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Emotional Trauma Release Exercises (TRE): 10 Somatic Exercises to Release Trauma

Therapist-Reviewed

Emotional trauma profoundly affects our well-being, manifesting in both our minds and bodies in ways that can limit our capacity for joy and connection. Trauma Release Exercises (TRE) provide a powerful pathway out of this state, leveraging the body’s natural mechanisms for releasing deep-seated tension and trauma. This article introduces 10 somatic exercises designed to facilitate this healing process, providing a pathway to recovery and emotional liberation.
Table of Contents

Understanding TRE
& Somatic Exercises

What Is TRE?

TRE involves a series of exercises that trigger the body’s inherent trembling response, a natural reflex mechanism for discharging muscular tension and calming the nervous system. This process is instrumental in reducing stress, anxiety, and the emotional impacts of trauma, offering a path to profound healing and recovery.

For deeper insight into TRE, visit the TRE® (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises) official website or consult resources provided by the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute.

The Science Behind Somatic Exercises

Somatic exercises bridge the gap between mind and body, utilizing movement and breath to facilitate the release of stored tension and trauma. Grounded in the latest neuroscience and psychological research, these practices illuminate how trauma affects the body and demonstrate how targeted physical exercises can kickstart the healing process.

The Connection Between Physical and Emotional Healing

Trauma doesn’t just dwell in the mind; it’s also encoded in our muscles and tissues, often manifesting as chronic pain, tension, and other physical symptoms. Somatic exercises enable us to access and release this stored trauma, underscoring the profound connection between our physical state and emotional wellbeing.

Preparing for TRE: Safety and Guidelines

Creating a safe and supportive environment is crucial for a beneficial TRE practice. This section offers essential advice for embarking on your trauma release journey with mindfulness and care.

Creating a Safe Space

Choose a quiet, comfortable space where you won’t be disturbed. Ensure you have soft mats or blankets to support your body as you move through the exercises.

Listening to Your Body

Tuning into your body’s signals is essential. If you experience discomfort or overwhelming emotions, allow yourself to pause and breathe. The goal is gentle release, not pushing through pain.

10 Somatic Exercises to Release Trauma

1. Grounding Techniques

Finding Stability and Presence: Before beginning TRE, establish a sense of grounding. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, feeling the earth support you. Breathe deeply into your belly, envisioning roots growing from your feet into the ground.

2. Breath Work

Deep Breathing for Tension Release: Inhale slowly for a count of four, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold again for four. This pattern, known as box breathing, can reduce stress and create an inner calm.

3. Pelvic Tilts

Engaging the Core of Trauma Release: Lie on your back with knees bent. Gently arch your lower back, then flatten it against the floor. This motion releases tension in the lower back and pelvic area.

4. Leg Shakes

Releasing Lower Body Tension: While lying on your back, lift your legs slightly and begin to shake them gently. This exercise mimics the body’s natural response to stress.

5. Hip Opening Exercises

Unlocking Emotional Baggage: The hips are a common repository for emotional trauma. Gentle hip-opening exercises, such as the butterfly pose, can facilitate the release of this tension.

6. Spinal Twists

Easing the Backbone of Stress: Lying on your back, bring your knees to your chest, then gently drop them to one side while turning your head to the opposite side.

7. Arm Shakes and Stretches

Releasing Upper Body Stress: Shaking your arms vigorously, then stretching them gently, can help release shoulder and arm tensions, fostering a sense of lightness.

8. Butterfly Pose

Opening Up to Healing: Sit with the soles of your feet together and knees apart. Gently lean forward, encouraging the hips to open and release stored emotions.

9. Child’s Pose

Embracing Comfort and Calm: From a kneeling position, extend your arms forward and rest your forehead on the ground, allowing your body to embrace comfort and calm.

10. Savasana

Integrating Relaxation and Healing: Finish with Savasana, imagining a wave of relaxation sweeping over your body to integrate the benefits of the practice.

Implementing TRE into Your Routine

Building a Consistent Practice: Start with short sessions, gradually increasing the duration as your body acclimates. Consistency is key to unlocking the profound healing potential of TRE.

Monitoring Progress: Keeping a journal of your experiences can provide valuable insights into your healing journey. Note any changes in your physical or emotional state.

Trauma Release Therapy (TRT) Support

Embarking on the path of Trauma Release Exercises (TRE) complemented by Trauma Release Therapy (TRT) marks a powerful journey towards healing from emotional trauma. By integrating TRE with the supportive guidance of TRT, individuals can navigate the complexities of trauma with greater ease and effectiveness.

We work closely with a network of experienced TRT therapists. We are happy to offer recommendations for TRT professionals near you or facilitate access to supportive online sessions. Whether you prefer face-to-face therapy or the convenience of online support, our network is equipped to meet your needs.

Reach Out for Support

Additional Resources: Reputable sources like the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute and the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute offer a wealth of information. This guide is a beacon of hope for those seeking to explore transformative potential through openness, patience, and self-compassion.

