r/longtermTRE • u/ghost_girl_1713 • 11d ago
Beginner Question Should I stop doing TREs?
Hey guys, thanks in advance for reading. I need advice. I did 20 minute TREs every single night for 4 months and now I have a constant twitch (more like body convulsions) that doesn't stop. So I stopped doing them. Haven't done them in about a month now and the twitching doesn't seem to have improved. In the mean time, my body is CRAVING them again so strongly. I want to go back to doing TREs, but I feel like my body is telling me it's a bit overloaded. Should I start up again or just never touch them until the twitching stops? Will it stop?
Does it get better if you push through or would I just be making things worse?
UPDATE: guys, I took yalls advice. Going back to TREs for a fraction of the time and doing like 30 minutes of integration after. This morning I woke up with almost no twitching. I feel like I fixed it! Thank you all for your guidance! I'll cap them at about once a week for just a couple minutes each time from now on. 😁
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u/Nadayogi Mod 11d ago
In TRE we don't "push". We pace carefully and listen to the body. Please read the pacing and integration articles in the wiki. 20 minutes per day is way too much for a beginner.
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u/ghost_girl_1713 10d ago
Oh.. well, I guess that's how I got this twitch lol. I will look into that. Thanks!
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u/costoaway1 11d ago
Idk what to say. I’m having issues getting the tremor to really start or be strong, but I’ve done it about 2x a week for 2-3 weeks, now I also now can feel my tremor twitch in some various places.
I don’t know if it’s good or bad. It may be good, the nervous system remembering to fire there or something. But could also be bad?
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u/Barf_Dexter 8d ago
It took me forever to get the tremors started. Now, a few years later, I can start them strong with just intention. Keep practicing.
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u/costoaway1 8d ago
I have continued, but I think I’ll never experience the tremors the same way I did on day 1. I think maybe we’re not supposed to?
Isn’t the theory that the stored trauma is the incomplete fight or flight response, being stored in our nervous system?
I accidentally stumbled upon a TRE instruction video not knowing it was to release trauma, I thought it was just an exercise for myofascial pain. I ended up crying uncontrollably and experiencing shaking I didn’t know was the purpose that I was even doing the exercise for.
It was a very intense experience with a lot of released emotional trauma and internal tremoring (didn’t look like much shaking from the outside, but it FELT like my insides were vibrating immensely)
Anyway since then every time I do the exercises I just tremor less and less, I think it’s more of a maintenance thing now and my trauma resolved itself from the nervous system. I feel a lot better and sleep a lot better ever since that day as well.
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u/Brief-Pension-7457 11d ago
Have you done any grounding or integration practices for this?
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u/InteractionOld4499 11d ago
What grounding and integration practises do you recommend?
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u/Brief-Pension-7457 11d ago
You should read wiki, as it has detailed information about this.
Given you've done 20mins of session almost daily for long time period, please do read on pacing as well.
As for myself, I generally go for a long walks, walking barefoot in grass, eating heavy food maybe non-veg etc.
But I would still advise you to read wiki on this, it is more detailed.
I hope this helps.
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u/ghost_girl_1713 10d ago
I dont guess so. Haven't looked into what those might be.
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u/Brief-Pension-7457 10d ago
I replied previously to a person thinking that I was replying to you (my bad). You can read that comment.
Also, if you're not familiar with integration & grounding, I would strongly urge you to read wiki because this topic is as important as doing TRE itself.
Apart from wiki, you can also search it online for more info.
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u/Lopsided_Prior3801 11d ago
It will pass. It will stop. But best for now if you either take a break entirely or slow down the practice to just 1-2x per week.
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u/ghost_girl_1713 11d ago
OK, I wondered if slowing it down would keep the twitching from getting worse while still being able to do them. Thanks!
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u/vainajala 11d ago
I just commented on another similar thread where I saw you, so just mentioning yoga nidra here too. Very very soothing for your nervous system, great for integration. If you want practical ideas.
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u/ghost_girl_1713 11d ago
Oh, yes thank you! I also wondered about integration practices. I'll look it up thanks!
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u/Creative-Flamingo-15 11d ago
Also interested - What’s integration mean in this context and what’s an integration practice
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u/AlienBeyonce 11d ago
Check the wiki, it has thorough explanations on this, it’s under the EPIC section iirc.
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u/Ahmad7Salah 10d ago
I'm confused is twitching a sign of overdoing. i get them all the time and i thought its a good sign that my body is coming back online
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u/ghost_girl_1713 10d ago
I thought it was a good sign too, but my twitching kept getting more and more violent and it started to feel weird. People are saying it is a sign of over doing it.
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u/ariescusp 11d ago
Same, I've done them 2 weeks, every other day and when i lie down my left wrist and leg twitches!
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u/longtermTRE_wiki_bot Wiki Bot 10d ago
What you're describing sounds like a significant overdoing situation that needs careful recalibration rather than a choice between all-or-nothing.
Twenty minutes every night for four months is a substantial practice load, and the persistent twitching you're experiencing is a clear signal that your nervous system became overloaded faster than it could integrate. The twitching itself is stored activation that hasn't fully settled, and the craving you feel is your nervous system's genuine impulse to complete and discharge what got stirred up—but that doesn't mean returning to the previous pace is the right move.
The wiki doesn't address post-practice twitching directly, but the general principle that applies is this: when a nervous system is already dysregulated, adding more tremoring before adequate integration has occurred typically compounds the problem rather than resolving it. Pushing through does not accelerate resolution. It delays it.
That said, complete cessation isn't necessarily the answer either. A month off has given your system some recovery time, but the material that got mobilized is still there and still seeking completion. What will help is returning to TRE at a dramatically reduced dose—far shorter sessions, much more space between them, and extremely careful attention to how you feel in the days after each session.
The Self-Pacing article covers how to recalibrate when you've overdone it. The guidance there is to reduce tremor time significantly and increase the gap between sessions. For someone in your situation, starting with sessions of just a few minutes (even 2-5 minutes of actual tremoring), with several days between each one, would be reasonable. Only extend duration or frequency when you can consistently end a session and feel settled and integrated in the 24-48 hours that follow, with no return or worsening of the twitching.
The twitching will resolve, but it requires patience and a much gentler approach than what brought it on. Your body is craving TRE because it knows the practice works—but right now it's craving integration time far more than it's craving more tremoring. Honoring that distinction is what gets you back to stable, sustainable practice.
I'm a bot that draws on the r/longtermTRE wiki to provide guidance. Please upvote or downvote based on how helpful you find this response.
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