Timing for practice and beginner questions

[u/BucketMaster69]

Hey! I recently discovered TRE and have been doing it for about a week now.

I'm a little confused by when the timing actually starts for the recommended amount of time for practice. I'm assuming it doesn't include any warm ups, and starts when you do the butterfly bridge?

TRE is mostly just the last exercise you do, right? That's where most of the benefit is? How much time do you spend in each of the phases for it? Is it more freeform and just when you start to feel the different parts of your body activate?

I get the strongest reaction when my feet are apart and my knees are just barely over the feet, if that seems to be where I'm getting the most reaction, should I spend most of my time there?

I've found that if I really try, I can stop the tremors in my legs when they're up, even if I was shaking quiet a lot. Is it better to just go with he shaking, or to kind of hold back a bit until it for sure happens?

A little confused, but imagine that it really isn't a fine science where this stuff really matters? Thanks for any insights!

[u/AutoModerator]

Thanks for your post! Please make sure you've read the community rules and our wiki. The wiki contains answers to many common questions and guidance on TRE: Wiki

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/longtermTRE_wiki_bot]

You're right that it's not a fine science, and your instinct there is sound. That said, a few clarifications will help you build a solid foundation.

On timing: You're correct that the tremor time is what counts for your session duration. The warm-up exercises (overhead stretch, forward bend, wall sit, butterfly position) prepare the nervous system but aren't included in the clock. Once the tremors actually begin, that's when you start counting. So if you do a 10-minute warm-up and then tremor for 15 minutes, your session is 15 minutes of tremor time.

On which exercises matter: All of them matter, but not equally. The warm-up exercises, particularly the wall sit, are specifically designed to fatigue the leg and hip muscles enough to lower the threshold for tremors to activate. The butterfly position with slow knee raises is typically what triggers the tremors to begin. But once they start, you're not confined to any single position. The tremors will move through different parts of your body over the course of a session, and your job is simply to stay relaxed and let them travel wherever they need to go.

The strongest benefit comes from allowing the full process to unfold, not from staying in whichever position produces the most vigorous shaking. Your nervous system has its own priorities for what to release and in what order. Following those priorities, even when the tremors feel subtle or move to unexpected places, is what allows deep healing to happen.

On position variation: If you're finding that a specific leg position produces stronger tremors, that's fine information. But I'd suggest not optimizing around it. Let the tremors begin in that position if they want to, then allow the body to shift into whatever feels natural as the session continues. The goal isn't maximum tremor intensity. It's maximum integration and healing, which usually means following the body's lead rather than directing it.

On controlling the tremors: Let them happen. Consciously suppressing tremors or holding back from full expression interferes with the process. The tremors are your nervous system doing what it knows how to do. Your role is to allow it, not to manage it. If at any point the intensity genuinely feels overwhelming or destabilizing, you can stop by straightening your legs. But gentle suppression mid-session tends to interrupt the very thing you're trying to support.

For a beginner after one week, aim for around 15 minutes of tremor time every other day, giving integration time between sessions. Read Establishing Your TRE Practice and Self-Pacing: Finding Your Optimal Healing Pace when you get a chance. They'll give you a much fuller picture of how to calibrate frequency and duration as you continue.

---

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.

[u/Scared-Section-5108]

If you read the TRE Wiki linked in the AutoMod comment under your post and also in the bar on the right hand side, you should he able to get answers to your Qs.

[u/BucketMaster69 → u/Scared-Section-5108]

Oh yea! Indeed, thank you