Shaking Medicine’s origins lie ultimately from Mother Nature, who gifted us with this instinctive birthright that animals in nature use regularly. Many animals in nature instinctively shake to heal themselves of traumatic experiences and for the maintenance of their health. Check out the polar bear and gazelle in the next FAQ item. As mammals, we too have this built in instinctive shaking mechanism that acts like an anti-virus for our nervous system promoting organic self-healing.

The world is rich with cultures who have explored and advanced the art 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.

A class of Shaking Medicine is guided simply, powerfully, safely and effectively with wisdom from all of its origins.

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. Click link to open video.

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 he is now safe the Impala begins discharging the near-death trauma through neurogenic tremoring. 

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.

It has a rich history in indigenous cultures, Yoga, Taoism, modern practices, and science.

In modern-day times there is a resurgence of Shaking Medicine emerging. Some examples include: Dr. Bradford Keeney (book called Shaking Medicine), 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), Neurogenic Yoga, and the African American Church.

Some more ancient examples of people using Shaking Medicine include: Kalahari Bushman of Africa, American Indians, original Australians, Japanese Seiki, 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
• Emotional yoga
• Trauma release
• Vibrational therapy
• Whole body vibration
• Somatic therapy
• And more

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 within 2-3 sessions. 

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, seizures, stroke, brain injuries, dystonia, withdrawal from addictions, drugs, hypoglycemia and more. If you have any of these or other diagnoses, then we recommend you consult your health care professional before beginning. It is likely however that mainstream health care professionals will not know much about neurogenic therapeutic tremoring and so you may need to make up your own mind and do your 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 research regarding this work in relation to dis-eases regarding non-therapeutic tremoring are still in their infancy. There has been significant accounts with therapeutic tremoring helping people get better from PTSD, mental ailments, obtaining better physical healing and health, gaining more energy and more. Check out the benefits section. Therapeutic shaking helps people heal from stress, anxiety, suppressed emotions and trauma, which are provably leading causes of most health ailments. If helping to reduce stress, anxiety, suppressed emotions and trauma help you with other ailments, then that is awesome though we are primarily providing you with shaking out stress, anxiety, suppressed emotions, trauma, more energy and better physical health, along with the benefits of these things.

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 optimal health and it is time to bring it back into our culture and back into the mainstream.