E71 - Finding Hope Through TRE: Svava Brooks' Journey from Freeze to Freedom

Red Beard Embodiment Podcast

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 Preview

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