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Working with a sensitive nervous system

TRE™ works with the nervous system. If your nervous system is already sensitised (whether from trauma, life circumstances, or other factors), the same principles apply, just with more emphasis on going slowly and having support available.

You are the expert on you

Mental health labels can be useful for communication and accessing services, but they don’t define your experience. What matters is how your nervous system responds, and you’re the one who knows that best.

The core principles​

Whatever your history or current experience, these principles apply:

  • Go slower than you think you need to — A sensitised nervous system benefits from gentleness. Short sessions (even 2-5 minutes of tremoring) are better than longer ones that push past your capacity.
  • Build self-regulation skills first — Before inviting more activation, ensure you can reliably calm yourself down. The self-regulation section is essential reading.
  • Have support available — This might mean working with a Certified TRE™ Provider, having a therapist who knows you’re practising, or simply having someone you can call afterwards if needed.
  • Trust your experience — If TRE™ consistently makes you feel worse rather than better, that’s important information. Adjust your approach or pause until you have more support.

If you have a trauma history​

Trauma changes the nervous system. This isn’t pathology; it’s your system doing what it learnt to do to survive. TRE™ can help recalibrate, but it needs to be approached with respect for what your system has been through.

What helps​

  • Working with a trauma-informed Certified TRE™ Provider, especially when beginning.
  • Very short sessions until you know how you respond.
  • Strong grounding skills that you practise outside of TRE™.
  • A trauma therapist alongside TRE™ if you’re working with significant material.
  • Patience: your system learnt these patterns over years; they won’t shift overnight.

What to watch for​

  • Flashbacks, intrusive memories, or feeling ‘pulled back’ into past experiences.
  • Difficulty returning to the present after practice.
  • Feeling more activated or destabilised in the days after practice.
  • Dissociation during or after sessions.

If these happen, shorten your sessions, increase grounding, and consider working with a Certified TRE™ Provider.

If your emotions feel overwhelming​

Some people experience emotions very intensely. TRE™ can bring emotions to the surface, which may feel like too much.

What helps​

  • Build regulation skills before practising
  • Keep sessions short so emotions stay manageable
  • Have support available (therapist, trusted friend, Certified TRE™ Provider)
  • Learn to stop the tremors and use containment strategies before you need them

The goal is not to suppress emotions. It’s to experience them in doses you can integrate. Over time, your capacity grows.

If you tend to disconnect or space out​

Dissociation (disconnecting from your body, the present moment, or your sense of self) is a common response to overwhelm. TRE™ can sometimes trigger this.

What helps​

  • Keep your eyes open during practice
  • Practise grounding techniques until they’re second nature
  • Keep sessions short, with frequent grounding breaks
  • Consider working with both a Certified TRE™ Provider and a therapist who understands dissociation

If you’re going through a difficult time​

TRE™ is for building regulation over time; it’s not crisis intervention. If you’re in acute distress:

  • Focus on stabilisation first
  • Crisis support, therapy, and practical help take priority
  • TRE™ can wait until you have more ground under your feet
  • When you do practise, keep it gentle and brief

If you’re working with a therapist or psychiatrist, let them know you want to try TRE™. Many are supportive; some may want you to wait until you’re more stable. Their input is valuable.

When to pause TRE™​

Consider pausing practice if:

  • You consistently feel worse rather than better afterward
  • You’re in acute crisis
  • Your therapist or psychiatrist recommends waiting
  • You’re starting or changing psychiatric medication (your system needs time to stabilise)
  • Practice is triggering symptoms rather than helping regulate them

Pausing is not failure; it’s self-regulation. You can always return when conditions allow.