E09 - Finding Hope Through TRE: Svava Brooks' Journey from Freeze to Freedom

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:00:04 - Introduction and Congress Overview 03:10 - Robert Schleip on Fascia 05:29 - Fascia Responds to Stress 08:45 - Fabiana de Silva's Vagal Resets 11:17 - Self-Help Grounding Through Squeezing 12:18 - Gil Hedley's Vagus Dissection 14:01 - Sounding and Vagal Activation 18:06 - Fascia, Consciousness, and Soul 21:28 - Meeting Stephen Porges 25:32 - Traumatic Brain Injury Insights 30:00 - Liza's TRE Presentation Experience 32:51 - 100 People Experience Tremoring 40:00 - Future Congress Plans 42:40 - Sami Yoiking Healing Songs 48:34 - Human Algorithm Workshop PreviewResources 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