Embodied Resilience
How To Navigate Your Nervous System With Polyvagal Theory And TRE™ (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises)
With Ruthi Forer
Starting end of February, 2024
Do you want to learn how to cope with stress and trauma in a healthy way?
Do you want to understand why you react the way you do in different situations?
Do you want to improve your relationships and social connections?
Have you found yourself overreacting or frozen and stuck since the war began and wondering how to move yourself out of these states?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this course is for you.
In this course, you will learn about the Polyvagal Theory, a groundbreaking framework for understanding the autonomic nervous system and its role in our survival, emotions, and behaviors. You will also learn about TRE, a simple and effective practice that helps you release tension and restore balance in your nervous system.
By combining the insights of the Polyvagal Theory and the benefits of TRE, you will gain a powerful self-help tool to enhance your well-being and resilience. You’ll learn how to navigate your nervous system and not get stuck.
Using TRE to embody Polyvagal Theory, with the intention of self-regulating, while practicing together as a group, will enable you to come out of the practice wanting to be spontaneously social and engage with someone - coregulation.
The Polyvagal Theory, created by Dr. Stephen Porges, helps us understand how our body reacts to stress and trauma. It shows us how our nervous system has three different states that affect our emotions and behaviors. These states are fight-flight, social engagement, and shutdown. The theory also explains “neuroception” – how our nervous system automatically scans our surroundings for safety or danger, often without us even realizing it. This process influences how we perceive and interact with the world.
The Polyvagal Theory can help us improve our well-being and resilience by teaching us how to recognize and regulate these states in ourselves and others. It can also help us enhance our relationships and social connections by showing us how to use our face, voice, and body language to communicate safety and trust. By understanding the Polyvagal Theory, we can gain valuable insights into our own behavior and reactions, and learn how to cope with stress and trauma in a healthy way.
TRE is a series of exercises designed to help the body release deep patterns of tension, stress, and trauma. Developed by Dr. David Berceli, TRE safely activates a natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating that releases muscular tension, calming down the nervous system. This practice can help individuals manage and alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety, and trauma. By learning and practicing TRE, individuals can gain a powerful self-help tool to relieve stress and promote overall well-being.
In TRE, you’ll tremor out old traumas from the past that are still stuck physiologically in your structure. It can help reduce the tension patterns in the body, so it restores healthier functioning. It increases the capacity of the immune system because it reduces stress, and helps with better sleep at night. Our culture and way of life makes us disembodied, we learn not to feel our bodies, we’re told from a very young age to sit still, stop wiggling and moving. Just look at children and how they constantly move their bodies/regulate themselves. We all began with this inherent knowledge. This course will help you become re-embodied. TRE provides a neural platform for a different perspective, a different neuroception, a different bias of the world. With tremoring, we are gaining some advantages to receive more feedback loops from our body.
Learn more about TRE and Polyvagal Theory on YouTube:
Playlist
Are you ready to change your reaction to response?
Are you ready to get to know your nervous system intimately?
By taking this course, you will gain
- A deeper understanding of your nervous system and how it influences your perception, reaction, and response to stress and trauma.
- A set of charts and exercises that will help you identify and regulate your nervous system states, triggers, and resources.
- A practice of TRE that you can use for a lifetime to relieve stress and promote well-being.
- A connection with a supportive group of people who are on the same journey of embodied resilience.
Course Breakdown
Intro to Polyvagal Theory, its core principles, and its implications on our daily lives. How does the autonomic nervous system function in relation to the Polyvagal Theory? Introduction to TRE, how it relates to Polyvagal Theory, the psoas, and a short practice.
Understanding our nervous system through the polyvagal lens. TRE practice to integrate our work. How does our nervous system respond to stress and trauma?
What makes us tick? What makes us feel good? What are cues of danger and safety for me? Where do I mistake cues of safety for danger because of my triggers? What is Neuroception and how does it influence our perception of safety and danger? TRE practice.
Understanding what helps me move in and out of my different nervous states. Learning how to navigate through them, how to move from reaction to response, how I can pause through various resources. TRE practice.
Looking at how our day-to-day is, how we navigate through our different states throughout the day. I may wake up feeling down/dorsal, then react to a trigger, then receive a hug and move into ventral… and on it goes through the day. Is my movement through the states jumpy or extreme? How can I soften the transitions? TRE practice.
