Trauma

TRE® testimonial... from me!

Here we are in January! That must mean that we made it through the election, Thanksgiving, December holidays (whatever those are for you), and New Years celebrations. You might be feeling ready for a fresh start, invigorated toward new health, work, or family goals. Whatever your personal experience of the last two and a half months has been, I'm sure you won't be surprised to learn that for many folks stress levels are running pretty high. Many of my patients and friends are concerned about the current political tenor, wondering (and imagining) what will be coming down the pike. Living with an impending sense of doom and hyper-vigilance. For lots of folks the holidays bring up family tensions that have simmered under the surface and pop up when everyone is together. Especially when our expectations are high and communication skills are low- things can ratchet up in intensity pretty quickly! This year I experienced some pretty emotionally charged and stressful moments with family members while we were all together for Christmas. When debriefing with my husband afterward he shared how astounded he was at the calm, loving, yet direct way I was able to communicate- saying some really difficult things. My "normal" response to family conflict is to freeze- unable to think of what I would say-only later realizing what I wish I had been able to say at the time. The difficult discussions we had this year were remarkably well received. I didn't freeze like normal. I was able to "access" my neocortex- the cognitive part of my brain-because I wasn't stuck in survival mode. I was able to be articulate, firm, yet loving and compassionate. And the result was real communication!  As we reflected on this, I realized that I can credit my regular TRE® practice with my new found ability to stay grounded and present during an emotionally charged discussion. I am incredibly grateful to be able to deepen my relationships with my loved ones.

My wish is that as we move into emotionally AND politically charged times ahead that we can each do our own work to stay grounded and present with ourselves so that we can HAVE difficult conversations without losing our ability to listen with compassion and love.

TRE® practice is not the only way to get there, but it really works, and I'm thrilled to share it with you. Learning how to invite a Therapeutic Tremor into your body releases long held patterns of tension and stress and can restore your personal sense of safety, calm, and grounding so that you can access your best self when things get challenging. If you are interested in learning TRE®, expect to schedule 3 one-on-one sessions with me at a minimum, and I will help you find your path to feeling more calm, more grounded, and less reactive!

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Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises- TRE®

I am very excited to announce that I am now certified to teach TRE®. If you have been around me at all this year you have probably already heard me talk about it. My training began in the fall of 2015 with Jessica Schaffer.  At the core of most chronic health concerns is a nervous system struggling to deal with stress. Our bodies are well designed to respond to an acute stress, but in our modern world chronic stress is really taking it's toll on our health. TRE® addresses chronic tension (caused by stress)  by "shaking it off" literally! TRE® is a set of exercises designed to allow the body to tremor and shake, something that is a natural physiological release after threat or trauma. Tremoring this way in a safe environment allows the body and nervous system to let go of stored "fight or flight" tension, restoring calm and relaxation to the body. Benefits of TRE® include improved sleep, more emotional resiliency, feeling grounded, more flexibility and less pain in the body, decrease in anxiety and hypervigilance, more social connection, relaxation...and more! I believe a regular TRE practice really address the underlying effect that stress plays in our health. TRE® works well with other treatment modalities, and once you learn the basic exercises you can practice at home. The exercises are easy to learn, but it is best to work with a certified provider who can help support you as you learn self regulation. Learn more about TRE® here.  Make an appointment with me to learn TRE®, so you can bring more calm and less stress and tension to your life! 


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