Quick Start Guide
Ready to try TRE? This guide gives you everything you need for your first session: safety essentials, the basic exercises, and what to expect.
Before You Begin: Safety Check
- Pregnancy (especially first trimester)
- Recent surgery (within 3-6 months, depending on type)
- Severe mental health crisis or active psychosis
- Seizure disorder (without medical clearance)
- Acute physical injuries
See the full Physical Health Considerations and Mental Health Considerations before practising.
If you're clear of contraindications, continue below to start your first TRE session.
What You Need
Time: 30-45 minutes (including setup and rest)
Space: Quiet, private area with wall and floor space
Equipment:
- Yoga mat or soft surface
- Wall for support
- Cushions/blankets for comfort (optional)
Mindset: Curiosity, patience, no expectations
The Essential Safety Tool: The Brake Pedal
In the tremor position (lying on your back with knees bent and falling open):
- To slow tremors: Bring your knees closer together
- To stop tremors: Bring knees all the way together, feet flat on floor
- To stop completely: Sit up or roll to your side
Practice stopping several times during your first session. This builds confidence and safety.
For full details, see Stopping the Tremors.
Your First TRE Session: Step by Step
1. Create Your Environment (5 minutes)
- Choose a quiet time when you won't be interrupted
- Turn off phone notifications
- Set room to comfortable temperature
- Have water nearby
- Optional: Soft lighting, gentle music
2. Ground Yourself (2-3 minutes)
- Stand or sit comfortably
- Take 3 slow, deep breaths
- Feel your feet on the ground
- Set an intention: "I'm here to release tension safely"
3. The Seven Exercises (15-20 minutes)
Do each exercise gently. Don't push to your maximum: we're creating fatigue, not exhaustion.
Exercise 1: Ankle Stretches (1-2 min)
- Stand near wall for balance
- Lift one foot, rotate ankle in circles (5 each direction)
- Point and flex foot
- Repeat other side
Exercise 2: Calf Stretches (2 min)
- Stand facing wall, hands on wall
- Step one foot back, keep heel down
- Lean forward gently to stretch calf
- Hold 30-60 seconds each side
Exercise 3: Front Thigh Stretch (2 min)
- Stand near wall, hold ankle behind you
- Keep knees together, feel stretch in front of thigh
- Hold 30-60 seconds each side
- (Or modify: lying on belly)
Exercise 4: Wall Sit (1-3 min) ⭐ Key Exercise
- Back against wall, slide down to sitting position
- Thighs roughly parallel to floor
- Hold as long as comfortable (start with 30 seconds)
- This fatigues the legs: essential for activating tremors
Exercise 5: Psoas Stretch (2-3 min)
- Kneel with one foot forward (lunge position)
- Back knee on ground (use cushion)
- Press hips forward gently
- Hold 30-60 seconds each side
Exercise 6: Seated Forward Fold (1-2 min)
- Sit with legs extended (or bent if needed)
- Fold forward gently over legs
- Relax, don't strain
- Hold 30-60 seconds
Exercise 7: Tremor Position (5-10 min for first session)
- Lie on back, knees bent, feet together
- Let knees fall open to sides (diamond position)
- Allow tremors to come naturally
- Don't force anything: tremors may start immediately or take minutes
4. Allow Tremoring (5-10 minutes maximum first session)
- Tremors often start in legs but may spread anywhere
- They're usually rhythmic and gentle
- They may stop and start
- Your breathing might change: allow it
- Emotions might arise: this is normal
Remember to practice using the brake pedal even if tremors feel fine. Bring knees together, let them stop, then resume.
- Overwhelmed or panicky
- Dissociated (spacey, far away)
- Pain (not muscle fatigue: actual pain)
- Like you need to stop for any reason
5. Rest and Integrate (10-15 minutes)
Rest is when integration happens. Don't skip this step!
