Have you ever felt an unexplainable tightness in your chest, a pit in your stomach, or a persistent sense of anxiety that you just can’t “think” your way out of? We often try to rationalize our feelings or suppress them, but as this week’s guest explains, our bodies hold onto these emotions, and true release comes from working with the body, not just the mind.
In this episode, I am joined by Ina Hansen, a Certified Clinical EFT Practitioner and Trauma-Informed Coach, for a fascinating look at the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), also known as tapping. Ina specializes in helping women heal from childhood trauma and toxic relationships by releasing what has been held inside their bodies for years.
What is EFT Tapping?
EFT is a powerful, science-backed technique that works directly with your nervous system. Ina describes it as being similar to acupuncture, but instead of needles, you use your own fingertips to tap on specific meridian points on the body. This process helps calm the amygdala—the brain's fear center—and moves you out of a "fight or flight" state.
The results are astounding. According to clinical studies, just 10 minutes of tapping can reduce stress and anxiety levels by up to 40%. Unlike simply talking about a problem, which can sometimes heighten stress, tapping helps neutralize the emotional charge of an issue where it’s stored: in your body.
It’s Not Just for “Big T” Trauma
One of the most important points Ina makes is that we have all experienced trauma. It doesn't have to be a major, catastrophic event. "Little t" traumas and subconscious beliefs we absorbed in childhood—like "I'm not good enough" or "I don't deserve this"—shape our reality and hold us back. Even in the best of childhoods, we internalize beliefs from our environment that can get trapped in our bodies, leading to anxiety, people-pleasing, and feeling stuck. EFT helps bring these patterns to the surface and gently release them.
Experience a Live Tapping Demo
The highlight of our conversation was when Ina graciously guided me through a live EFT session. I brought up my nervousness about the launch of my new membership, and what followed was a beautiful demonstration of how tapping works.
Ina guided me to:
* Voice the worry while tapping on specific points, starting with the "karate chop" point on the side of the hand.
* Identify the physical sensation associated with the feeling, which for me was a pit in my stomach that I visualized as a brown, round avocado seed.
* Tap through the meridian points while describing the physical sensation out loud—its size, shape, color, and location.
As we continued to tap and breathe into the sensation, I felt it become fainter, blurry, and eventually disappear entirely. The sense of calm and clarity that followed was immediate and profound. As soon as I opened my eyes, my gaze fell on a sign in my office I hadn't truly seen in a while: "Dream big, darling". It was the exact message I needed to receive.
This is a tool that anyone can learn and use to calm themselves down in moments of stress. You can follow along with the demo in the episode—Ina explains that even if the specific issue isn't yours, your nervous system still benefits from the practice through what she calls "borrowing benefits".
I’m thrilled to announce that Ina Hansen will be one of the expert facilitators in my new membership platform, Align. This will be an ongoing, virtual retreat designed to help you heal your mind, body, and soul with live weekly sessions featuring modalities like EFT, guided meditation, soulful book discussions, and more.
Join Align here: https://www.fitwarriorlife.com/alignlab
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