What Is a Coherent State of Being? (And Why It Matters for Healing)

Most people don’t arrive in therapy because life is going smoothly. Oftentimes we arrive because obviously or subtly, something feels off. We feel stuck, overwhelmed, scattered, or like we’re made up of competing parts that just won’t fall into step. In my work as a somatic therapist, I often help clients explore a missing link in their healing journey: coherence.

What Is Coherence?

Coherence is a state of internal alignment. It’s not about being calm all the time, or having everything figured out. Quite the opposite. Instead, it’s about having your thoughts, emotions, & body sensations in relationship with each other rather than in conflict or disconnection or in a process of actively suppressing or numbing from them.

You can think of coherence as an inner conversation. Your mind is listening to your body. Your emotions are allowed to have a voice. Your body isn’t overriding everything, nor is it being ignored. Even if there are different parts of you with different needs or stories, they’re acknowledged. They're not exiled, muted, or dismissed. They’re guided into coherence.

In this state, your system doesn’t have to fight itself. We can honor the wisdom that’s there. There’s more space, more flow, & often, more choice & creativity.

Coherence is when your thoughts, feelings, & body sensations are in conversation, not competition.

What It Feels Like to Be in a Coherent State

A coherent state might feel like:

• Being present without needing to escape/avoid

• Sensing an emotion & allowing it without being overtaken by it (restoring nervous system capacity)

• Noticing a body sensation & being curious about it, like hmmmmmmm

• Feeling like different parts of you are in the room together, what I call, “showing face”.

• Knowing what you feel, & trusting it—even if it's super uncomfortable

This doesn’t mean you’re happy or peaceful all the time. Non of that toxic positivity. It just means you’re with yourself in a more integrated way.

What Disrupts Coherence?

Many things can interfere with our natural ability to be coherent:

• Trauma & chronic stress

• The current external state of the world & oppressive class systems

• Early attachment wounds or unmet emotional needs

• Growing up in environments where emotions were unsafe or unwelcome

• Learning to disconnect from intuition or bodily signals as an adaptation for safety & connection

• Internalized shame or survival adaptations that push parts of us away

When coherence is disrupted, we often feel like we’re fragmented & torn apart. It’s like one part of us is driving the car while another part is frozen in the backseat, or like we’re having an emotion but aren’t sure if we’re allowed to feel it.

Reclaiming Coherence Through the Body

The body is often where coherence is lost so it’s also where it can be recovered.

Somatic practices like TRE® (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises), parts work, memory reconsolidating, & therapeutic touch help us reconnect with the body as a wise, living system that holds our story instead of a place we have to leave. In that way, I believe that we are living libraries.

In my work, I guide clients to gently meet their inner parts & embodied patterns with curiosity. It leads to the deeper truths. We listen to what has been pushed aside. We allow protective responses to be heard & soften at their pace. We give the body a chance to complete what was once interrupted.

For some, this also includes integrating expanded states of consciousness we’ve experienced through life transitions, intense emotional breakthroughs, or psychedelic experiences*. In these moments, coherence practices help anchor insights in the body, making healing feel more truthful & alive than intellectualized from the neck up.

*I offer non-judgmental support for clients integrating psychedelic experiences for growth & healing. I do not provide or facilitate the use of illegal substances.

A Living Process

Coherence isn’t a final destination. It’s a state we return home to, again & again & again. Like tuning an instrument or tending a fire, it’s a practice of connection. A practice of relationship with ourselves, our histories, & our bodies.

Wherever you are in your healing journey, coherence is possible. And it often begins simply with listening to what’s already within you right now.

Curious about what coherence might feel like in your system? The work deeply connects, nourishes, & is specific to you. Schedule a free consultation so we can connect & explore together.

The Power of Somatic Practices: Transforming Our Health and Legacy for Future Generations

As humans, we often feel called to leave a positive legacy for the generations that come after us—one that offers them a chance at healthier, more fulfilling lives. While we’ve long believed that genetics alone shape our health, recent scientific breakthroughs have shown us that there’s much more at play. Somatic practices—like Trauma & Tension Releasing Exercises (TRE®)—offer an exciting and transformative way to impact not just our own health, but the well-being of future generations.

Somatic practices work by releasing deep-rooted tension and stress from our bodies, allowing us to achieve a balanced state of being. When we engage in these practices regularly, we’re not only improving our physical, mental, and emotional health, but we’re also influencing our genetic expressions. Thanks to the field of epigenetics, we now know that the choices we make in our lifestyle and healing can turn genes on or off, affecting our own health and even the genetic inheritance we pass down.

Healing Transgenerational Trauma

One of the most profound ways somatic practices can impact future generations is by healing trauma that may have been passed down through our family lines. By addressing and releasing past traumas stored in our bodies, we can break the cycles of pain and suffering that may have unconsciously been passed down from our ancestors. This healing work helps to create a healthier foundation for future generations to build upon, free from the weight of inherited emotional burdens.

