Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for Cancer

Our guest Deborah D. Miller, Ph.D. EFTCert-I, EFT-Adv, explains the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for parents with children with cancer and her practices with children.

If you are in a position, where you or a loved one, has a child dealing with Cancer wouldn’t you like to help yourself and/or your child feel better as you deal with cancer? If you could feel powerful enough to participate instead of sit by helpless, wouldn’t you do so? Wouldn’t you be happy to give your child any manner of relief whether from fear, stress, or the trauma of cancer? These are some of the very reasons why using EFT is beneficial. EFT is complementary and beneficial to the traditional treatments received. The doctors treat the physical aspects of cancer and EFT is working on the emotional, mental and spiritual aspects. Together they form a powerful tool that can lead to recovery.

Watch Deborah explaning EFT - (Video on YouTube) - Introduction to Tapping for Parents with Kids with Cancer

EFT is an extraordinary powerful and simple technique for reducing and/or eliminating emotional and physical problems. Our body’s energy system interacts with our thoughts, emotions and physical body. Since our thoughts and emotions are energy they in turn affect the energy system. Consequently, when our body’s energy system is out of balance it influences our overall health. EFT re-balances the body’s energy system.

Imagine your body’s energy system like a simple household electrical circuit. When you turn on a light switch, electrical current flows through a pathway provided by electrical cables that subsequently pass through a light bulb causing it to shine. You are similar. As long as your energy system is open and flowing, your "light" shines. Whereas negative experiences, emotional traumas or illness inhibit the energy system, and that is analogous to a circuit breaker flipping or turning off the light switch.

EFT is so simple to use that kids can learn it in a couple of minutes. It can be used in a fun way so that they enjoy using this tool to feel better. EFT uses a series of "tappings" with the fingertips on strategic points on the face and body to stimulate the energy system while bringing to mind a specific problem – whether a fear, pain, or traumatic event – and stating affirmations about the problem. This process clears the "short-circuit" from the body’s energy system, thus restoring balance to mind and body. This restoration of balance simply reduces or eliminates emotional problems, and many resulting physical problems.

Can being healthy be as simple as unblocking your energy "flow" so that you "feel" better, emotionally and physically? EFT clients and practitioners find that it has a great effect. I have been working with children with cancer in a hospital setting since September of 2007. I continually see relief in these children. Seeing their anxieties drop or disappear, seeing the smiles return to their faces, teaching them ways to help their bodies heal, has been a gift to me, the children and their families. I would like to share that gift with you. Empower yourself and your child during this journey with cancer.

The Tapping Points

You lightly tap on each of the points with two or three fingertips. The order is not fixed but most practitioners tap from the top to the bottom just to make the process easier to remember. The Karate Chop Point is not shown, but use the fingers of one hand to tap on the fleshy part of the side of your other hand (imagine a scene with a karate expert chopping a board with his hand – that’s the spot) Look at the image of the dots on the child’s face to see the rest of the points: Eyebrow, Side of the Eye, Under the Eye, Under the Nose, Chin, Collarbone, Under the Arm and Top of the Head. Watch Deborah showing the Tapping Points - (Video on YouTube) - EFT Tapping Points

While you tap, you focus on the issue at hand and use simple statements about the emotions that you feel when you think about this issue, such as fear, worry, guilt, sadness. By doing so, the energy system re-balances and the emotion such as fear reduces leaving the person feeling better.

Let me give you a simple example using stress. First, focus in on how much stress you feel you have right at this moment. Using a scale of 0-10 where 0 is no stress and 10 is maximum stress; quantify how much stress you are feeling. Then tap with two or three fingers on each point and say the words out loud (if possible) that I’ve written for you.

Watch Deborah giving an example to reduce stress - (Video on YouTube) - Reducing Stress in Parents with a Child with Cancer

Begin by tapping on the Karate Chop point, the fleshy part on the outside of one of your hands, with the fingers of your other hand. Then state out loud:

Even though I feel so much stress, so much pressure, so much worry, I love and accept myself completely and profoundly.

Even though I worry about my child all the time and it makes me so stressed, I love myself completely.

Even though I don’t know how to stop worrying about my child, I love myself completely.

Eyebrow: I feel so stressed because my child has cancer.

Side of Eye: I hold onto that stress because I don’t know how to get rid of it.

Under the Eye: My body is tense because of this stress and I feel horrible. I worry.

Under the Nose: I feel so anxious that I forget to breathe deeply. Then I feel more stressed.

Chin: I hold onto this stress, this fear and anxiety.

Collar Bone: How can one get rid of the stress of having a child with cancer? It feels impossible.

Under the Arm: To be a good parent I have to feel stressed when my child is ill. Otherwise it would appear that I don’t care and I care a lot.

Top of the Head: I have to have stress and worry about my child to be a good parent.

Eyebrow: This stress doesn’t help me or my child. It just makes me anxious and then my child is too.

Side of Eye: I want to help my child not make the situation worse. I choose to let go of my anxiety and stress now.

Under the Eye: It is ok to do so. I give myself permission. I choose to relax so that I can better help my child.

Under the Nose: My goal is to help my child. To do that well, it is best that I am calm and relaxed.

Chin: I choose to let go of the stress. I imagine I can throw it away, or burn it, or stomp on it until I feel better. I do that until it is gone.

Collar Bone: In its place I choose to put more love. Lots more love. That is the best thing I can do for my child. Love is the best thing I can give my child.

Under the Arm: I feel so relieved to have let go of this stress. My body is more relaxed. I can focus on loving my child.

Top of the Head: I fill my body with love instead of stress and let that love grow and grow until all I do is filled with love. Now that is a great example of how to be a good parent to my child. I choose to love my child completely, deeply and tenderly.

Take a deep breath.

Did all or some of the stress release? Do you feel more relaxed? This example shows how EFT shifts the body energy system. Shifts may occur in one round of EFT like what we just did or repeated rounds including the same and different wording. Either way, EFT is a fabulous tool to help you and your child with cancer.

This general script I shared with you is to give you a simple example of how EFT works. You can use simple words to get results, learn more about how to use EFT even more effectively and/or have a private session with an EFT practitioner. I offer group tapping sessions for parents with children with cancer.

Namaste
Deborah D Miller, Ph.D.
www.findthelightwithin.com
www.oaxacaproject.com
ddmiller7@findthelightwithin.com