Summary
Lucas Rockwood interviews Dr. David Berceli, the creator of TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises), on this episode of the Yoga Talk Show. Berceli explains how he developed TRE while living in war zones, observing that people naturally tremor during high-stress events — whether from bombings, public speaking, or even proposing marriage — and that this shaking is the nervous system's built-in mechanism for discharging excess activation. Berceli details the seven-exercise TRE protocol, with the final exercise being the key tremor activator — lying on the floor in a modified butterfly position to fatigue the psoas and inner thigh muscles, triggering involuntary shaking. He explains how tremoring moves through the body's tension patterns, loosening muscles, fascia, and tight holding patterns from the pelvis through the spine. The conversation also covers how TRE fits into yoga practice (called "neurogenic yoga"), the difference between psychological talk-based therapy and body-based neurophysiological approaches, the importance of working with a certified provider at least once, and how TRE can be used as a down-regulating technique after intense physical exercise. Berceli distinguishes between soft trauma (chronic low-grade anxiety) and hard trauma (acute events), noting that both create tension patterns that TRE can address.
Key Points
- TRE was developed from observations in war zones where people naturally tremored during and after stressful events like bombings
- The tremor mechanism is neurophysiologically encoded — every human being has it, but cultural conditioning trains us to suppress it
- The seven-exercise protocol fatigues specific muscle groups to activate involuntary tremoring, primarily through the psoas and inner thighs
- TRE works differently from talk therapy by accessing the primitive brain and nervous system directly rather than through cognitive processing
- Both "soft trauma" (chronic anxiety without a specific event) and "hard trauma" (acute traumatic events) create body tension patterns that TRE can address
- When used in yoga settings ("neurogenic yoga"), practitioners need training to handle emotional releases safely and set appropriate boundaries
- TRE can serve as a post-exercise down-regulation technique to soften hardened muscles after intense training
- Working with a certified TRE provider at least once is recommended so they can observe your body and guide you through any emotional material that surfaces
Key Moments
How Berceli discovered TRE in war zones
Berceli describes how living through repeated bombings and shootings forced him to notice the natural tremoring response from a new perspective — that the body shakes not from weakness but to discharge an excited energy charge and restore the nervous system to baseline.
"And every time either before or after something would happen, a shooting, a bombing, something like that, many people in the community would start to shake and tremble."
Soft trauma vs hard trauma and how both create body tension
Berceli distinguishes between soft trauma (chronic anxiety without a single identifiable event) and hard trauma (acute traumatic events), explaining that both overstimulate the nervous system and create holding patterns in the body that TRE can address.
"Soft trauma would be something like you're going through a period of anxiety in your life because your job doesn't feel right."
TRE as a down-regulating technique after intense exercise
Berceli describes using TRE as a post-exercise recovery tool for athletes and runners, explaining how tremoring softens hardened muscles after intense training and helps the body down-regulate from a highly activated state.
"I use it as a down-regulating technique. So if you've really pushed yourself hard physically, this is a way to then soften the body back up after you've really pushed it hard."
Why body-based approaches work differently than talk therapy
Berceli explains how TRE accesses the primitive brain and autonomic nervous system directly, bypassing the cognitive processes that talk therapy relies on. Many people can't articulate their trauma, making body-based approaches essential for populations like veterans who resist verbal processing.
"Talk-based therapies really started as far back as Freud, basically, and they were about trying to deal with the emotional and cognitive aspects of trauma."
