What Health Professionals Say About the Total Release Experience®

Recognised by professionals across

Psychiatry • General Practice • Trauma Therapy • Somatic Practice • International Health and Trauma Communities

Health professionals across medicine, psychiatry and therapy recognise the value of body-led tension release and many confidently refer clients to TRE UK®.

Over the years, doctors, psychiatrists, therapists and trauma specialists have observed the impact of releasing tension held within the body.

Their reflections offer an important professional perspective on why body-led approaches are gaining attention in trauma and stress recovery.

Professional and Clinical Contributors

 

These professionals have shared reflections or insights on the Total Release Experience® and its role in body-led tension release.

Professor Gordon Turnbull
Consultant Psychiatrist, PTSD Specialist

Dr Alison Graham
General Practitioner

Mandy Bostwick MSc MA ISSTD
Clinical Director, Trauma Psychotherapist

Dr Tina Henshall
Consultant in General Adult and Liaison Psychiatry

Alicia Patterson, MA LPC R-DMT
Physical Therapist

Dr Eli Babajiya Mama

Clinical Reflections

Reflections from medical and therapeutic professionals who have observed or worked with the Total Release Experience®.

Prof Gordon Turnbull

Professor Gordon Turnbull, Consultant Psychiatrist
Wg Cdr RAF Retd.
World Leading PTSD expert

Author of “From Lockerbie to 7/7: How Trauma Affects Our Minds and How We Fight Back”

‘The Total Release Experience® offers a method of releasing trauma energy from both mind and body. In my experience, it is very effective.’

My introduction to psychiatry from physical medicine coincided with the initial appearance of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) in 1980 in the psychiatric classification manual DSM-III.  Because I was serving in the military at the time (Royal Air Force) PTSD and trauma reactions became a prominent focus in our work.

The search for tools to treat PTSD initially depended on using established treatment methods. Many of the psychotropic medications used to treat anxiety states, depression, cognitive, and other psychological therapies were used in the new field.

PTSD became a prominent focus in research and provided a platform for the development of new treatment strategies, both pharmacological and psychological.  Over the intervening years, I have remained intensely interested in trauma work and have witnessed the most interesting development of body-focused psychological methods.

This is very relevant to trauma reactions that involve both mind and body.  Exposure to trauma excites survival energy which has a transient, necessary, and beneficial effect in short-term acute stress reactions.  However, if that survival energy becomes trapped in the mind and body then it creates ongoing strain.   This we recognize as hyperarousal, flashbacks, and other intrusive images of the trauma.  As well as a host of ways to avoid reminders we call avoidance.  These are the core features of PTSD, fuelled by trapped energy from the original impact of the trauma which has never been released.

The Total Release Experience is a method of releasing that energy from the mind and the body and eliminating the symptoms of PTSD.  In my experience it is very effective…..and….we didn’t invent it…..we observed it in other species who use it in the natural world as a way of preventing the development of their PTSD.

Dr-Alison

Dr Alison Graham GP

‘It is rare in medicine to come across something that is potentially so cost-effective, safe, and that teaches the patient to be self-reliant.’

It is rare in medicine to come across something that is potentially so cost-effective, that is safe, and that teaches the patient to be self-reliant.  It was also refreshing to see a local Pain Consultant recommending it as it ‘ fits very well with our bio-psycho-social model of pain management’.  If it shows in trials what Caroline has seen many times over in her clients who have fibromyalgia, PTSD, and anxiety for example, then I hope this will convince others to offer this as part of their treatment package.   As doctors, we desperately need something other than medication they may not need or counselling that is more expensive. The future looks very exciting!’

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Mandy Bostwick MSc, MA, ISSTD

 Clinical Director, Specialist Trauma Psychotherapist.   

‘I have no hesitation in endorsing TRE UK® and highly recommend them.’

‘The Total Release Experience® is an exciting treatment for releasing trauma energy trapped in the body.  Despite years of international research in the field of trauma, evidence shows that talking therapies alone are not enough to help someone recover from a trauma event; however, despite the evidence, talking therapies are the primary source of treatment used in the UK.  Without removing trauma energy that is trapped in the body, a person will not fully recover. They will continually talk about one’s trauma, which has the ability to re-traumatise them and in some cases can make a person worse.’