How to rest:
- Extend legs, lie flat on back
- Close eyes or soft gaze
- Allow body to settle completely
- Notice how you feel: no need to judge
- Stay here until you feel ready to move
Common experiences after your first session:
| Experience | What It Means |
|---|---|
| 😌 Deep relaxation | Your nervous system is settling |
| 😴 Tiredness | Energy was released, rest is natural |
| 💪 Muscle soreness | Like after exercise: completely normal |
| 😭 😄 Emotional | Tears, laughter, or relief are healthy releases |
| 🌀 Spacey or dreamy | Nervous system is processing |
| ⚡ Energized | Some people feel activated in a good way |
| 🤷 Not much | Also completely fine! |
After Your Session
- 💧 Drink water
- 🐌 Move slowly and gently
- ⏸️ Avoid intense activity for an hour
- 🤗 Allow yourself to feel whatever arises
In the following days:
- Notice sleep quality, mood, tension levels
- Some delayed release can happen (emotions, dreams, body sensations)
- Muscles might be sore: this is normal
- Give yourself 2-3 days before your next session
What to Expect Going Forward
📚 Session 1-3: Learning Phase
- Getting familiar with exercises
- Discovering how your body tremors
- Building confidence with self-regulation
- Figuring out optimal timing and frequency
Suggested frequency: 2-3 times per week maximum
🌱 Week 2-4: Establishing Practice
- Exercises become familiar
- Tremoring becomes easier to access
- You start noticing patterns
- Self-regulation feels more natural
Duration: Gradually increase to 15-20 minutes of tremoring
🌳 Month 2-3: Deepening
- Practice becomes more integrated
- You may notice shifts in daily life
- Different body areas might tremor
- Emotional material may arise
Approach: Stay curious, maintain boundaries, use self-regulation
Common First-Time Experiences
"I didn't tremor much."
Normal! Some nervous systems need time to trust it's safe. Keep practicing gently.
"The tremors were really strong."
Great that they came easily! Practice using the brake pedal to modulate intensity. Start with shorter sessions.
"I fell asleep."
Common: your nervous system shifted into deep rest. Try practicing earlier in the day or in a less comfortable position.
"I felt emotional."
The body holds emotional tension. Tears, laughter, or unexpected feelings are all normal. If they feel overwhelming, review the Self-Regulation section and the guide on Emotional Release.
"I feel sore."
Like after exercise: normal muscle fatigue. It will decrease as your body adapts to the exercises.
"Nothing much happened."
Also completely normal. Not every session is dramatic. Subtle integration happens even when nothing feels "big."
🚨 Red Flags: When to Stop and Seek Support
- You consistently dissociate or feel far away
- You experience flashbacks or overwhelming trauma material
- Your sleep or functioning gets significantly worse
- You feel increasingly dysregulated rather than better
- Physical pain persists or worsens
- You have any concerning symptoms
TRE should generally feel regulating over time. If it doesn't, you need more support.
Next Steps
After your first few sessions:
-
Read the full guide systematically
- Foundations (understand the why)
- Practice sections in detail
- Safety considerations
-
Consider working with a provider
- Especially if you have trauma history
- For personalized guidance
- To refine your practice
- See Finding Support for provider directory
-
Join a community
- Online TRE groups
- Local practice circles
- See Community Resources
-
Develop consistency
- Regular practice yields more benefit than intense sporadic practice
- Even once a week is valuable
- Build slowly, sustainably
- Read Building a Practice for creating sustainable routines
Key Principles to Remember
- ✅ Safety first - Always work within your window of tolerance
- ✅ Less is more - Start short and gentle
- ✅ Trust your body - It knows what it's doing
- ✅ You're in control - You can always stop
- ✅ Integration matters - Rest is part of practice
- ✅ Seek support - Providers exist for a reason
- ✅ Be patient - Healing unfolds over time
You're ready to begin. Trust the process, honor your pace, and remember: the tremor mechanism has been waiting your whole life. You're simply creating the conditions for it to do what it naturally knows how to do.
Start when you're ready. Your body will guide you from there.