What happens when a trauma survivor discovers TRE and becomes the practitioner she needed? Alex Greene speaks with Svava Brooks, a TRE practitioner in Reykjavik, Iceland, who has mastered integrating neurogenic tremoring with mindful self-compassion and polyvagal theory. Svava didn't set out to become a provider—she entered the training for her own healing. But what she discovered transformed not only her life but her approach to holding space for others.
As a complex trauma survivor in functional freeze, Svava shares practical wisdom from taking "a thousand tiny steps" into social engagement. She reveals why TRE alone wasn't enough—she needed self-compassion practices to befriend her body and build the safe attachment capacity she'd never experienced. She discusses why she teaches the "hand on heart" practice first, how to work with freeze patterns during tremoring, and why going "slower than slow" creates lasting change. Now bringing TRE to every town in Iceland, Svava offers insights on sustainable healing practices, integrating somatic work with other modalities, and creating compassionate containers where bodies feel safe to release.
Key Highlights:
- 00:00 Introduction to Svava Brooks
- 02:51 Client's emotional breakthrough story
- 07:18 Discovering TRE in 2015
- 09:09 Body's push-pull response
- 13:30 Self-compassion meets TRE
- 16:47 ACE Study explained
- 21:24 Hand-on-heart practice begins
- 24:06 Chronic freeze patterns 29:41 Practicing the pause
- 34:16 Transformation as mother
- 36:38 Discovering joy and creativity
- 39:26 TRE Iceland mission
- 42:52 Hope through tremoring
- 44:52 Slower you go quote
Resources Mentioned:
- ACE Study (Adverse Childhood Experiences Study): https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/s0749-3797(98)00017-8/pdf
- Polyvagal Theory: https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/whatispolyvagaltheory
- Kristin Neff - Self-Compassion Research: https://self-compassion.org/the-research/
- Dr. David Berceli: https://treglobal.org/about-dr-david-berceli/
- Svava’s Website: https://www.svavabrooks.com/
Find us Online:
Neurogenic Integration: https://neurogenic-integration.com/
Instagram: @neurogenicintegration
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