How to Release Trauma From the Body: Gentle Trauma Release Exercises
Your shoulders are up near your ears again.
You didn't notice them rise.
Your jaw is tight, your breath is somewhere high in your chest, and some part of you is braced for something that isn't happening.
You know the story behind it.
You may have talked it through many times.
And still your body holds on.
If you've been searching for how to release trauma from the body, you're probably looking for something you can actually do, not another explanation.
So this guide is practical.
Six gentle trauma release exercises you can try at home, how to stay safe while you practice, and where deeper work comes in when exercises aren't enough.
How to Release Trauma From the Body: Where to Start
First, a word about what "release" really means.
It isn't a dramatic purge where everything pours out at once.
For most people, it's quieter than that.
When something overwhelming happened, your body did something to get through it.
It braced, held its breath, got ready to run, or went still.
If it never got the chance to finish that response and settle, it can keep running it for years.
Releasing trauma from the body means giving that response a chance to finish, a little at a time.
That's why the most important rule comes first.
Safety before release.
Your body won't let go of anything while it still feels under threat.
So every exercise below starts by helping you feel a little steadier, and none of them asks you to push.
If you'd like the bigger picture before you begin, I've written about what somatic healing is and how it differs from talk therapy.
Trauma Release Exercises You Can Try at Home
Try one or two at a time, not all six at once.
Notice how you feel afterwards, and come back to the ones that help.
Stop if you feel overwhelmed or dizzy, and go slower.
That isn't failing.
It's your body telling you the pace it needs.
1. Grounding Through Your Feet
Sit or stand with both feet flat on the floor.
Press them down gently, as if you're pushing the floor away a little.
Notice the contact: the heel, the ball of the foot, the toes.
Stay with that feeling for five or six slow breaths.
This brings your attention out of your head and back into the room, which is where every other exercise begins.
2. The Long, Slow Exhale
Breathe in through your nose at a normal, comfortable pace.
Then let the breath out slowly through your mouth, as if you're blowing gently through a straw.
Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath.
Repeat this four or five times.
Don't force a deep breath in.
The slow breath out is the part that matters.
3. Orienting to the Room
Let your eyes move slowly around the space you're in.
Turn your head if it wants to.
Let your gaze rest on anything that's pleasant or neutral: a plant, a color, the light on a wall.
Name a few things to yourself as you go.
This tells your body, in its own language, that you're here, now, and nothing in this room is a threat.
4. Gentle Shaking
Stand with your knees soft.
Start by gently bouncing through your knees and letting your arms hang loose.
Let the movement spread to your shoulders and hands, as if you're shaking off water.
Keep it small and easy for 30 to 60 seconds, then stand still and notice what you feel.
Animals often shake after a fright.
It's one of the most natural ways a body lets go of tension.
5. The Butterfly Hug
Cross your arms over your chest so each hand rests just below the opposite collarbone.
Tap slowly, alternating left and right, like a heartbeat.
Keep breathing slowly while you tap.
Do this for a minute or two, or until something in you softens.
Many people find it calming when they feel shaky or close to tears.
6. Pushing Into a Wall
Stand facing a wall and place both palms flat against it at shoulder height.
Slowly push, as if you're moving the wall away from you.
Use about half your strength, and feel the effort in your arms, back and legs.
Hold for a few breaths, then release slowly.
Repeat two or three times.
This can help when you feel a lot of tension with nowhere to go, as if your body wants to push something away and never could.
What About TRE and the 7 Trauma Release Exercises?
You may come across TRE, which stands for Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises.
It's a set of seven exercises developed by David Berceli, designed to bring on gentle tremors in the body.
Many people find it helpful.
It's best learned with a trained TRE provider, because the tremors can bring up more than people expect, and a guide helps you pace it.
TRE isn't something I teach.
The six exercises above are simpler, gentler places to start on your own.
How Often Should You Practice?
A little, often, works better than a lot, rarely.
