E,
You said:
"i'm not too sure how to "try to release the tension in a
smooth, controlled way" because sometimes, the jerk comes without
warning."
All you need is a little practice and you will be able to get ahead
of these phenomena. When you see it coming, you will see where the
spasm is about to start (at what muscle, or point in the body) and
then you can smooth it out as you would a wrinkle in a garment you
were folding up neatly to put away. Meanwhile don't worry, it means
you are moving on from old stuff you were hanging on to. It is simply
that with the jerk, you release the tensions "into the air" as it
were, and, actually, not completely at that; whereas with control,
you release the tensions into internal energy that will move you
swiftly past this stage. Without control, you can stay in the spasm
stage for years!(. . . because although it may appear that you have
experienced a great release, a very small release can create a large
spasm; you can experience spasms that lift the body right off the
floor! We've been accumulating tensions for a while now, or so I
hear.)