Neurogenic Tremors

It is not uncommon in many cultures to hear phrases such as: I was so frightened my jaw was quivering. I was shaking all over my body and I couldnt calm down. When I was giving that speech my legs were really shaking. My hands were shaking so bad I couldnt hold anything. I was so angry I shook all over. The experience of trembling is not only commonplace in our culture but it is a common experience to many mammalian species. This familiar, albeit disconcerting, experience is known as neurogenic tremors. It is well-known and documented that neurogenic tremors are a common result of a traumatic event.

Although there are no precise estimates of the incidence and prevalence of neurogenic tremors, clinical experience suggests that it is not rare (Chou, 2004). The neurogenic tremors commonly reported in PTSD are also recognized as diagnostic features of Panic Attacks (300.21), Social Phobias (300.23), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (300.02) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR, 2000).  The onset of these tremors can often be attributed to a traumatic event (Walters & Hening, 1992; Smaga 2003). Even though it is well accepted that body tremors are commonly present in a number of psychological illnesses, the purpose, etiology and potential therapeutic value of these tremors has received little attention in relation to the number of cases reported. Although the patho-physiology of tremors has made significant progress, many hypotheses on the purpose and value of these tremors are not yet based on sufficient data. Modern psycho-physiology needs to develop and test various hypotheses as a way of developing a rational medical theory and therapy to address this phenomenon (Deuschl et al., 2001).

Recent research and literature on the effects of tremors in humans after a traumatic episode is corroborating the same evidence previously reported in animal research. Neurogenic tremors in humans, much the same as the instinctual tremors in animals, is the natural response of a shocked or disrupted nervous system attempting to restore the neuro-physiologic homeostasis of the body (Feldman, 2004; van der Kolk, & van der Hart, 1991). According to researchers, this restorative mechanism allows the organism to thaw out or release itself from the freeze response in the human just as it does in the animal species (Feldman, 2004; Heller & Heller, 1977; Scaer, 2001b). Levine (2002) proposes that the key to healing traumatic symptoms in humans lies in our ability to mirror the fluid adaptation of wild animals as they ’shake out’ and pass through the immobility response and become fully mobile and functional again (p. 18). By reinforcing and harnessing these primordial and instinctual tremors instead of treating them as a pathology, humans, like animals, can resolve the somatic expressions of their trauma so that the homeostasis of the human organism can be restored (Levine, 2004).

Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) are a revolutionary new technique in trauma healing and stress reduction. These exercises consist of a series of simple exercises designed to evoke neurogenic tremors in a sustained manner in order to release a specific pattern of deep chronic tension from the center of gravity of the body (S3) protected by the psoas muscles. When neurogenic tremors are evoked at this powerful center of the body where the protective organismic contraction began, the shaking reverberates throughout the entire body traveling along the spine releasing deep chronic tension from the sacrum to the cranium.

By focusing on the body, Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) provide the opportunity for all people to heal from their traumatic experiences. As a self-help method, people in remote or destitute areas of the world can now guide themselves through their own healing process. These exercises are safe: easily learned: have immediate effects: are a natural deterrent to PTSD, can be self applied, and can be integrated into a simple daily routine to help restore healing faster.

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Chou, K. (2004). Diagnosis and management of the patient with tremor. Medicine and Health. 87(5), 135-138.

Deuschl, G., Raethjen, J., Lindemann, M., Krack, P. (2001). The pathophysiology of tremor. Muscles and Nerves. 24(6). 716-735.

Feldman, S., (2004). Biomechanical Stimulation Web by Spencer Feldman. Retrieved March 5, 2005 from http://www.vibraboard.com/research_study.html.

Heller, D. & Heller, L. (1977). Treatment of Automobile Accident Trauma. Retrieved March 1, 2005, from http://www.traumahealing.com/art_Auto.html

Levine, P. (2002). Waking the tiger: Healing trauma: The innate capacity to transform overwhelming experiences. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.

Levine, P. (2004). Nature’s Lessons in Healing Trauma. Retrieved March 1, 2005 from http://www.traumahealing.com/art_nature.html

Van der Kolk, B.A., & van der Hart, O. (1991). The intrusive past: The flexibility of memory and the engraving of trauma. American Imago, 48 (4), 425-454.

Walters, A. & Hening W. Noise-induced psychogenic tremor associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. Movement Disorders. 7(4), 333-338.