TRE® & Trauma Therapy

TRE® with Kali Foster

Acupuncture & Chinese herbal medicine can be very helpful for stress & health management (see Specialty Areas) but Kali would like to introduce to you an exciting new technique you can learn and use at home…

TRE® (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises)

TRE is a simple yet powerful technique involving basic exercises to fatigue the leg muscles and core, initiating an involuntary, ‘neurogenic’ tremor. This tremor is builds apon itself and releases tension in the muscles of the legs, thighs, groin and glutes, and can move up the body, through the abdominal muscles and diaphragm, to the neck and shoulders. Benefits include: deeper relaxation, help with sleep, relief of physical tension and pain, and improvement in digestive function (if stress related).

Usually a session will be relaxing, there can be unusual sensations as the tremor moves the body, but never any pain or strong discomfort. Occasionally the practice will bring up emotions, and we just witness them, stopping if we become too overwhelmed. The key is to stay present in the body, in the here and now. It is also a practice to develop self-regulation (feeling safe in our body, and listening to our body’s signals).

Kali Foster teaches the practice and usually recommends 3 sessions, spaced out over 3-4 weeks. You can do the practice at home, and come back to check in, tremor under supervision, ask any questions that arise, etc.

Intuitive yoga with TRE

TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises)

Somatic Experiencing® Trauma Therapy

Are you ready to trust your body and feel safe again? Have you done plenty of talk therapy but you feel like the problem is in your body?

​Our bodies still hold what was too much (overwhelming) at the time of a traumatic incident. In Somatic Experiencing® (SE) therapy, the body is encouraged to lead the session, with a lot of focus on resourcing, developing resilience and capacity.

Learn to regulate your nervous system with this gentle, non-cathartic approach.

SE® helps with stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, PTSD, and any unresolved emotional and physical trauma.

​Available in person, or online via Zoom, the 1 hr sessions look and feel a bit like counseling.

The difference is the huge focus on body mindfulness, tracking and exploring sensations through the body. Kali explains the neuro-physiology and helps you understand what’s happening in each moment. She teaches simple practices to anchor you in the present and begin to feel safe in your body.

You will gradually experience greater capacity to be with unpleasant sensations, including pain, and gain clarity over your situation. This is a more gentle approach than TRE® and may be recommended as a starting point, especially for those who experience dissociation or feel disconnected from their bodies.

Kali has also trained in Kathy Kain’s “Touch work for Trauma”, and can work directly with areas of the body that contain dysregulation, eg the lungs in asthma, or the digestive organs. “Touch work” is being hailed as one of the best approaches to developmental trauma, especially when there is no memory of events. The aim is to give the client a felt sense of safety in their body, to deeply calm the nervous system.

Somatic Experiencing® Trauma Therapy sessions are charged at the same rate as Acupuncture or TCM, and can be in conjunction with Acupuncture or bodywork (allow 80 mins for that). You can book online with Kali on Mondays, Thursdays & Fridays.

TESTIMONIALS…

“I came across Kali not long after I fell pregnant with my first child. I was experiencing a very high level of anxiety and my situation at that time was triggering past experiences of trauma, I was a mess.
“Over a period of approximately 6 months I had weekly sessions with Kali at Kallista Chinese Medicine. Kali is a highly passionate and intuitive healer and she was able to hold space for me to slowly but surely release so much of what was keeping me so tightly wound. Kali introduced me to a technique called Somatic Experiencing, at first I found this process challenging as I was so used to being in my head and ‘thinking’ my emotions rather than sinking into my physical body and noticing what was being felt there.
“As I continued to work with Kali, the strong feelings of fear and anxiety became less and less debilitating and I began to feel strong and grounded within myself again.
“I would strongly recommend Kali and her trauma healing work to anyone who has experienced trauma and is struggling with feelings of fear and anxiety.”

-Kirsten, aged 31

“Recently, I decided to address a childhood sexual assault, which hurt me and has affected my development into adulthood. My GP had suggested a counseling service for childhood sexual assault,
but I had already done some work in this area and I was searching
for a holistic approach, that included my body’s reactions.

I knew I needed guidance to change unhelpful emotional patterns, but my physical well-being was trapped as well, because it was still connected with past trauma and injury.

I have been working with Kali Foster, using Trauma Release Exercises, TRE, for 2 years and together we have identified a number of particular areas in my body that are holding past emotions and anxieties. Kali has skillfully and gently guided me to enable me to release old physical and
emotional blocks and habits, at my own pace.

Touch work then led to the discovery of locked muscles and nerves in specific parts of my body, which has helped me to be more aware of emotional triggers.

Kali’s consultations, over a short period of time,  have helped me to choose productive responses to
life. This work has assisted me in understanding and strengthening my relationships with others.
I am still learning about my boundaries and how to set them, with diplomacy and confidence.

I found that being encouraged to find my own  pace and timing for the sessions is an important factor in working out my progression. As my TRE sessions have progressed, I’ve found challenges, questions
and understandings, that have required time and healing. The discovery of stifled areas in both my physical and emotional self and then focusing care in these neglected areas has invigorated me.

I look forward to continuing my development and self awareness in the skilful and intuitive hands of Kali. Learning to undo the restrictive, at times destructive, self protective locks is empowering and gives me great hope for my future.

I have no hesitation in recommending Kali Foster and her TRE , shiatsu and nervous system regulation work to anyone seeking a skilled therapist in this practice.”

– Julie, aged 60