Name It To Tame It: Identify Your Feelings For Emotional Clarity And Relief
The Healing Power of Naming Our Feelings
There is a quiet kind of alchemy that comes from naming what we feel. A tender unraveling. A settling.
At first, the emotion is mysterious, formless, bubbling just below the surface inside us. A tightness in the shoulders, a clench in the jaw, a restless ache in the heart. We don’t always know what it is—only that it is here, asking to be tended to.
But then — a whisper, a word, an understanding.
Oh. This is sadness.
This is longing.
This is the ache of an unseen wound from long ago.
And in that moment, something shifts.
Your body exhales. The emotion loses some of its force.
Not because you’ve pushed it away, but because you’ve named it.
Because you have wrapped words around it like a warm shawl, held it in the gentleness of recognition.
It brings so much relief to let what lives inside us be known.
To offer ourselves the gift of understanding.
To turn toward our emotions—not as enemies to be conquered, but as messengers bearing truth.
Name It To Tame It: The Science Behind It
“Name it to tame it” isn’t just a phrase; it’s neuroscience.
There’s real science behind why putting emotions into words helps us feel more grounded, more clear, and less overwhelmed. Studies using fMRI scans show that when we accurately identify our emotions—especially when we use precise words instead of broad, general ones—something shifts in our brains.
Neuroscientist Dr. Dan Siegel calls this process “Name It to Tame It.” And what happens inside us is both simple and profound:
When we label an emotion, the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for reasoning, self-awareness, and emotional regulation—becomes more active.
At the same time, the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for stress and emotional reactivity, begins to quiet down.
Instead of being flooded by our emotions, we create just enough space to observe them, hold them, and begin to understand them.
And that changes everything.
What once felt tangled and chaotic starts to soften.
What felt like a storm inside us begins to settle.
What was once an overwhelming wave of emotion becomes something we can sit with, breathe into, and gently explore.
A Somatic Practice to Bring Emotional Clarity And Relief
We all have emotions. And sometimes, they can feel like too much—too big, too overwhelming, too tangled to make sense of. But here’s something important to remember: feeling deeply doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. It just means you’re human.
That’s why I created this guided Name It to Tame It Practice—because when emotions feel like a storm inside us, naming them can help us find solid ground again. And when we pair that with soothing touch, something shifts in a way that feels deeply supportive.
In this practice, I’ll guide you through a gentle process of naming what’s here while using Self-Havening—a simple but powerful somatic technique that helps calm your nervous system. By lightly stroking your arms, hands, or face, you send a signal to your brain that you are safe. And when your body feels safe, it becomes easier to meet your emotions with curiosity instead of fear.
This isn’t about making feelings go away. It’s about being with them in a way that feels kind and spacious. It’s about offering yourself the same warmth and presence you would offer a dear friend.
I invite you to let this Name It To Tame It Practice be a gift to yourself—a moment to name what’s here, to soften into it, and to discover what happens when you meet yourself with curiosity and care.
Try The Name It To Tame It Practice For Emotional Clarity And Relief now!
Episode timing:
00:00 - The Healing Power of Identifying Your Feelings
05:14 - Name It To Tame It Practice: Self-Havening for Regulation
10:44 - Name It To Tame It Practice: Feel Your Feelings in Your Body
15:14 - Name It To Tame It Practice: Put Words To Your Feelings
Learn more about Havening Techniques and the science behind them
Related: Emotional Healing Meditations to go deeper:
READY TO GO DEEPER ON YOUR Somatic HEALING JOURNEY?
Enroll in my free mini-course: The Feel it to Heal it Mini-Course
In 5 powerful mini-lessons you’ll:
Connect with your body and emotions in a deep and supportive way.
Learn exactly what it means to “feel it to heal it” (as well as experience 4 body-centered exercises to do just that).
Gain insight into your emotional patterns and knee-jerk reactions to life.
Learn a powerful mind-body technique to soothe your distressing emotions so you can increase your comfort with your emotions.
Use your deepening body awareness as a tool for healing and authentic living.
How did that Name It To Tame It Practice go for you?
What shifted within you? What did you realize?
Please let me know in the comments!
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Thanks so much for joining me!
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Enjoy more like this: Regulation Exercises, Havening
About me
Hey, I’m Karena!
I’m a somatic emotional healing coach here to help you quickly identify and heal the subconscious blocks, old emotional wounds and self-sabotaging core beliefs that are holding you back!
Want to go deeper? Sign up for the Feel it to Heal it Mini-Course now!
Learn a body-centered approach to deep healing + wake up to the wisdom within!