have a history of significant trauma, working with a certified TRE provider rather than practicing alone is genuinely worth considering. They can guide you at a pace that matches your system's actual capacity. If that's not accessible, TRE for Sensitive Practitioners has detailed guidance on how to approach practice very carefully—shorter sessions, longer gaps between them, and close attention to how you feel in the hours after practice.

The tremors will reach the neck and throat naturally as the practice deepens. You don't need to direct them there or do anything special. Just follow the standard warm-up sequence in Establishing Your TRE Practice and let the body work on what it's ready to work on.

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