Reducing Stress and Promoting Mental Health

Chronic stress doesn’t only harm our own well-being, it can also alter the genetic expression of our children. Somatic practices offer us the tools to regulate our stress responses, creating a more peaceful internal environment. By reducing the harmful effects of stress on our genes, we’re helping to build future generations who are more resilient, with a stronger foundation for mental and emotional health.

Strengthening the Mind-Body Connection

Practices like TRE® help us cultivate a deeper mind-body connection. As we become more attuned to our physical sensations and emotional needs, we begin to develop healthier habits that support our overall well-being. By nurturing this connection within ourselves, we’re also passing down an invaluable tool to future generations—a tool that equips them to care for their bodies and minds, creating lasting health and balance.

For What’s next

For generations, we’ve been taught that our health is primarily determined by our genetics. But today, we’re beginning to realize that our lifestyle choices (including the somatic practices we engage in) can transform not only our own health but the genetic legacy we leave behind. By addressing inherited traumas, reducing stress, and strengthening our mind-body connection, we’re laying the groundwork for future generations to lead healthier, more balanced lives.

Through conscious choices and somatic healing, we can reshape not only our future but the future of those who come after us.

If you’re ready to experience how somatic practices like TRE® can transform your health and the legacy you leave for future generations, I invite you to join me in this healing journey. Together, we can release old patterns, reduce stress, and cultivate a deeper connection to body, mind, and humanity.

Psychedelics, the Psoas, & Somatics

There’s a powerful, hidden muscle deep within our bodies called the psoas (pronounced SO-as). It connects our lower spine to the tops of our thigh bones and according to some mystics and somatic practitioners, it’s more than just a muscle. They call it the “soul muscle,” a sacred bridge between our physical structure and our emotional, vibrational landscape.

The psoas plays a crucial role in posture, lower back support, and hip mobility, but being connected directly to the brain stem, it also can hold deep emotional residue. Stress, trauma, and the wear and tear of modern life often settle into this muscle, leaving it tight, guarded, and reactive. This can manifest as pain, restricted movement, anxiety, or even symptoms of PTSD.

This is where trauma release comes in.

Releasing What the Body Remembers

Trauma Release Exercises (TRE®) are a gentle, somatic practice designed to help the body unwind and discharge tension. Through simple movements that activate the body’s natural tremoring response, TRE® creates space for the psoas and the nervous system as a whole to soften and release old patterns of holding and masking. The result is often a deep sense of relief, groundedness, and calm.

When combined with microdosing (the intentional use of very small, sub-perceptual doses of psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, or MDMA) this process can deepen significantly.

Microdosing as a Somatic Ally

Microdosing, when accessed respectfully and under the right guidance, can gently open the door to parts of ourselves that have been locked away. Emotions, memories, and sensations that have been suppressed often begin to rise—not to overwhelm us, but to be witnessed, felt, and released.

Psychedelics can support the nervous system in becoming more resilient, more open to changes, and more attuned to the subtle messages of the body. In this state, the connection to the psoas becomes more accessible. We begin to feel from the inside out—and in doing so, discover how much we’ve been holding, and how we can learn to let it go.

Returning to coherence

The synergy of microdosing and trauma release practices invites profound transformation through softening, sensing, and experiencing. Together, they can help us reclaim a sense of aliveness, connection, and inner peace.

As with all healing modalities, intentionality and safety are essential. Working with an experienced guide or a Certified TRE® Provider is highly recommended, especially for those who are new to somatic practices, psychedelics, or navigating deeper trauma.

We are not meant to carry our pain alone. Healing is a collective journey we are all experiencing. When we gather in safe, intentional spaces, we remember that we belong. In community, we witness one another. We hold space. We breathe together. And in doing so, we rediscover the strength and softness that comes from being deeply supported as we are. Coherence in communities.

The body remembers, but it also knows how to release. And when we truly listen we can hear the body speak. In community, with care and curiosity, healing becomes not only possible, but inevitable.

Ready to release?

If you’re curious about exploring this path for yourself, you don’t have to do it alone.

I offer guided experiences, ongoing somatic support and checkins, and community spaces designed to help you reconnect with your body, your breath, and your inner knowing. Whether you’re just beginning or deepening your journey, there’s a place for you here.

You’re not alone. You’re already on your way home.

DR DAVID BERCELI & JOHN WALSH TALK TRAUMA, TRE®, & THE TREMOR MECHANISM

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST — Trauma Releasing Exercises founder David Berceli joins Mark Walsh to for a dialogue to discuss shaking, shock, war, leadership, bomb shelters, extreme situations, complicated terminology, natural healing, self deception, dark humour, modern vs archaic, and Zelensky. A powerful & informative conversation.

