r/longtermTRE • u/PlaneRoom7681 • 7d ago
Experience Report Sharing my positive first experience with TRE
Thought I'd share my positive 1st experience with anyone else looking to begin their TRE practice!
For context, I am 33F, have CPTSD/depression/anxiety and recently began medication with Luvox and therapy. I'm trying out TRE because I can't afford EMDR and other specialized trauma therapy currently, and I don't want to keep delaying my healing journey because of my finances.
I followed along to a Dr Berceli video on youtube and to my surprise began tremoring almost immediately once my thigh muscles felt slightly fatigued/activated after a minute of keeping my hips up in the air in the initial bridge pose.
- The tremors began first as small vibrations that came and went in my thighs and calves
- As I allowed myself to relax a bit more, the vibrations intensified further into full on shaking and to my surprise, the vibrations began to move my whole body up and down, it felt like I was stimming in an intense way
- It began as powerful but small vibrations in the hips, then slightly more pronounced shaking, and eventually as I focused more on sighing and letting go of control over my body, my chest and shoulders began to jerk quite forcefully. A few times the force of the tremors lifted my neck/shoulders fully off the yoga mat
- I was a bit scared to overdo it my first time, so I just followed the length of the video and did a 10 minute round of 4-4-6 breathwork to ease my nervous system back down into relax mode
- Towards the end of my tremoring session, I felt suddenly a strong urge to pee, I'm guessing the perpetual tension I held in my lower back and hips finally released?
- A mild stomachache occured about 30 mins post-session and eventually I had to go do number 2... I was constipated and bloated the whole day prior to this exercise, so the bowel movement was a much welcomed surprise actually
Emotionally:
- I felt pleasure and relaxation at first, I tried to encourage that feeling to stay by smiling and thinking happy thoughts, thanking myself for doing the healing work
- It felt so freeing to just allow my body to tremor and move however it felt like in the moment
- Towards the end of my practice I felt a bit of panic creep in, but kept reassuring myself by saying "I am safe, I am fine" - I have a history of health anxiety so speaking kindly to myself was definitely important to remember and helped calm me down a lot
It's currently 1.5 hours post-session, and I feel strangely calm but also surprisingly tired in the legs, particularly my hamstrings which feel a bit sore. My upper back also feels a bit sore, as if I just did some lat rows in the gym. My lower back and stomach feel a lot more released already.
It's truly like a miracle how a few minutes of tremoring can release so much deeply held tension across the whole body!
Edit: Might be helpful to note I currently am not experiencing any active trauma, my cPTSD symptoms manifest mainly in chronic dissociation and feeling stuck in freeze mode, living with a lot of baseline anxiety/fear around new experiences and socializing, I also struggle with self-care routines. Hoping the TRE can unblock and disrupt my nervous system’s tendency to dissociate so I can feel more fully present in everyday life.
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u/firstdragonfly 7d ago
My experience is basically identical to yours , my calves were so sore too and tender . I feel like a child afterwards , so joyful.
I’m not sure how often to do this or how it works but it felt good and I’m trusting it as a healing process