Shaking Medicine is primarily a practice of learning to let go of control and trusting your intuition.

Since this tremor mechanism is deeply embedded within your nervous system and subconscious mind as part of your animalistic instinct, they begin to unravel a lot of your 'tensions' within.

These 'tensions' include a lot that doesn't serve us such as aches, pains, physical tension, stress, anxiety, trauma and more.

The beauty of tapping into Shaking Medicine is that you can resolve the root issues of many ailments rooted in these above mentioned 'tensions' all without having to understand it or have to process it with your logical thinking mind.

In other words, your inner animal can easily clear your mind and body of many things as all animals in nature do.

Remember that us humans are very unique animals but animals nonetheless.

Once you access it you will have it for life as a powerful instinctive tool for self-regulation.

To access it we first bring you into a present, grounded, and centred state so that the practice is done safely and effectively.

We then guide you into the tremor process.

We emphasize and share with you how to keep it safe, effective and fun! 

The shake generally feels pleasant, refreshing, nourishing, rejuvenating, energizing and even child-like as you make a conscious choice to explore this spontaneous shaking mechanism to heal and unravel that which does not serve you.

Yes. We humans are mammals. Mammals in nature instinctively shake to heal themselves of traumatic experiences and for the maintenance of their health. As mammals, we too have a built in instinctive shaking mechanism that acts as an anti-virus for our nervous system thus promoting organic self-healing. ​​​​​​​Here are video examples of a Polar Bear and an Impala using this mechanism in nature to heal.

The Polar Bear is in shock after being chased by a helicopter and tranquilized. Upon awakening he begins involuntarily shaking to discharge this shock. The narrator of the video speaks as though this is a common occurrence that he sees regularly. 

The Impala is in the jaws of a Leopard in freeze response to fool the Leopard into thinking he is dead. The Leopard is later frightened away by approaching Baboons. Sensing that she is now safe the Impala begins discharging the near-death trauma through neurogenic tremoring. 

Shaking Medicine is actually very easy to learn. The experience is more like remembering something rather than learning something new because involuntary shaking is already part of you. The majority of people get involuntary shaking in their first session. Nearly all people get it deeply within 2-3 sessions.

Most people tend to experience therapeutic tremors in their first session; however, some people may take a few sessions to get it. If you experience it even a little bit early on then you are doing very well and so trust that your body is beginning the unravelling process.

One of the biggest blockages we see in people who struggle to experience the tremors is simply that they are trying too hard. Remember that this is a practice of surrendering, allowing, and letting go of control, which is very different to what most people are doing in their life and in other modalities that they may be practicing, even Yoga. Often less is more and so if you struggle to find the tremors, then step back, follow the instructions really carefully, go even slower, go even more relaxed and with less effort, etc.

Another phenomenon we commonly see is that people are actually tremoring and don't even know it. Really little tiny tremors are also potent and so don't discard those thinking that it has to arise as big shaking. Often it is tiny at first and then will grow as you become aware of what it is and settle and relax into that experience. The tremors will move you how you need to be moved as you cultivate your relationship with them and one way that it will move is by oscillating between bigger and smaller shakes and even completely still rest. All are equally great and part of the process.

This is not a practice to rush and so take it easy as you develop a relationship with Shaking Medicine. Soon enough, after a couple of sessions or maybe 10 or so, you'll be able to start moving the tremors through your whole body.

Shaking Medicine’s origins lie ultimately from Mother Nature, who gifted us with this instinctive birthright that animals in nature use regularly. Animals in nature instinctively shake to heal themselves from traumatic or stressful experiences and for regular maintenance. Check out the polar bear and gazelle in the next FAQ item.

As mammals, people have this built-in instinctive shaking mechanism that acts as an anti-virus for our nervous system promoting organic self-healing.

The world is rich with cultures that have explored and advanced the art and science of shaking. Some have been doing this for a very long time, and so, we also learn and teach from their wisdom including indigenous cultures all over the world (especially the Kalahari Bushmen), our ancestors, ancient traditions of Indian and Taoist Yoga, modern-day shaking and movement practices, scientific research, as well as those who are embodying Shaking Medicine all around the world.

Some of the modern-day shaking practices that have really inspired what we do here are Sacred Ecstatics (Dr Bradford Keeney), Trauma Release Exercise (TRE – David Bercelli), Bioenergetics (Dr Alexander Lowen), Dynamic Kundalini Meditation (Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh aka Ohso), Somatic Experiencing (Dr Peter Levine) and BioEnergy Shaking Meditation (Ratu Bagus).

A class of Shaking Medicine is guided simply, powerfully, safely and effectively with wisdom from all of its origins and a lot from our own experience in developing, teaching, and embodying Shaking Medicine.

Today, we are a not-for-profit foundation set up as the Shaking Medicine Foundation for teaching the somatic body-based modality we're calling Shaking Medicine with the aim of helping people all over the world remember their innate mechanism of therapeutic tremoring for healing and to empower them to come into their fullest human potential.

There is certainly a difference between therapeutic tremoring, which is what Shaking Medicine teaches, and tremoring caused by other, sometimes non-therapeutic reasons. Shaking in our culture has largely been associated with the more non-therapeutic type and has thus been seen as something bad and something to be scared of. We are here to say that therapeutic tremoring is nothing to be scared of.