CLICK TO ACCESS FREE TRE® EXERCISES ON

David Berceli's Website

"Neurogenic tremors” should be considered a fundamental human right just like the United Nations declared water, food and sanitation as fundamental human rights“ — Anonymous

First time experiencing tremoring through TRE® ——Dr. David Berceli guides Shanna.

A sensitive perspective.

And perhaps what made her beautiful

was not her appearance

or what she achieved,

but in her love

and in her courage,

and her audacity

to belive

no matter

the darkness

around her,

Light ran wild

within her,

and that was the way

she came alive,

and it showed up in everything.

— Morgan Harper Nichols

Mikal Vega shares his experience with TRE®

Mikal Vega, a retired Navy SEAL, has lived a life defined by service and resilience. After returning from active duty, he was prescribed a range of pharmaceuticals to manage the mental and emotional toll of his experiences. But the side effects were harsh, and he knew there had to be another way.

So, he set out on a new mission for healing. Mikal explored various natural healing modalities and discovered powerful tools that helped him reclaim his sense of balance, strength, and peace. This journey led to the creation of Vital Warrior, a community dedicated to helping veterans fully recover from combat stress.

Through his work, Mikal and his community have learned that hurtful experiences, stress, and tension are a part of everyone’s life. Yet, these emotional imprints often remain etched deeply in the subconscious, quietly affecting our well-being. Many of us don’t realize just how much we’re carrying until we have the tools to release it.

Mikal now encourages us all to explore Trauma & Tension Releasing Exercises (TRE®) as part of a daily, preventative practice for mental health and overall well-being. It’s not just about recovery; it’s about staying whole, resilient, and ready for whatever comes next.

Mikal working with Dave Berceli — creator of TRE®.

Mikal Vega created Vital Warrior — a non drug solution for vetrans that includes TRE®

TRE – TRAUMA RELEASE EXERCISE

Tension & Trauma Releasing exercises were originally developed to address the impacts of traumatic experiences on the body; however, we have come to learn that TRE benefits all people & can be applied to several therapeutic experiences to enhance & catalyze healing & growth.

shaking it off like our four legged friends do

Trauma & Tension Releasing Exercises (TRE®):
Holistic, Preventative, and Backed by Science

There’s a simple yet powerful truth in the body’s design: we are meant to shake. And not just for dance floors or cold nights—this natural vibration is one of the ways our nervous system returns to balance.

Shaking helps us.

Our bodies are made up of hundreds of thousands of vibrational layers. When we allow stress energy to move through us rather than tightening, freezing, or pushing it down, we stay more resilient, more connected, and even physically healthier. In fact, this movement-based mechanism is how nature designed us to process stress and prevent trauma from embedding itself in our system.

In the video below, Kalinda Kano and Bonnie Praiser of Yoga Loka gently demonstrate how to access this natural, innate tremor response. This is the heart of Trauma and Tension Releasing Exercises (TRE®)—a gentle somatic practice that invites the body to do what it already knows how to do: restore vibrational harmony and reset.

Why TRE®?

Yes, TRE® supports the release of stored trauma and it also helps prevent the buildup of tension and trauma symptoms in the first place. It’s preventative care. This makes it a profound tool not only for healing, but for ongoing nervous system care and emotional resilience.

We’re not so different. We’ve simply forgotten. TRE® helps us remember.

Martha Beck, Oprah & TRE®

MAY 2019 OPRAH MAG ISSUE

Martha Beck, Oprah & the Healing Power of TRE®

In one of her wise and compassionate columns, Martha Beck, beloved author and Oprah’s go-to life coach, shared a powerful truth with a client navigating the effects of trauma:
To prevent the symptoms of post-traumatic stress, it’s essential to let the body shake.

She explained that shaking and trembling are natural biological responses, not just in humans, but in animals too. After a frightening event, animals instinctively release stress through movement, through trembling, twitching, shaking it off. This brings their systems back in balance.

Humans, on the other hand, often get stuck in the freeze response. We tighten. We shut down. We resist feeling. We try to stay “in control.” Martha calls this pattern armoring—the unconscious way we block ourselves from healing.

But healing wants to happen. The body knows how to. So how can we get out of its way and let that happen?

Beck encouraged her client to explore Trauma & Tension Releasing Exercises (TRE®) either by working with a practitioner, joining a group, or gently trying the practice at home.

PRACTITIONER DIRECTORY

She closed the exchange with a simple, joyful reminder:
"Shake, shake, shake. It’s the key to the kingdom, as you will see."

This natural ability to release stress through shaking, trembling, and vibration is a powerful tool we all possess. It can help us recover from trauma, move through stress, and keep our body’s energy pathways open and flowing.

Click to learn more about TRE®

Click to read the article in Oprah Mag