by Marifran Cooper
I am a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and a hynotist. I have been using EFT personally for over several years now, always with good results.So it was a knee jerk reaction that I would offer its benefits to a patient of mine.
Last year I saw D.B for her annual GYN exam. At that time, there was a significan tmass in her left breast. I explained to her that it may be benign, however stressed the need for her to have a mammogram and breast ultrasound to be adequately evaluated. D.B has a significant mental health history, oppositional behaviors and escalating volume and rapid speech.
She hedged a bit saying she had her daughter’s college graduation coming up and she didn’t want this to overshadow the event. She said she was afraid and didn’t want to know if it was cancer. By the end of the exam, I thought she was seeing the mammogram as a do-able option.
I gave her the mammogram slip and stated that she could do it within the month and it didn’t have to be immediate. We said our good byes and she went to the front desk where she threw the slip at the secretary and said she refused to have it done.
Further follow-up was attempted with D.B, but she never returned my calls or letters.
This past April, I received a panic call from D.B’s daughter. She had just seen her mother’s breasts and said she needed a mammogram immediately. I faxed the slip to radiology and shortly, received a return call from the radiologist with the diagnosis of significant bilateral breast carcinoma. I spoke to D.B and stated that she needed to have a biopsy and that the radiologist was agreeable to do it at that time. She refused as she was alone and wanted to talk it over with her Mom and daughter.
D.B was scheduled three additional times for an office biopsy.
She would show up for the appointment, but refuse to have it done. She refused to take any medication that would help her anxiety. I called a surgeon and scheduled a consult for her. When she called back, she said she wasn’t having a biopsy and that she was scheduled for a bilateral mastectomy the following Wednesday. She kept repeating that she was going to die and wouldn’t make it off the operating table. I asked her if she would be willing to come to my hypnosis office for EFT. Surprisingly, she agreed and brought her seven year old son.
I explained EFT to both of them. In assessing her emotions, we came up with anger as the strongest and most inhibiting. Anger at herself, her family, God, the doctor, her son’s father…and the list went on. Her voice volume had escalated and she spoke rapid fire!
After the first pass of anger, she calmly looked up at me with huge, innocent eyes and softly said” Oh my God!I feel it!”
Together, the three of us did EFT to anger for approximately one hour. Within the next few days, I made an audio tape and mailed it to her for her practice.
It was a rough week for her and her family. There were many phone calls between us. She said they were doing the EFT and it was working.
My goal was to get her to the surgery. Her goal was to make it off the operating room table.D.B. did have her surgery and was her feisty self within three days.
She refused to use EFT after surgery and says her son destroyed the tape. I have not heard how she is doing. I know she was to have chemotherapy and possible radiation.
She knows that I am available if she needs me.
I give EFT credit for getting D.B. to her surgery. It worked very well for this very agitated, angry individual.