The energy-releasing programme delivered by TRE UK®, once learned, has the ability to slowly process trauma safely at a pace a person can cope with.  It is a healthier, more direct way of releasing trauma that is held in the body.  TRE UK® has developed this technique to a high standard, which is not seen anywhere else in the UK®.

I have worked alongside TRE UK® for the past 12 years and have seen firsthand how this unique approach developed through the work of Caroline Purvey releases trauma through the most natural resource the body has, the PSOAS muscle.  Having referred clients for many years, this safe and secure practice has shown proven results with the most complex cases of trauma, time and time again.  Often results are felt in a matter of a few sessions, which is a stark difference from conventional methods of talking therapy, which fail to recognise that primary trauma is held in the body.  With the capability to be delivered in multiple languages, TRE UK® offers an exciting prospect in today’s suffering world, giving hope to many seeking help.  I have no hesitation in endorsing TRE UK® and highly recommend them.’

Psychiatric and Therapeutic Observations

Professionals working in trauma therapy and psychiatry reflect on the role of the body in stress and trauma recovery.

Dr. Tina Henshall
Consultant in General Adult and Liaison Psychiatry

‘I would be fascinated to see research on this release mechanism from a psychological and neurophysiological perspective.’

As a Consultant in General Adult and Liaison Psychiatry, I have worked with individuals in both the community and hospitals for 25 years, across a range of conditions. Treatment approaches have become ever more varied.  But they essentially aim to address the biological, psychological, and social dimensions of the disorder.  My view is that they all complement and ‘dovetail’ together. The emergence of therapies that consider the body as the key to both the expression of mental disorder and also its route to healing has included, for example, ‘sensorimotor psychotherapy’.

I attended two TRE UK® workshops and engaged in personal practice. From my own reflection on this process, I see the modality of the TRE UK® programme as reactivating pre-existing natural healing mechanisms that we have mostly suppressed.  They still exist in wild animals. As such, it could be a valuable part of a multidisciplinary approach for a range of conditions.

 

International Practitioner Experience

Therapists and practitioners from different disciplines share their experience of body-led approaches to stress release.

Alicia Patterson, MA, LPC, R-DMT

Physical therapist in Denver, Colorado

‘I’d recommend this program to anyone who’s ready for the power of somatic process work.’

‘The Total Release Experience® program is a supportive comprehensive tool for those on a healing journey, whether it’s for physical, emotional, or psychological symptoms. As a helping professional and a regular participant in this process, I believe in it.

I’ve experienced regular, consistent relief as well as resolution of some long-term persistent challenges. I’d recommend this program to anyone who’s ready for the power of somatic process work. Thank you, TRE-UK!’

Dr Eli Babajiya Mama 

‘I recommend TRE UK® to my friends or anyone with stress or post-traumatic stress disorder.’

‘I had been having nightmares after experiencing trauma in 2000 when our home in Nigeria was attacked and torched with us inside. Cognitive therapy sessions had not been totally successful.

I have felt the difference after the Total Release Experience sessions and will definitely continue the programme. My awful nightmares are less and have changed in pattern. From a negative victim being pursued to a more positive creative nature-however bizarre some of them are. My sleep at night (and occasionally afternoons) is more restful.

I recommend TRE UK® to my friends or anyone with stress or post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Why Professionals Are Paying Attention to Body Led Trauma Release

For many years, trauma recovery focused primarily on talking therapies and medication. While these approaches can be valuable, growing understanding within psychology, neuroscience and trauma therapy has highlighted an important truth. Stress and trauma are not only held in the mind. They are also held within the body.

Health professionals increasingly recognise that recovery may require both psychological understanding and physical release of survival tension stored in the nervous system and muscles.

The Total Release Experience® is a body-led approach that offers a simple, natural process that allows the body to release tension gradually and safely. Many practitioners now see this as a valuable complement to existing therapeutic approaches.

The reflections shared on this page illustrate why professionals across psychiatry, general practice and trauma therapy are paying attention to this emerging field.

Professional Reflections on the Total Release Experience®

GP Alison Graham and PC Paul Harris discuss their experience of the work.