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Neurogenic Tremoring for Stress Relief: Journalist Daniel Seifert Shares His Experience

In our latest podcast episode, we welcomed Daniel Seifert, a journalist whose work has appeared in major publications like the BBC, New York Times, and National Geographic. Daniel joined us to share his personal discovery of neurogenic tremoring and how this simple practice changed his approach to stress management.

Daniel, like many of us dealing with workplace pressure, was searching for effective ways to handle stress. He found neurogenic tremoring (also called TRE or Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) through a YouTube search. What began as simple curiosity quickly became a regular practice with real benefits. His story shows that powerful stress-relief tools don't need to be complicated—they're often already part of our natural biology.

1. How a YouTube Video Led to a Stress-Relief Breakthrough

Daniel discovered tremoring through YouTube videos while looking for stress management techniques. Though it seemed unusual at first, he decided to try it because it required no special equipment or cost—just willingness to experiment. After just a couple of attempts following the exercises, he successfully activated his body's natural tremoring response.

The results came quickly. Daniel experienced better sleep that very night, release of jaw tension, and a feeling of having "released something" from his system. In his February 2024 journal, he wrote: "Tried TRE...where you basically exhaust the muscles till they shake on control, and it works!" This captures what many people feel when trying tremoring for the first time—surprise that our bodies already have this built-in way to release stress.

2. Enhanced Body Awareness and Sensory Experience

After tremoring sessions, Daniel noticed interesting changes in how he experienced the world. Music sounded different—he found emotional connections to songs he previously would have skipped. He also stood taller with better posture and breathed more deeply.

Daniel quoted a phrase from a Tai Chi practitioner that tremoring helps "dissolve the hyphen between mind-body." Instead of feeling his mind and body as separate, tremoring created a more unified experience. This shows how neurogenic tremoring isn't just about physical stress release—it helps bridge the gap we often create between mental and physical experiences. By completing natural stress cycles, both physical tension and mental stress can release simultaneously.

3. Why Tremoring Is Like Laughter

Daniel made an interesting comparison between tremoring and laughter—both are partly involuntary physical responses that we can somewhat but not completely control. Both bring a sense of release and relief. This comparison helps us understand how we've labeled certain natural body responses as "good" (like laughter) while viewing others (like tremoring or shaking) as problems to fix.

Alex explained how Dr. David Berceli, who developed TRE, gained key insights while working in war zones. In bomb shelters, Berceli observed people of all backgrounds responding to stress with similar protective postures and tremoring. This suggested tremoring wasn't just a random fear response but possibly a universal biological mechanism for processing stress. By "inviting" these tremors in a safe environment rather than stopping them, we can access our body's natural stress-release process.

4. Combining Tremoring with Other Wellness Practices

Daniel described how tremoring has become part of his "wellness toolbox," alongside Tai Chi, breathwork, acupressure, and sauna/cold plunge therapy. Rather than relying on just one approach, he finds different practices serve different purposes and work well together. He described Tai Chi as providing a "gentle flowing, internal meditative" quality, while tremoring offers a more "outward" release.

Alex shared how he pairs tremoring with Feldenkrais Method (mindful movement) and meditation. His meditation community found that starting with tremoring helped people settle more quickly into meditation and feel more connected to the group. This suggests neurogenic tremoring might be an excellent preparation for other wellness practices. For those already doing other wellness activities, tremoring doesn't replace what works—it enhances existing practices.

5. Who Benefits Most from Tremoring? The Answer Might Surprise You

An interesting discussion emerged about who tremoring works best for. Daniel initially thought his wife's athletic fitness might make tremoring harder for her, assuming stronger muscles would resist tremoring. However, Alex shared his surprising experience working with professional athletes—contrary to what many believe, many highly fit people actually tremor more easily and intensely than others.

This challenges the common belief that tremoring mainly helps people with obvious tension or trauma. In reality, everyone from elite athletes to office workers, from trauma survivors to those handling everyday stress, can benefit from this natural mechanism. How tremoring appears—sometimes gentle, sometimes vigorous, sometimes focused in specific body areas—reflects each person's unique tension patterns. This individual response makes tremoring both widely applicable and personally relevant.

6. How Tremoring Is Spreading Through Different Communities

The podcast revealed how neurogenic tremoring is gaining adoption across diverse settings. Alex shared how New York firefighters have added tremoring to their training program for new recruits, recognizing its value for stress management in high-pressure jobs. He also mentioned working with Catholic missionary sisters who are bringing the practice to their global community work.

This natural spread highlights one of tremoring's key strengths—it's simple to learn and teach. Unlike practices requiring extensive training or special equipment, tremoring can be learned relatively quickly and shared with others. As Daniel noted, "it can be pretty easily taught and learned...it has the right ingredients for spreading." This accessibility positions neurogenic tremoring to potentially follow a similar growth path as breathwork, which has become increasingly popular as people discover the benefits of working with natural body processes.

Conclusion: Rediscovering Your Body's Natural Healing Ability

Daniel's experience with neurogenic tremoring represents what many people are looking for—simple, effective ways to manage stress and reconnect with their body's natural wisdom. His story shows that powerful healing often doesn't require adding something new but rather removing obstacles to what's already there. Our bodies know how to process stress—we just need to allow this natural mechanism to work.

As stress levels continue to rise in today's world, tremoring offers an alternative to suppressing our body's responses or depending only on external solutions. Whether you're interested in adding to your wellness routine, dealing with chronic tension, or simply curious about natural healing, neurogenic tremoring might be worth exploring. As Daniel discovered, this simple practice can create meaningful changes. Your body already has built-in tools for healing—learning neurogenic tremoring is about accessing what's already there.

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