The fact is that tremoring can be therapeutic and sometimes when therapeutic tremoring does begin to happen it is misinterpreted as something bad and we suppress it. This suppression of the therapeutic type of tremoring keeps us further holding onto the stress, anxiety, suppressed emotions, trauma and more that our bodies want to let go of. This response is natural and instinctive within mammals in nature and it is so within you as well. We are designed to use this mechanism, though it has been mostly lost and forgotten in our culture.

Some reasons why we shake that are not necessarily therapeutic are: various neurological reasons, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, brain injuries, seizures, stroke, brain injuries, dystonia, withdrawal from addictions, dissociative disorders, drugs, manic depressive bipolar conditions, psychosis, schizophrenia, hypoglycaemia, epilepsy and more. If your student has any of these or other diagnoses, then we recommend they consult their health care professional before beginning. It is likely however that mainstream health care professionals will not know much about neurogenic therapeutic tremoring and so they may need to make up their own mind and do their own research. Whether you practice with or without a diagnosis, or, with or without a health care professional’s approval, you do so at your own choice and risk as scientific medical research regarding this work in relation to diseases that involve non-therapeutic tremoring are still in their infancy.

There have been significant accounts of therapeutic tremoring helping people get better from PTSD and mental ailments, obtaining better health, gaining more energy and more. Check out the benefits section on the home page. Therapeutic shaking may help people with stress, anxiety, suppressed emotions and trauma, which are leading causes of many health ailments.

The body often shakes for survival reasons. When we get cold we shiver. When we get overly stressed, anxious, scared or nervous we may begin to shake as a way to start dissipating this build-up of energy. The point is that therapeutic tremoring can be an extremely potent tool to use for obtaining optimal health and it is time to bring it back into our culture and back into the mainstream.

Here are some of the most cutting-edge books on the topic of therapeutic tremoring, which have been of great inspiration for us:

Shaking Medicine – The Healing Power of Ecstatic Movement (2007) by Dr. Bradford Keeney

Bushman Shaman – Awakening the Spirit through Ecstatic Dance (2005) by Dr. Bradford Keeney

Bioenergetics: The Revolutionary Therapy That Uses the Language of the Body to Heal the Problems of the Mind (1975) by Dr. Alexander Lowen

Waking the Tiger – Healing Trauma (1997) by Dr. Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing)

The Way to Vibrant Health – A Manual of Bioenergetic Exercises, co-author Leslie Lowen (1977) by Dr. Alexander Lowen

The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process: Transcend Your Toughest Times (2008) by Dr. David Berceli

Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) – A Revolutionary New Method for Stress/Trauma Recovery (2005) by Dr. David Berceli

Shake It Off Naturally – Reduce Stress, Anxiety, and Tension with [TRE] (2015) by Dr. David Berceli

The Body Keeps the Score – Mind, brain and body in the transformation of trauma (2014) by MD Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk

Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers (1994) by Dr. Robert Sapolsky

Shaking Medicine is arguably the oldest medicine on Earth. It is something that many animals have been utilizing since before humans existed. It is an inbuilt mechanism that acts to balance and regulate our nervous system and all that it relates to. We certainly learn and are inspired in this way from nature and animals. 

Shaking Medicine has been largely lost in our culture primarily due to various religious and governmental groups throughout his-story.

Shaking Medicine has a rich history in indigenous cultures, Yoga, Taoism and modern practices and modalities.

In modern-day times there is a resurgence of Shaking Medicine emerging. Some examples include: Dr. Bradford Keeney (Sacred Ecstatics), Dr. Alexander Lowen (Bioenergetics), Dr. David Berceli [Trauma Release Exercise (TRE)], Dr. Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing), MD Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score), NeuroPhysics, Osho (Kundalini Meditation), Holotrophic Breath-work, Shakers and Quakers (Religious Groups), Ratu Bagus (Bio Energy Meditation) and Neurogenic Yoga. The name of Shaking Medicine that we have chosen to use is inspired by the works of Dr. Bradford Keeney, who has been one of our biggest inspirations.

Some more ancient examples of people using Shaking Medicine include: Kalahari Bushman of Africa, American Indians, original Australians, Japanese Seiki, Japanese Samurai, Shamans, Biblical Figures, Taoist Monks (ZiFa Gong),​​​​​​​ and Yogis (Kriya).

This shaking mechanism may be related or described similarly to:

• Neurogenic therapeutic tremoring
• Spontaneous shaking
• Involuntary shaking
• Zifa gong
• Spontaneous Kundalini Kriya
• Shaking yoga
• Neurogenic yoga
• Trauma release
• Vibrational therapy
• Whole body vibration
• Somatic therapy
• And more

The Shaking Medicine Foundation is an ever growing and evolving not-for-profit foundation for uplifting people all over the world. We aim to help people realize their full potential and optimize their quality of life by reminding people to safely, easily and joyously access their own in-built instinctive mechanism of spontaneous therapeutic shaking. We support, fund, and collaborate with community, sustainable projects, etc. that provide benevolent and philanthropic services to the world.  

We are an umbrella that welcomes all types of knowledge, skills and practices that complement the art and science of Shaking Medicine. Each sharing of a Shaking Medicine journey is as unique as each individuals’ process every time they allow the shaking to move through them. For this reason our Shaking Medicine Tribe are encouraged to create their own unique style of sharing that is built upon the solid backbone of wisdom that we are continuously growing and evolving in.

There is nothing quite like collaboration. Would you like to host or collaborate on Shaking Medicine events, classes, workshops, immersions, retreats, teacher trainings, corporate events, festivals, health and wellness events, charities, media, blogging, public speaking, outreach, affiliate, ambassador or others? Contact us to collaborate.