Your body knows how to let go.
TRE helps it remember.
TRE (Tension/Trauma Releasing Exercises): A gentle, body-based practice that releases chronic stress, anxiety, and long-held tension — without talking, without force, and without you having to figure anything out.
In the wild, animals don't carry stress forward. After danger passes, they shake — discharging excess activation before returning to rest. TRE reawakens this same instinct in you, through a gentle seven-step process that invites a natural tremoring response. Because TRE works directly with the body rather than the thinking mind, it reaches what talking can't.
The tremor reflex is ancient and exists throughout the natural world. Humans share this biological inheritance — though it is often quieted by chronic stress, trauma, or social conditioning. TRE offers a way to listen again, to remember what the body has always known about restoring balance, without force or effort.
“I find this a remarkable thing. It blew my mind. Some of the most amazing work and amazing experience that I’ve had in any form of therapy. Such a simple method and results so dramatic.”
What people notice over time:
Improved sleep
Less pain, more mobility
Greater emotional steadiness
Clearer focus
Renewed sense of safety
More resilience under stress
TRE can help with:
Anxiety & panic
Chronic pain & tension
Insomnia & restlessness
Fatigue & burnout
PTSD, trauma & numbness
Lyme, digestive issues & chronic illness
A note for the curious skeptic:
If you are more comfortable with science than sensation, you're not alone. The tremoring response activated in TRE is a reflex governed by the brainstem and autonomic nervous system — not belief or suggestion. You don't need to interpret this work symbolically for it to be effective. Some people experience TRE as intuitive or meaningful; others experience it simply as a physiological reset. The practice works because of how the nervous system functions, not because of what you believe about it.
The Psoas: The “Guardian of the Gut”
At the center of the TRE process is the psoas — a deep core muscle closely connected to the nervous system, commonly recruited during fight-or-flight activation. I define the psoas as "the Guardian of the Gut" — an interior landscape where instinct, protection, and survival energy gather. It is a muscle shaped by evolution: alert when needed, relaxed when safe.
As the psoas softens through TRE, the body often follows. Tremors ripple through the hips, legs, spine, or belly — signals that stored activation is finally completing its cycle. What emerges is not collapse, but grounded presence: weight, contact, and quiet strength. Whether understood as a postural muscle or a center of instinct, the psoas often becomes the gateway through which the nervous system remembers how to settle.
What happens in a session:
Most people realize that something that was restricted (emotional, physical or both), painful or tight... isn't anymore.
1) Checking in with your nervous system
Before anything begins, I meet you where you actually are through simple awareness. How's your breath today? Where are you holding tension? This shapes how the session unfolds, ensuring the practice is scaled to your current capacity.
2) Seven gentle preparatory exercises
TRE begins with a sequence of simple standing and floor-based movements designed to mildly fatigue specific muscle groups — particularly in the legs and hips. These aren't a workout. They're a setup, creating the precise conditions your body needs to do what comes next.
3) The tremoring response
Once you lie down, the body may begin to tremor — small, involuntary vibrations moving through the legs, hips, spine, or belly. This is the nervous system discharging stored activation. I guide you how to invite it, observe it, and slow or stop it if it ever feels like too much.
4) Attuned guidance throughout
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and certified TRE provider, I track your state the entire time — watching for activation, freeze, or overwhelm and adjusting accordingly. My clinical background means you are held with care that goes beyond technique.
6) The work continues between sessions
Each session is supported by short videos, curated readings, and journaling prompts. The learning unfolds between sessions as much as within them — building a relationship with your nervous system that grows over time.
The Program: A four-session series — deeply personalized, paced for your nervous system. $800 total ($200 per session).
TRE is most effective when it unfolds gradually, allowing the nervous system to build trust and settle into its own rhythms. Each session builds progressively on the last, providing both experiential practice and a theoretical understanding of how the body mobilizes, discharges, and restores itself. No two series looks the same.
Every session includes:
Guided TRE exercises, scaled and titrated to your current capacity
Assessment of autonomic nervous system state — activation, freeze, and rest patterns
Polyvagal Theory education and how it applies to you as you navigate stress
Integration tools: structured homework, journaling prompts, and short educational videos
Session 1: Establishing the foundation
Learn the preparatory exercises and how to safely access, pause, and stop the tremoring response. We orient to the body as a place of refuge, establishing safety through choice, containment, and awareness.
Session 2: Deepening the practice
Explore more nuanced positions and variations. Begin tracking how sensation, emotion, and activation move through the body without chasing narrative or meaning. Sovereignty over the practice — knowing when to continue, pause, or rest — deepens here.
Session 3: Supporting down-regulation
Targeted neck, upper-body, and breathwork practices to support vagal tone and a felt sense of safety — tools you can draw on anytime, independent of TRE, as anchors when life pulls the system toward activation.
Session 4: Integration and moving forward
Reflect on how your nervous system has shifted. Leave with a personalized, flexible approach to TRE that grows with you — not a rigid routine, but a living practice rooted in your own rhythms and capacity.