Review of what we’ve learned, reflection on your experiences, insights you’ve had. What did I learn new about myself these past few weeks? What changes have I seen in my life? What’s improved as a result of this new knowledge? What maybe became more difficult and challenging due to this process? How can I integrate this knowledge into my day-to-day life? TRE practice.
6 Meetings
Monday Evenings
19:30-22:30
January 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, Febuary 5
From the comfort of your home or bed!
דוברי עברית: הקורס יועבר ברובו באנגלית, ובהתאם לקבוצת המשתתפים
Your Investment
1200₪
You can divide the payment into two payments via Credit Card
Payable via Paybox or bank transfer: Ruthi Forer Bank Hapoalim 12-748 Account: 514368
Have a question? Want more info?
Talk to me!
Cancellation policy:
As a participant in this 6-week online course facilitated via Zoom, you may cancel your registration up to 7 days after the date of purchase for a full refund. However, cancellations within this 7-day period will incur a cancellation fee of 5% of the course price. After the 7-day period, no refunds will be issued. If you miss a class, you will not receive a refund, but you may receive the recording of the session. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. We look forward to seeing you in the course!
Frequently Asked Questions
A notebook and pen, a comfortable and quiet spot in your home.
You can practice TRE from your bed or a yoga mat/mattress on the floor. I will send in our group of participants how to appropriately set up your phone or computer so I can see you, in particular for the TRE practice.
No, you don’t need any prior knowledge or experience in these modalities.
This course is suitable for anyone who wants to befriend their nervous system, whether you are a therapist who wants to learn more about self-regulating and co-regulating with your clients, a parent, a partner, a friend, or simply a human being.
You will learn how to self-regulate and co-regulate more effectively with yourself and others, using the insights of the Polyvagal Theory and the benefits of TRE. The course includes six weekly sessions of online learning, practice, and sharing. <br><br>
If you are ready to change your reaction to response, to get to know your nervous system intimately, and to experience the benefits of embodied resilience, then sign up for this course today. You will not regret it.
You will not be certified to teach TRE to your clients or friends. You will have the embodiment of the Polyvagal Theory to be a model to your clients and people around you, and that is priceless, for you, your clients, and your practice. To become certified to teach TRE, you have to study three intensive modules; it’s an intensive training. You can check here for upcoming trainings in Israel: traumaprevention.com.
You will be able to share the nervous system charting with your clients, teaching them self-regulation, and through doing it with them, teaching them co-regulation. You will receive various exercises to implement in your clinic or day-to-day life with your personal interactions.
Working together in a group and online can have many benefits for our well-being and resilience. One of the benefits is that we can feel a sense of belonging and connection with others who share similar experiences and challenges. As Mother Teresa said, “The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis but rather the feeling of not belonging”. When we get down to the level of our nervous systems, we begin to see how similar we are, with varied nuances. On a nervous system level, it’s easy to connect, to shake that feeling of being so different, no one could understand me, I don’t belong in certain spaces, or I’m not accepted.
Another benefit is that we can learn from each other and support each other in our journey of healing and growth. We can exchange feedback, insights, and resources, and we can co-regulate and practice together. Working together in a group and online can also be more convenient and accessible, as we can join from anywhere and anytime, without the hassle of traveling or scheduling. It can be a rewarding and empowering experience that can enhance our well-being and resilience.
My name is Ruthi Forer and I'm a VERY curious person.
Hi!
As a dedicated Somatic Practitioner, my commitment lies in assisting you to foster a deeper connection with your body, alleviate tension, and cultivate effective strategies for stress and trauma management. A significant part of my work involves empowering you to connect deeply with yourselves, enabling you to make clear, self-aligned decisions and navigate through your relationships.
Specializing in Sexuality, Tantra, Trauma/nervous system regulation, and Yoga Therapy, my approach is transformative and empowering. I firmly believe in the inherent healing ability within each individual and see my role as a guide in helping you unlock this intrinsic potential. The focus here is on you and how I can support your journey towards self-discovery and healing.
My Approach
My approach blends Yoga Therapy, Embodiment Yoga Principles, Sex Therapy (conversation), dynamic tools from Tantra Therapy, meditation & mindfulness, breathwork, TRE – Tension Releasing Exercises, Nonviolent Communication, Focusing, Family Constellation, Polyvagal Theory, and other somatic (body) approaches.
I offer in-person sessions in Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Tel Aviv as well as online. I accompany people on a journey to self-healing with these techniques, not only reserved for the field of sexuality.
I take a holistic approach, believing we are an organism comprised of many parts that interact with and influence each other. I am a curious person, empowering you to access your own inner healer and find your own voice and authenticity. I believe in authentic communication and being in touch and attunement with you and your individual pace.
