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Meditation

Meditation and TRE™ approach nervous system regulation from different angles: one through stillness and attention, the other through movement and release. Meditation cultivates the awareness that allows you to observe what arises; TRE™ provides material to observe. Together, they offer a complete practice of both witnessing and releasing.

How meditation and TRE™ work together​

What meditation offers TRE™​

  • Develops present-moment awareness
  • Cultivates non-judgmental observation
  • Increases interoceptive sensitivity
  • Provides container for what arises
  • Supports integration of released material

What TRE™ offers meditation​

  • Releases physical tension that interferes with sitting
  • Discharges activation that meditation alone may not address
  • Provides movement for when stillness feels stuck
  • Grounds practice in body experience

Key differences​

Meditation typically involves:

  • Stillness or minimal movement
  • Sustained attention or open awareness
  • Observation without engagement
  • Working with the mind through the body

TRE™ typically involves:

  • Involuntary movement
  • Allowing rather than directing
  • Release and discharge
  • Working with the body directly

These differences make them complementary rather than redundant.

Integration​

Before TRE™​

A brief meditation before TRE™ may help you arrive present and settled:

  1. Sit quietly for 5–10 minutes
  2. Focus on the breath or rest in open awareness
  3. Allow the mind to settle
  4. Notice your current state without changing it
  5. When ready, move into TRE™ exercises

This creates a contemplative container for practice.

During TRE™​

Bringing meditative awareness into tremoring is valuable but subtle:

  • Track sensations moment to moment
  • Observe without judgment
  • Allow without controlling
  • Stay present with whatever arises
  • Rest in witnessing rather than doing

This makes TRE™ itself a form of meditation in motion.

After TRE™​

The post-tremoring state is often conducive to meditation:

  • The body is relaxed
  • The nervous system is calm
  • Physical stillness feels natural
  • Awareness may be heightened

You may want to try:

  • Lying meditation — Simply lie still after tremoring and rest in awareness. This is the most natural transition.
  • Sitting meditation — After resting, sit up and practise your usual meditation. Many people find sitting easier after TRE™ has released physical tension.

As separate practices​

Many people practise meditation and TRE™ on different days:

  • Meditation for stillness, observation, and mental cultivation
  • TRE™ for movement, release, and physical discharge
  • Alternating based on what you need

Over time, skills developed in each practice enhance the other.

Practical guidance​

Compatible meditation styles​

  • Mindfulness meditation — Present-moment awareness pairs well with the emphasis on noticing body sensations in TRE™.
  • Body scan — Systematic attention to the body develops the interoceptive awareness that supports TRE™.
  • Open awareness — Allowing whatever arises without focus mirrors the allowing quality of TRE™.
  • Loving-kindness (mettā) — Cultivating warmth and compassion supports the self-kindness needed for somatic work.
  • Yoga nidra — This lying-down practice works well before or after TRE™.

Body scan practice​

The body scan is particularly complementary to TRE™. A simple practice:

  1. Lie down after TRE™ or on a separate occasion
  2. Bring attention to the top of your head
  3. Slowly move attention through each body part
  4. Notice sensations without changing them
  5. Move through the whole body over 10–20 minutes
  6. Rest in whole-body awareness

Regular body scans develop the sensitivity that makes TRE™ more effective.

Considerations​

  • If you have an established meditation practice, TRE™ may enhance it.
  • If meditation has been difficult, TRE™ may address physical barriers.
  • Very long meditations after intense TRE™ could be too much; keep it simple.
  • Some meditation traditions may have views on body practices; navigate this with discernment.
  • Neither practice is superior; they serve different functions.
Two wings

Think of meditation and TRE™ as two wings of the same bird: one offers stillness and observation, the other offers movement and release. Together, they support complete nervous system regulation.