Five minutes a day will usually do more than an hour once a week.
It helps to attach a practice to something you already do.
Grounding while the kettle boils.
A slow exhale before you open your laptop.
Orienting when you first get home.
Over time your body starts to learn that it can come down, not just once, but again and again.
If you'd like something guided to start with, there's a free anxiety relief practice for calming your nervous system.
What If Nothing Seems to Happen?
That's common, especially at the start.
A lot of people expect to feel something big, and when they don't, they assume it isn't working.
Your body may simply be cautious.
It has spent a long time on guard, and it won't drop that just because you've asked it to.
Keep the practices small, keep them kind, and keep coming back to them.
Often the change shows up somewhere else first.
You notice you slept a little better.
You notice your shoulders came down on their own in the middle of the afternoon.
You notice you recovered faster from something that would usually have knocked you sideways.
Those small shifts count.
Don't chase a release.
Let your body set the pace.
Where in Your Body Do You Feel It?
Many people notice that tension gathers in the same places.
The jaw and neck.
The shoulders.
The chest and breath.
The gut.
The hips and lower back.
Knowing where your body tends to hold on can help you choose which exercise to reach for.
I've written a separate guide to where trauma is stored in the body, with one small thing to try for each area.
What If Exercises Aren't Enough?
These practices can make a real difference, especially to everyday tension.
But sometimes the same patterns keep coming back, however often you practice.
The panic still rises.
The shutdown still happens.
The tension returns by evening.
That isn't a sign you're doing them wrong.
It usually means the pattern started somewhere deeper, and it needs more than daily practice to settle.
This is where regression, as part of somatic therapy in Fort Collins and online, comes in.
We start by settling your body, because nothing useful happens in a system that's braced.
Then, when you're ready, we go back to where the pattern was first learned.
You stay aware the whole time.
You can stop whenever you want.
And you don't have to go back through the worst of it, because healing doesn't mean reliving it.
If you've done a lot of therapy and wondered why some of it never shifted, I've written about why therapy sometimes doesn't reach everything.
When to See a Doctor First
If your body is giving you physical symptoms, like ongoing pain, dizziness, a racing heart or digestive problems, please get a medical check-up before assuming it's stored trauma.
These exercises support medical care.
They don't replace it.
Would Support Help?
You don't have to work this out on your own.
If you're not sure what you're carrying, you can read the signs you're carrying trauma.
And if you'd like to talk it through, I offer a free 30-minute clarity call.
You can tell me what your body does and what you've tried, and I'll tell you honestly whether I think this work fits, and if it doesn't, I'll say so.
Whatever you decide, I'd leave you with this.
Your body has been holding on because it was trying to keep you safe.
It can learn to let go, gently, at its own pace.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The seven trauma release exercises, often called TRE, are a set developed by David Berceli to bring on gentle tremors that help the body let go of tension. They're best learned with a trained provider, who can help you pace the process. Simpler exercises, like grounding and slow breathing, are gentler places to start alone.
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There isn't a fast way that's also safe. Rushing can overwhelm your body and make it brace harder. What works best is small and steady: a few minutes of grounding, slow breathing or gentle movement most days, so your body learns again and again that it's safe to come down.
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Body-based practices like grounding, slow breathing, orienting to your surroundings and gentle shaking can all help settle everyday tension. For patterns that keep coming back, deeper work helps, such as somatic work combined with regression, which settles the body first and then works with where a pattern began.
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Rather than unlocking it by force, it helps to make your body feel safe enough to let go on its own. Start by noticing where you hold tension, then use gentle practices like a long, slow exhale or pressing your feet into the floor. Go slowly, and stop if you feel overwhelmed.
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People often notice a deep breath that arrives on its own, yawning, warmth, tears, gentle trembling or a sudden heaviness, as if they could finally rest. Afterwards you may feel tired or lighter. These signs are usually mild and pass quickly. If anything feels overwhelming, slow down and give yourself time.
