About Akiyo Kodera
Certified EFT Practitioner & Identity Coach
My journey as a Third Culture Kid (TCK) began when my family moved from Japan to the U.S. when I was three. We moved back to Japan when I was nine. Just when I thought that would be my forever home, I moved back to the U.S. with my parents when I was 14.
As an adult, I experienced recurring identity crises that showed up when I experienced a lack of fulfillment with jobs, social discomfort and anxiety, and tensions with family. Although my life seemed fine on the surface, I was continually uncomfortable with who I was.
I tried different ways to work through these challenges. They all helped in some way, but I couldn't help but feel that I was trapped in my past. I realized that I needed to face my challenges head on to truly make a productive change.
It was then that I was introduced to EFT, which began an unexpected journey of healing and transformation. I experienced profound changes in myself and in my life I never could have imagined. I understood the magnitude of the impact that our emotional challenges and their root causes have on our mind, body, identity, and how we live our life each day.
My focus is now to help other TCKs find what I found: home, by understanding and valuing your true self and creating a life that's aligned with it — to live in clarity.
I have a local in-person practice in Brunswick, Maine, but work remotely with clients from around the world. I speak English and Japanese.
In addition to supporting TCKs, I specialize in helping kind, caring individuals who resonate with traits of being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). You can learn more about my work with HSPs at www.hspconversations.com.
Education and Training
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BS in Communication Studies, New York University
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Post-bacc in Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York
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EFT International Accredited Certification, EFT Tapping Training Institute
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Certification in Reiki I, II, and II-Advanced, The John Harvey Gray Center for Reiki Healing
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Specialized training in EFT for physical issues, trauma-informed methods, and Matrix Reimprinting
What is a Third Culture Kid?
A Third Culture Kid is broadly defined as someone who grew up in a culture that's different from the one in which their parents grew up. The term was coined by American sociologist and anthropologist Ruth Hill Useem in the 1950s to describe children who spent part of their developmental years in one or more foreign cultures due to their parents working abroad. The "third culture" refers to how the child develops an identity that is neither of the culture of their parents or where they live, but a culture shared with other TCKs; it has also been described as a mix of the various cultures. The term generally refers to both children and adults.
While Third Culture Kids initially and typically referred to children who moved into another culture with their parents due to highly mobile careers such as those in the military, diplomatic services, missionary services, international business, and other expatriate work, there is often debate about whether the term includes other individuals with a multicultural upbringing. In my work, I help all individuals who meet the broad definition of TCKs, including children of immigrants.