I work deeply, going to the root of the symptoms. I believe whatever issues you’re facing, whether they be illness, physical symptoms, relationship issues, career path, etc, are just presenting symptoms of something far deeper. I help you uncover childhood wounds, patterns, and ways of behavior that are embedded in us, learning how to create and embody real change.
Our work together might confront you and will probably be challenging, and that’s okay! Everything is on the table to openly discuss. I believe the therapist-client relationship is an important one, a microcosmic of what you’ve got going on outside.
There’s no quick fix in healing. It takes time. I believe in “more is less”. Our nervous systems are delicate and need time to process and integrate change. You can sign up for a 10-session process with a very specific goal, but I recommend dedicating yourself to a journey, however long that will take. Because we are working with the body, the process is generally very effective. But it very much depends on you participating in the process.
It’s a cooperative journey, where the dedication and time that you put in will affect the outcome.
Education and Experience
- Certified Tantra Therapist with David Cohen Zedek (Masaot Halev) – מרכז אישתר – אומנויות האהבה והתפתחות התודעה
- Tibetan Tantra Workshop with Sanand Lev-Esh
- Somatic Sex Therapist with Noga Maivar and Maoz Yakov – התוכנית למיניות בגישה סומטית
- Navigating the Nervous System – Polyvagal Theory in clinical practice with Deb Dana, LCSW
- Family Constellation with emphasis on intimate relationships with Noga Maivar– Module I and II
- Focusing with Noga Maivar
- TRE® Advanced Provider – TRE for ALL, Inc. A Not-For-Profit 501 c3
- ISTA Level 1 graduate – International School of Temple Arts
- Neurogenic Yoga with Maria Alfaro– (TRE® + Yoga)
- Yoga Therapist – over 2,000 hours of continued education in Yoga Therapy, Yoga for Sexual Trauma, Yoga for a Happy Back, Trauma Sensitive Yoga etc…
- Nonviolent Communication with Michael Finkel and Yoram Mozenson
- Meditation, breathwork, mindfulness, Buddhism
- Facilitating workshops for 8 years and assisted at many weeklong intensive events, holding space, supporting
- Dynamic clinic in Jaffa & Jerusalem since 2019 helping people heal from trauma through the body, helping people with a myriad of sexual and relationship issues.
- Certified Reflexologist with Laura Norman
Testimonials
More Testimonials
Maya & Amir
"So we’re now a week after our final session with you and we just wanted to say (again) a huge thank you! At the beginning during our one on one sessions, you helped me learn a lot about my body and the connection with it (or lack thereof). Through the meditation, TRE exercises, breathing exercises and more, I now feel more in touch with myself. During our sessions I realized how important it was to bring my partner into the picture and have him come also to sessions to help us work on our communication skills.
With the tools we gained from you, we learned to communicate on a much better level, including being more in touch with what we’re feeling, how to be with each other even when we’re having a tough time, and all in all since our communication improved, so did our sexual and intimate life. With your help, we’re a lot more open and communicative, we have more energy and movement between us, and we can’t thank you enough for everything!"
Ricki Silber
"Before working with Ruthi, I had a tremor that was interrupting my life for about a year and a half. It was uncontrollable and made me feel weak, vulnerable, and flashback, not to mention it physically hurt my back to convulse so voilently. It would show up at any point, or when I felt slightly stressed and it would leave me feeling embarrassed and out of control. I was starting to come to terms with having the tremor for the rest of my life, or going on epilepsy medication- even though I knew it was a PTSD symptom.
Ruthi told me that the tremoring was a beautiful way the body naturally releases trauma and taught me TRE, a method that uses tremoring in an intentional and safe way. After just three TRE sessions, my spontaneous tremoring ended, and I was able to start controlling the intensity in which I got to process trauma through. My spontaneous full body tremoring localized to a very subtle one in my lips that is unnoticed by others and pain free. The full body tremoring gets to be invited in a safe way on the mat with TRE which allows me to have a relationship with whatever comes up instead of being overcome by it. I still practice TRE multiple times a week and it’s an amazing tool to have. I am so grateful to have control over my body again while still being able to process the stored trauma and release things when things come up. I might be an extreme case but everyone has something locked in their systems, and the freedom and spaciousness TRE gives is amazing. Thank you Ruthi for everything you do!"
Connect deeply with yourself
Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly tips, resources, stories and upcoming events.
by Ron Avnery
