Healing the Freeze Response with TRE®

When we experience fear or stress, our body instinctively activates protective responses to keep us safe. One of these is the freeze response—a survival mechanism where the body contracts, the chest collapses, and we shrink inward. It’s as if we’re trying to become invisible, to avoid being seen as a threat.

Over time, these responses can become habitual and unconscious, lingering in the body long after the original stress has passed. Our posture and physical form reflect this: tight muscles, rigid fascia, and a general lack of flexibility. Emotionally, it can show up as low energy or depression—states where the body feels crumpled in and closed off.

So how do we return to a state of openness, flexibility, and vitality? How do we reconnect with our natural, creative selves?

While stretching can offer temporary relief, and talking therapies are valuable for processing experiences, neither fully address the deeper physiological patterns held in the nervous system—especially those tied to the freeze response.

That’s because we’re dealing with deep, primal parts of the brain and brainstem, where trauma and stress responses are stored. To truly shift these patterns, we need approaches that work from the bottom up—starting in the body and informing the brain.

TRE® (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises) is one such method. Through a series of simple exercises, TRE activates a natural, neurogenic tremor reflex—essentially, the body’s way of releasing deep-held tension and signaling safety to the emotional centers of the brain.

This shaking isn’t random—it’s a biological discharge mechanism that resets the nervous system, calming the body and mind. As tension releases, we often feel lighter, more open, and more grounded. It’s a return to our natural rhythm and freedom.

If you're curious to experience TRE for yourself and you're in the North London area, visit Stillpoint Cranio to learn more.