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Journalling

Journalling creates a bridge between somatic experience and conscious understanding. While TRE™ works below the level of words, writing afterwards can help integrate what the body releases.

How journalling and TRE™ work together​

What journalling offers TRE™​

  • Creates verbal witness to non-verbal experience
  • Helps integrate what the body releases
  • Reveals patterns across sessions
  • Tracks gradual progress
  • Processes emotions and memories that arise

What TRE™ offers journalling​

  • Provides rich somatic content to reflect on
  • Surfaces material that thought alone might not access
  • Grounds abstract reflection in body experience
  • Offers a practice to write about regularly

Integration​

Before TRE™​

Brief journalling before practice helps you arrive with awareness:

  1. Note your current state (physically, emotionally)
  2. Record anything significant happening in your life
  3. Notice any areas of tension or holding

This creates a baseline for noticing what shifts during practice.

After TRE™​

This is when journalling is most valuable. While still in a relaxed, open state:

  1. Capture what you noticed during practice
  2. Record where tremors occurred and their quality
  3. Note any emotions, sensations, or memories that arose
  4. Describe how you feel now compared to before

You don’t need to analyse or explain; simply witness and record.

The following day​

Sometimes the effects of TRE™ become clearer after sleep. Brief notes the next day can capture:

  • How you slept
  • Any dreams that seemed connected
  • Shifts in mood or body sensation
  • Insights that emerged overnight

As a separate practice​

Weekly reflection, separate from individual sessions, can reveal broader patterns:

  • Review the week’s practice notes
  • Notice themes or recurring content
  • Track gradual changes over time
  • Identify what’s shifting in your life overall

Practical guidance​

What to record​

You don’t need to write extensively. Brief notes are often enough.

Body observations​

  • Where did tremors occur?
  • What was the quality (fast/slow, strong/gentle, smooth/jerky)?
  • Any sensations during or after (warmth, tingling, heaviness, lightness)?
  • Areas that felt blocked or resistant?

Emotional content​

  • Any emotions that arose?
  • Anything surprising or unexpected?
  • How do you feel emotionally now?

Memories or images​

  • Did anything come up (memories, images, thoughts)?
  • You don’t need to analyse; just note what appeared
  • These can be explored later if relevant

Context​

  • What’s happening in your life right now?
  • Sleep quality, stress levels, significant events?
  • This helps you see connections over time

Progress markers​

  • Anything different from previous sessions?
  • Any shifts in your practice?
  • Changes you’re noticing in daily life?

Journalling approaches​

  • Free writing — Set a timer for 5–10 minutes. Write continuously without editing or overthinking. Let whatever wants to emerge come through the pen. Don’t worry about grammar, coherence, or making sense. This approach accesses material that more structured writing might miss.
  • Structured prompts — Use the same questions each session for consistency: How did my body feel before/after? Where did tremors go today? What emotions or sensations arose? What am I noticing in my life this week?
  • Body maps — Draw a simple outline of a body. Mark where you felt tremors, sensations, or tension. Use different colours or symbols for different qualities. Over time, these maps show how your practice moves through your body.
  • Voice notes — If writing feels like too much, speak your reflections into your phone. Some people find verbal processing more natural than written.
  • Digital tracking — Apps or spreadsheets can track quantifiable aspects: session length, intensity, sleep quality, mood ratings. This provides data to complement qualitative notes.

Sustainable practice​

  • Keep it brief — A few sentences is enough. Long entries are harder to maintain.
  • Lower the bar — Some days, just recording “TRE™, 15 minutes, felt good” is fine.
  • Make it accessible — Keep your journal where you practice.
  • Don’t force meaning — You don’t need to understand everything.
  • Review periodically — Every few weeks or months, read back through entries.

What journalling reveals​

Over months of practice, journals often show:

  • Shifts in where tremors occur (e.g. movement from legs to core to upper body)
  • Changes in emotional content as layers release
  • Correlations between life events and internal experience
  • Gradual progress that accumulates significantly
  • Your body’s patterns and typical responses

Specific applications​

  • Processing difficult sessions — When something intense arises, writing helps contain and process it. Write about what happened, how you responded, what you’re feeling now.
  • Preparing for Provider sessions — Journal notes help you remember what to discuss with a Certified TRE™ Provider. Share relevant entries or use them to orient the conversation.
  • Combining with therapy — Your TRE™ journal can inform therapy sessions. Material that surfaces somatically can be explored verbally. The body provides content; therapy provides understanding.

Considerations​

  • Journalling works best when it feels supportive, not obligatory.
  • Some people find writing immediately after TRE™ interrupts their relaxed state. Wait a few minutes if needed.
  • If journalling brings up difficult material, remember that you don’t have to process it alone.
  • The journal is for you; it doesn’t need to be readable by anyone else.
  • If writing triggers rumination rather than integration, try shorter entries or body maps instead.
No right way

There’s no correct journalling method. Experiment to find what works for you. The goal is reflection and integration, not perfect documentation.