Chronic pain affects millions of people worldwide. Whether it stems from injury, accumulated stress, or long-held muscle tension, it can quietly erode your quality of life in ways that are hard to explain to others. But what if your body already has a built-in mechanism to release that tension — one that most of us have simply never been taught to use?
That mechanism is neurogenic tremoring, also known as Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises, or TRE.
How Does Neurogenic Tremoring Work?
Neurogenic tremoring works by engaging the body’s natural tremor mechanism — an involuntary shaking or vibration that releases deeply held tension from the muscles and nervous system. When the body is exposed to physical or emotional stress, or to trauma, muscles contract as a protective response. Over time, if that tension is never fully discharged, it becomes chronic.
By initiating these gentle tremors, the body is able to reset. It shifts out of the fight-or-flight state and back into a relaxed, restorative mode. This process soothes the nervous system, releases muscle tightness, improves circulation, and restores mobility. By slowing the release of stress hormones, the body’s capacity to relax, repair, and restore itself naturally increases. It is a simple, safe, and effective method to support overall health.
The Science Behind Tremoring
When stress accumulates, the autonomic nervous system stays in a state of high alert. Muscles remain tense, creating pressure points, stiffness, and discomfort. Tremors disrupt this state, allowing the body to shift back into the parasympathetic — or rest and recovery — system, which helps the muscles relax.
Relaxing the muscles also improves blood circulation. When muscles are tense for extended periods, blood flow becomes restricted, which aggravates pain and inflammation. As neurogenic tremoring relaxes those muscles, circulation improves — delivering oxygen and nutrients to affected areas and helping remove waste products such as lactic acid. This contributes directly to pain relief and the overall healing process.
Tremoring also triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. Endorphins reduce pain and create a sense of wellbeing and relaxation — which is why people often feel lighter, more at ease, and sometimes even euphoric after a tremoring session. These natural chemicals work on both physical pain and emotional stress, further supporting the healing process.
Tremoring can also be particularly effective for reducing post-workout muscle soreness. Practising neurogenic tremoring directly after exercise increases blood flow to the muscles, speeds up recovery, and reduces delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) by helping the body flush out metabolic waste more efficiently. From my own experience, around 15 minutes of tremoring after a heavy strength training session makes a noticeable difference.
In My Practice
In my practice as a chiropractor, I have treated thousands of patients with various types of pain. For many of them, I suggest trying neurogenic tremoring. It always gives me great joy when they return after their first beginner’s course — often surprised by how it felt — and even more so when I witness the progression in those who stay with the practice over time. I have seen total life transformations: people who were unable to work because of painful conditions returning to a full job. It humbles me to see this innate healing power of the body in action.
How You Can Start
The most effective way to begin is with a guided introduction so that you learn to tremor safely and confidently from the start. At The Integrated Human, we offer an Introduction to TRE course designed specifically for beginners — whether you are dealing with chronic pain, recovering from stress or trauma, or simply curious about what your body is capable of.
We also run monthly group TRE sessions, which are a good way to maintain a regular practice once you have completed the introductory course.
If you have questions before signing up, feel free to get in touch — we are happy to talk through whether TRE is the right fit for you.
A Word of Caution
If you have recently experienced an injury or are currently in acute pain, it is important to approach neurogenic tremoring carefully. Tremoring can help release tension, but it is not something to push through when dealing with a fresh injury. Start slow and keep the tremors gentle. If pain or discomfort increases, wait until the injury has settled before continuing.
Pain is often the body’s way of signalling that something is out of balance. Neurogenic tremoring offers a simple, safe, and natural way to release tension, calm the nervous system, improve circulation, and help the body return to a state of ease — but it works best when approached with patience and proper guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions About Neurogenic Tremoring and Pain Relief
Is neurogenic tremoring safe?
For most people, yes. Neurogenic tremoring is a gentle, natural process that the body already knows how to do — you are simply giving it permission and space to happen. That said, we strongly recommend learning from a certified TRE provider, or at minimum from a structured course such as the Neurogenic Integration video program, rather than attempting to learn from a book or YouTube. This is a safety recommendation. The tremor process can bring up stored tension and emotion, and having proper guidance ensures you can work with what arises in a way that feels safe and supportive. If you have a recent injury, are in acute pain, or have a history of trauma, working with a qualified facilitator is especially important.
How often should I practise TRE for pain relief?
For beginners, we generally recommend three sessions per week at most, with each session lasting between 5 and 15 minutes. Starting shorter and building gradually is better than doing too much too soon — the nervous system needs time to integrate the release. Most people notice a difference after just a few sessions, but the real benefits build with regular practice over time. Listen to your body — it will tell you what it needs.
Can TRE help with chronic pain?
Yes, and this is where some of the most significant results appear. Chronic pain is often held in the nervous system as much as in the body tissues themselves. Neurogenic tremoring works at the level of the nervous system, helping to shift the body out of a prolonged stress response that contributes to ongoing pain and tension. In my chiropractic practice, I have seen patients with long-standing painful conditions return to full function after incorporating TRE into their lives.
What does neurogenic tremoring feel like?
The tremors are typically gentle and involuntary — more like a fine vibration or shaking than anything forceful. Most people find them pleasant or even deeply relaxing once they stop trying to control them. Some people feel warmth, a sense of release, or emotional lightness during or after a session. Others notice that an area of chronic tension softens in a way that is hard to describe but immediately recognisable. The experience varies from person to person and from session to session.
How is TRE different from physiotherapy or massage?
Physiotherapy and massage are applied from the outside — a therapist works on your body. TRE works from the inside out. Rather than targeting a specific muscle or joint, neurogenic tremoring engages the nervous system directly, allowing the body to release tension patterns it has been holding across multiple areas at once. As a chiropractor with over 30 years of clinical experience, I have observed that TRE can release muscle tension at a much deeper level than any form of training, stretching, massage, or deep tissue work can achieve. This is because those approaches work on the muscles mechanically, while TRE works through the nervous system — addressing the source of the tension rather than the symptom. It also gives you something you can do yourself, at home, without relying on appointments. Many people use TRE alongside physiotherapy or massage and find the two approaches complement each other well.
About the author
Siv Jøssang Shields holds a Doctor of Chiropractic, a Master of Science in Physiology, and a Bachelor of Biology. She has been a practising chiropractor since 1996 and is a certified Master Breathwork Facilitator, Trauma-Sensitive HeartMath Practitioner, Soma Breath Instructor, and Certified Hypnotherapist. She has been teaching Neurogenic Tremoring since 2009, training directly under Dr. David Berceli, the founder of TRE. Together with Dr. Berceli and Alex Green, she co-created Neurogenic Integration — the world’s first fully online, self-paced TRE provider certification program. Siv is the co-founder of The Integrated Human, based in Voss, Norway, where she works with individuals and groups internationally through workshops, retreats, and certification programs.
