Until recently I had never heard of Tension and Trauma Release Exercises (TRE), but a little while ago I reached out looking for people to collaborate with to widen the field of expertise available to my athletes, and Sylvia of Tremendous TRE responded, explaining what she had to offer and its benefits.
Having never previously heard of TRE, I did a little research and found a number of studies suggesting that TRE can be beneficial in reducing PTSD, reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, reducing chronic pain, and speeding up athletic recovery. Many of these studies were small, with limited numbers of participants, but I felt there was enough emerging evidence to invite Sylvia to write a guest blog. I hope you find it interesting.
– Coach Steve
Hello Runners
You work with Steven because he supports you in achieving your running goals, whether that’s Couch to 5K, Parkrun, an ultra running challenge, or anything in between.
I guess you’re working on your fitness levels, your training plan, and a positive mindset. But what about your body?
Generally speaking, we expect our bodies to function and to always perform. When we want to achieve something, the body is supposed to get us there. End of. But your body isn’t a machine, and sometimes it needs a break, a longer rest and recuperation phase, or some TLC. I guess you don’t want chronic pain and tension to stop the fun of running, hinder your training progress, or make you pull out of races.
How Are You Looking After Your Body?
Many athletes have their physio or massage therapist on speed dial. But I’ve also empowered athletes to treat themselves.
Meet Alex, an avid runner with a passion for pushing limits, who had always believed that as long as the mind was strong, the body would follow. But like many dedicated athletes, she eventually experienced chronic pain and muscle tension, particularly in her lower back and legs.
That’s when I introduced Alex to TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises). TRE can offer a range of benefits, such as enhanced performance, faster sports injury recovery, or calming the nerves before a competition. Intrigued and open-minded, Alex decided to give it a try.
What Is TRE?
TRE is a somatic modality, developed by David Berceli, PhD, that gives the body the opportunity to:
- Gently and safely release deep-seated muscle tension, particularly in areas prone to physical stress such as the back, legs, shoulders and hips.
- Down-regulate an overly active nervous system, reducing mental symptoms like stress and anxiety while fostering a sense of relaxation and mental clarity.
Once the tension has been released, you can feel more flexible, with more body awareness, less muscle tightness, and more joint mobility, which can lead to improved performance, injury prevention, and a reduced risk of strains and sprains during training and competitions.
Alex’s Experience
TRE was unlike anything Alex had tried before, and she was impressed by her body’s reaction. I love working with athletes, runners, yogis, and dancers, people who believe they know their bodies very well, only to discover they can take it up a notch.
Even after just one session, Alex noticed the tightness in her muscles began to ease and the persistent aches disappeared. The practice left her feeling super relaxed, and for the first time in a long while she felt an unfamiliar lightness, both physically and mentally, even her pre-competition anxiety eased off.
As TRE encourages the discharge of neuromuscular tension, it can accelerate the healing process by reducing inflammation and physical stress from tight muscles and fascia. It can also enhance blood flow, delivering more oxygen to the area and improving circulation.
The lightbulb moment for Alex was realising she didn’t need to rely on external help like physiotherapy or massages. TRE empowered her to take ownership of her wellbeing. In fact, we call TRE an internal massage, as it reaches places that can’t be reached from outside the body.
The exercises became part of Alex’s training regime, for general wellbeing, maintenance, injury recovery and mental strength, because calming the nervous system calms the mind, can reduce anxiety, and helps soothe pre-competition nerves while maintaining mental strength.
Could TRE Help You?
So, if you’d like to achieve peak performance, TRE could be the key, and I’d love to show you how your body can support you in achieving this. Whether you’re dealing with chronic pain, pre-race jitters, or want to take your performance to the next level, TRE can help you tap into your body’s natural healing capacity.
How would you feel in your body, without tension, without aches or pains, and with a much calmer and resilient mental attitude?
If this resonates with you and you’d like to learn TRE safely and effectively, get in touch for a fact-finding chat to find out how TRE can support your body, mind and sports goals. You deserve to feel so much better, let me empower you to reach the finish line feeling strong, relaxed and pain-free.
Natural. Innate. TREmendous.
About Sylvia
Sylvia Tillmann is a Certified TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) Provider who knows how frustrating it can be when the body doesn’t perform as expected. Her work demonstrates how TREmendously amazing our bodies are and how they can support us in the most innate way. Sylvia teaches rather than treats her clients, which is much more empowering.
She is an enthusiastic tennis player, and every tennis session is followed by a brief TRE session, which soothes any overstretched muscles and prevents her lower back pain from returning.
Quote “PT Steven” for a 10% discount on any TRE course, at www.tremendousTRE.co.uk.