Jordan Buchan
Written by

Jordan Buchan

Neuro-Somatic Educator • Founder, Conscious Cues

Jordan Buchan is the founder of Conscious Cues and a Neuro-Somatic Educator whose work focuses on the process of turning insight into lived experience. She helps people move beyond simply understanding themselves and into embodying real change so what they know begins to shape how they feel, respond, and live.

Lisbon, Portugal Embodiment • Integration • Authentic Relating

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. If you’re experiencing emotional or mental health challenges, please consult a licensed healthcare provider.

Interactive Connection Deck

The Depth
of Us

A guided conversation experience for people who want to slow down, feel more, and share more honestly. This is not about performing vulnerability or coming up with the “best” answer. It is about noticing what is true for you and letting that be enough.

01

Create the Container

The quality of the conversation depends on the quality of the space. Before anyone draws a card, take a moment to create a shared agreement around presence, honesty, and care.

  • Add everyone’s names so the game can rotate turns clearly.
  • Choose a share time that fits the group. Two minutes keeps things lighter and more fluid. Four minutes allows for deeper reflection and more room to settle into what is real.
  • Use prompt delay if you want the word to land first. This gives people a few seconds before they can reveal a prompt, so they have a chance to notice their own inner response before being guided outward.
  • Keep the space device-free and interruption-free. No side conversations. No multitasking. No reacting while someone is sharing.
  • Let this be a no-fixing space. No advice, no analysis, no rescuing, no trying to make someone’s experience cleaner or easier than it is.
  • Confidentiality matters. What is shared here stays here unless someone explicitly says otherwise.
  • Passing is allowed. No one is required to answer every word or every prompt. Choice helps create safety.

A safe space does not mean everyone will feel perfectly relaxed. It means people know they do not have to perform, defend, impress, or explain themselves away. It means they can share honestly and trust they will be met with respect.

02

Let the Word Land

When a card is drawn, the word appears first. This part matters. Do not rush past it. The word itself is the doorway.

Before you speak, pause for a moment and notice what happens inside you when you read the word. You are not trying to come up with something profound. You are simply noticing your first real response.

  • Notice your body. Do you feel openness, tightness, warmth, resistance, numbness, tenderness, or nothing at all?
  • Notice your mind. Does a memory come up? A person? A recent conversation? A story you tell yourself?
  • Notice your emotional response. Do you feel curiosity, discomfort, grief, relief, longing, irritation, confusion, or surprise?
  • Notice your impulse. Do you want to share immediately? Shut down? Make a joke? Change the subject? Those reactions are information too.

Sometimes the word hits instantly. Sometimes it feels blank at first. Both are valid.

If nothing obvious comes up, that does not mean you are doing it wrong. You can simply begin with something honest and simple:

  • “At first I do not feel much, but when I stay with it I notice...”
  • “This word makes me think of...”
  • “My first reaction is resistance because...”
  • “I do not know exactly why, but this word makes my chest feel...”
  • “The person I immediately think of is...”

The goal is not to be impressive. The goal is to be real.

03

Share What Is True

Once the word has landed, share whatever feels true for you in that moment.

  • You can share a memory.
  • You can share a feeling.
  • You can share a body sensation.
  • You can share a question you are still sitting with.
  • You can share a contradiction.
  • You can share that you are confused or unsure.
04

Use the Prompts as Support, Not Pressure

If you want more guidance, reveal a prompt. Prompts are there to help deepen the reflection, not to force it.

  • The word always comes first. Start with your own reaction if you can.
  • Prompts are optional. You do not need to use them if the word already opened something real.
  • You do not need to answer every prompt. Choose the one that actually stirs something in you.
  • If none of the prompts fit, ignore them. Your real response matters more than following the structure perfectly.

Think of prompts as gentle support. Not a test. Not homework. Not a demand.

Sometimes a prompt will give language to something you were already feeling but could not name. Sometimes it will open a completely different doorway. Sometimes it will do nothing. That is okay too.

05

Respect the Rhythm of the Turn

Each person has their own turn. The timer is there to create rhythm, not pressure.

  • The timer starts on the first card draw of the turn.
  • You can draw a different card during your turn if the word truly is not the one.
  • You can pause the timer if the group needs a breath or the moment needs a little more space.
  • A soft bell sounds near the end so the speaker can begin to close naturally.
  • When time ends, the next person’s turn begins.
  • If someone does not want to share, skip the turn. The card clears and the next person takes over.

Silence is allowed. In fact, silence is often part of the depth.

If someone finishes speaking before the timer ends, let there be a pause. Do not rush to fill the space. Some of the most meaningful moments happen after the words.

06

Listen Like It Matters

This game is not only about sharing. It is about how we receive each other.

  • Listen without interrupting.
  • Listen without planning what you will say when it is your turn.
  • Listen without comparing their experience to yours.
  • Listen without trying to fix, soothe, teach, correct, or improve what they shared.
  • Let their words land before moving on.

Good listening creates the safety that allows honesty to deepen.

If you are facilitating, remind the group that this is not a debate, not a therapy session, and not a place to give unsolicited advice. It is a space to witness, reflect, and let people be fully human without editing them into something easier to hold.