Who this program is for:
This program is for people ready to commit to the full TRE series and to a paced, body-based process of nervous system regulation. It’s well suited for those carrying stress, chronic tension, or trauma who want to reconnect with their bodies and build a sustainable TRE practice over time. This work requires consistent attendance, curiosity, and engagement between sessions so what you learn can be integrated into daily life—not approached as a quick fix.
Who this program may not be for:
This program may not be a good fit if you’re unable to commit to the full series or are looking for a drop-in or purely cognitive approach. TRE is most effective when sessions build on one another with continuity and follow-through. TRE is a powerful somatic practice, but it does not replace psychotherapy when therapy is indicated. If you’re not ready to meet your body where it is or to work at the pace your nervous system sets, this may not be the right time—and that’s okay.
Learning TRE Together In Your Home
In addition to individual work, I also offers in-home TRE for families or small groups who wish to learn and practice together. These are held as closed series — not drop-in sessions — building shared tools for grounding, regulation, and resilience over time. Especially meaningful for families, partners, or caregiving pairs.
COMMON QUESTIONS:
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Not at all. TRE is equally effective for everyday stress, burnout, chronic tension, and physical symptoms. Many people come simply because they're tired of carrying tension they can't seem to shake — no trauma history required.
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TRE is a somatic learning course, not psychotherapy. One of its most distinctive qualities is that it requires very little talking — your body leads the process. That said, I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and I hold space with clinical attunement throughout. TRE does not replace therapy when therapy is indicated. -
The series is designed to build progressively — each session deepening what came before. A single session can offer real relief, but the full arc is where lasting change lives. If the timing isn't right, that's okay. Reach out when you're ready to go deeper.
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Yes. The tremoring response activated in TRE is a reflex governed by the brainstem and autonomic nervous system — not belief or suggestion. You don't need to interpret the work symbolically for it to be effective. Some experience TRE as intuitive and meaningful; others experience it simply as a physiological reset. Both are valid.
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Sessions are offered in-person and virtually. For families or small groups, I also offer in-home sessions in the Chicago area. In-home work can be especially meaningful for partners or families wanting to build shared tools for regulation and resilience together.
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As memories or emotions connected to past stress surface, the practice continues to track how they move through the body — without chasing narrative or meaning. My clinical training helps me to hold whatever arises with steadiness and care. You are never pushed beyond your capacity.
MORE RESUL.TS FROM STUDENTS IN THEIR OWN WORDS:
“Prior, when my body was experiencing muscle weakness or spasms related to Lyme disease, I had no tools to relieve this and it caused a great deal of anguish and anxiety. Now, I know I can use TRE to help alleviate these symptoms, and I do frequently. Had it not been for this practice, I would still be suffering through painful flare ups without relief. ”
“TRE saved my sleep! After years of medication to treat insomnia and becoming more and more resistant to psychiatric drugs, TRE gave me my sleep back. Results were immediate. I never imagined such profound outcomes coming from such a gentle, drug free approach. ”
“The biggest notice after one session of TRE was a relief in tension in my back pain that is pretty chronic. It felt equivalent to an hour with a physical therapist. I’m curious to see how that progresses as I practice TRE.
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“One of the first things I noticed after my TRE sessions was the ability for a little more chest/breathing space. It also helped me calm my mind as I’m very used to thinking of several things at once and also have to be intentional about quieting my thoughts when I get overwhelmed from family/work/caregiving responsibilities.”
“TRE is the missing piece to managing my anxiety. I was already doing all the things - eating well and exercising and I still had chronic stress in my body. TRE changed that. ”
“I figured if TRE can work for traumatized veterans I knew it could work for me. And, it did. It actually works.”
“After TRE, my mood was noticeably improved and my body felt immediately relieved of my chronic Lyme illness symptoms. Having a go-to physical release of discomfort, pain, and overwhelm is beyond comforting and has made a significant impact on my physical well-being. ”
“After the session I talked about it with friends. I want to experiment with my own practice more because I was so surprised by it.”
“TRE is so empowering. It was the first “treatment” I encountered that really showed me that the body knows how to regulate itself and naturally release anxiety and depression.”
“TRE is amazing! It greatly reduced my anxiety and depression symptoms. The practice is easy and I can do it at anytime on my own! I feel way more resilient when facing stress! ”
“Allowing my body to experience trembling in a controlled environment was empowering and helpful. I started the practice off feeling tension throughout my body, and after the practice was over, I felt a great deal of release. ”
“Neely was a calming presence and made each of us feel safe. She made sure she was attending to each of our individual needs. Because the exercises affected all of us differently, Neely effortlessly and kindly attended to each of us and walked us through our varying reactions with curiosity and openness. ”
“I truly love having Neely as my instructor because she knows how to set the pace for everyone and just allows things to happen and allows the space for sharing. She knows when to check in and is an excellent nurturing and compassionate guide throughout each exercise. ”