By Dr. Patricia Carrington

Some time ago, I received this question:  “I have just been diagnosed with colon cancer. I will probably have surgery within the week. Any direction with respect to EFT procedure or an affirmation will be most welcomed.”

Here are my thoughts on this.

I advise people who are confronting a potentially life-threatening, health-threatening situation such as yours to use EFT in a special way in terms of the issues they select, and the EFT Choices they make.

I believe it is extremely important that you express how you REALLY FEEL about the situation that is confronting you, when you formulate your EFT set-up phrases.   You will want them to express what the situation is doing to you inwardly; to have heard about this diagnosis and its seriousness, and how it feels inside to be facing the upcoming surgery.

I would suggest, that you go right into “the heart of the hurricane” as the saying goes, that you be completely honest with yourself and ‘say it like it is’ –– to yourself that is.  You should make set-up statements (there will probably be several of them) that reflect the most intense emotions you are able to identify in yourself– statements that are, in this sense, NOT objective.

You will need to confront the fear, or sense of outrage, or uncertainty, or despair or whatever other emotions you may have, by experiencing the full force of them – there will be plenty of time for bravery and taking a “stiff upper lip” at other times during the next few days – but that is not appropriate when you are doing the EFT.

What is required here is to get at your raw feelings and then tap them down.  This is so that you can deal with them once and for all, so that the EFT has something to work with and therefore can help where help is needed most – within your own self.  It will allow you to handle and become strangely at peace with your own fears and doubts, if you let it.

I’m going to share with you some set-up phrases that other people have used successfully in situations similar to yours.   As you read them over, see which ones may fit your own situation, in whole or in part, and modify the phrases accordingly where necessary.

You need to follow only one rule when doing this: DO NOT WATER DOWN AND TRY TO MINIMIZE ANY EMOTION THAT YOU ARE FEELING.  It is dealing with the raw emotion, recognizing and accepting it, that is going to heal you of the painful inner feelings, and which may perhaps ultimately heal you of the colon cancer – certainly it will greatly improve your prognosis if the negative emotions around this illness are removed.  So here is a list of “Even though's…”

You might want to say, “Even though I’m in shock about what’s happening (or “stunned” or “numb” or whatever adjective describes your own feelings), I choose to be calm, and effective, and at peace with myself and the situation.”

If you do this, you might follow this by doing the Choices Trio ––that would be one whole round of just the negative part of the set-up phrase, the usual procedure in EFT, which in this instance is. ”I’m in shock about what’s happening”.  You might want to do two full rounds of just this phrase in order to take the edge off the negative here.

Then follow this by ONE WHOLE ROUND of just repeating the positive part of the set-up phrase, your Choice, at each acupoint.  In this case you would say “I choose to be calm and effective and at peace with myself, and the situation.” at each tapping point.

Finally, follow this with the third part of the Choices Trio; alternate positive and negative statements as you proceed through the entire sequence.  For example, at the inner eyebrow spot you would say, “I’m in shock about what’s happening.”, and at the next acupoint (Outer Eye) you would say, “I choose to be calm, and effective and at peace with myself and the situation.”  You would continue alternating these phrases (thereby linking a positive outcome to your negative thoughts each time) for the entire EFT sequence, and for as many rounds thereafter as you might need until a sense of calm comes over you and something inside you has “cleared”.  You will feel that happen when it does.

Depending upon your personal reaction to the shock of the diagnosis and coming surgery, your set-up phrases might be different from the above.  Instead of “in shock” it might be more appropriate for you to say, “Even though I’m terrified.”  Or, “Even though I’m outraged (or furious etc…”) But remember always go for the most extreme form of the set-up statement – don’t water down your feelings and be “polite”.  You are only talking to yourself in this process and you want to face the uncensored truth, squarely and head on.  This is what will help you find real relief.

After you have tapped your way to a more peaceful state, then you will need to reinforce this victory.  I suggest you take a 3×5 index card and write on it your set-up phrase, and then read that card out loud to yourself just before you go to bed each night, and again when you first awaken in the morning.  If you wish (and it would be a good idea considering the urgency of this situation) you could also make a copy of this set-up phrase to carry with you, and take out the card and read it out loud at intervals throughout the day – when you were stopping the car at a red light while driving, or whenever else is convenient.  It will strongly reinforce this positive thought and help you make the jump from negative to positive on a deep non-conscious level. 

Keep taking your SUDS level (distress rating on a scale from zero to ten) every hour if possible throughout the waking day (or if you awake at night) and if you find that your rating is ABOVE a “2”, then use the Choices Trio procedure as outlined above and immediately tap it down to a zero or one again. Keep doing this!  The repetition will be very powerful.

I think you should keep up this routine until a few minutes before your surgery, adding as well some other Choices which may be important to you such as “I choose to have a remarkably successful surgery and recovery” or whatever outcome you may wish.  It will truly help the surgery to do this.  I have seen it do more than help.  I’ve known it to positively influence the outcome of an illness in a remarkable way.

In short, I am advising you here to use EFT repeatedly to handle this crisis.  You will be far stronger and better able to cope if you do.

EFT Master, Dr. Patricia Carrington, PhD