07

A Few Reminders Before You Begin

  • You do not need to be profound. Honest is enough.
  • You do not need to force vulnerability. Go at the pace that feels real.
  • You do not need to explain yourself perfectly. Unfinished truth still counts.
  • You do not need to share the biggest thing. Sometimes a small truth is the real one.
  • You are allowed to pass.
  • You are allowed to be surprised by your own answer.

This experience works best when people stop trying to do it “well” and start letting themselves actually be in it.

Agreements

  • ● The Right to Pass: Depth cannot be forced. You always have the right to skip a card or prompt.
  • ● Confidentiality: Everything shared in this space stays in this space.
  • ● No Fixing: We listen to understand, not to offer advice or solve each other's experiences.
  • ● Integration: We allow a moment of silence after a share to let the words land.
03

Live Practice
Circles

The library and workshops give you the map. The Practice Circle is where you actually drive. This is a guided, real-time space to turn new behaviors into second nature.

Real-Time Prep Settle your nervous system so you can show up clearly and calmly.
Witnessed Practice Try out new ways of speaking and setting boundaries in low-pressure settings.
Stay Centered Learn how to keep your cool, even when a conversation gets intense.
Integration Bridge the gap between "the lab" and your real-world relationships.
Live Practice Agenda 90 MIN SESSION

Practice Session

1Somatic Grounding & Regulation
2Exercise Demo & Modeling
3Active Practice Breakout Rooms
4Sharing Circles & Peer Feedback
5Somatic Reflection & Integration
6Weekly "Homework" Assignment
7Closing Connection & Checkout

Safe Space Protocol Active

02

Skill-Building
Workshops

Before stepping into live practice, you get the technical tools. Our workshops provide the behavioral frameworks and internal blueprints required to navigate tough moments with confidence.

Behavioral Frameworks Move beyond theory with word-for-word scripts and structured communication blueprints.
Internal Safety Learn physical tools to manage your system so you can stay present during conflict.
Foundation Prep The core instruction that prepares you for real-world application in our Practice Circles.
Skill-Building Syllabus

Workshops

From Victim to Empowerment Breaking the cycle of feeling powerlessness
Live
Building Internal Safety Blueprints for remaining calm & focused
On-Demand
Stop Abandoning Yourself Breaking the people-pleasing mechanics
On-Demand
Conflict & Repair Word-for-word templates for connection
Live
01

Therapist-Backed
Resources

This is where your awareness begins. Everything in The Resource Center is neuroscience-informed and designed to help you gain the perspective needed to stop the spiral before it starts.

Deep-Dive Guides Comprehensive, exercise-rich walkthroughs on real-life challenges.
Somatic Practices Integrated body-based exercises to move theory into physical regulation.
Relational Scripts Word-for-word communication templates for boundaries and conflict.
Worksheets & PDFs Actionable downloads to work through specific challenges.
The Resource Center
TOOL
The Interactive Feelings Wheel Explore and work through your emotions
MP3
12-Min "Emergency Landing" Somatic Regulation Audio
GUIDE
Rewiring Negative Self-Talk Video Guide & Worksheet
PDF
High-Conflict Script Communication Template
ABOUT SOFIA

I am an Intern Somatic Body Psychotherapist, Neuroscientist, Dancer, and Dance Teacher. My passion for mental health began at age 14, sparked by a natural ability to attune to people’s emotional landscapes.

Over the past 15 years, I’ve travelled the world exploring the human psyche — a journey that shaped my integrated approach, rooted in neuroscience (brain), psychology (mind), philosophy (spirit), and somatic practices like dance (body).

This embedded with my empirical experience has made it a personal and interpersonal discovery – in line with my essence and natural tendency to help those around me deal with various aspects of mental well-being.

It is this multidimensional understanding of what it means to be human that is at the heart of my work.

My work as a somatic body psychotherapist draws on the concept that life is a continuous unfolding process, from the first cell in the womb to the present moment. All aspects of our being need to be considered when navigating mental health issues.

I support each client’s unique process with openness and curiosity of all these aspects, helping transform scattered energy into a coherent source of well-being and vitality, reshaping life in ways that often exceed expectations.

Through my Neuroscience of Dance project and Dance Integrated Healing Method, I offer neurocognitive and movement-based tools for healing.

For the past six years, I’ve supported dancers and educators worldwide through sessions and workshops, focusing on injury recovery, neurological rehabilitation, memory and balance, mental health, and the therapeutic potential of dance. This integration of dance, neuroscience, and psychology began during my postgraduate research on the brain mechanisms behind dance, in collaboration with a leading researcher in the field.

My research has been published in Dance Data, Cognition, and Multimodal Communication and presented at the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) conference. I was honoured when this project was nominated for the IADMS Dance Educator Award (2022) and the Applied Dance Science Award (2021) from One Dance UK, which also recognised me as a Healthier Dancer Practitioner.

Personally, advocate for neurodiversity as a proud dyslexic. I love cats, cute cafes, cats, long walks, writing, cats, poetry.

Did I say cats?

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