The Oaxaca Project

Jesus is a young boy from the cancer ward in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I teach the kids and parents EFT. I would love to share a beautiful insight he had during an EFT tapping session.

We began tapping together to release his fears of an upcoming biopsy to find out “what he has in his tummy”. He has a tumor in his abdominal area but he doesn’t know that. The biopsy was to discover what kind and how extensive it is.

I find the kids I work with are afraid of surgeries in part because they don’t get an explanation of what is going to happen to them before, during and after the surgery. Yes, they hear that they are going to have a surgery, but understanding the details has helped many children feel more comfortable with the process.

In Jesus’ case, I began by tapping with him on his fears of the surgery and finding out what he had. His fear had a SUDs level of 10.

Even though I’m afraid of the surgery I’m going to have because I don’t know what they’ll find, I love myself.
Even though I’m too big to be afraid, cuz I’m almost 13, it is ok to be a little afraid of what I don’t know or understand. I choose to be ok and get the best treatment ever.
Even though I’m afraid, I’m a great guy.

I’m a great young man even though I have to have this surgery.
I don’t have to be afraid cuz everyone wants to take care of me.
I’ll be ok. I choose to be relaxed and calm.
I choose to wash away my fears with a cascade of water.
I am calm and relaxed.

His SUDS level dropped to a 5. He was still afraid of the upcoming surgery because he didn’t know what was going to happen.

Even though I’m afraid of the surgery because I don’t know what they are going to do to me, I love myself.
Even though I’ve never had a surgery I’ll be ok.

The nurses will wrap up my legs to protect them.
They’ll put a surgical cap and gown on me to make sure everything stays clean.
They’ll put me on a cart and roll me down to the surgical ward.
They do some other preparations of my body to make sure it is all clean.
While they do that I’ll talk to my body about healing and getting better.
They’ll put a mask over my face with an anesthesia to put me to sleep.
I won’t have to do anything but sleep.
I’ll sleep and be ok because I know they’ll take care of me.
I trust that the doctors and nurses will do the best they can.
They want me to get well too.
The doctor will look at what I have in my tummy so I can receive the best treatment.
After they finish, they’ll keep me in a special room until I wake up and they know I’m ok.
Then they’ll bring me back to my room.

At this point his fear of the surgery was zero even when we talked about all the possible steps. Even if we didn’t know everything that was going to happen he could trust that he would be ok and didn’t have to be afraid. I left him with a big smile on his face and clarity in his eyes that showed he wasn’t feeling any fear.

The following day he had his surgery. When I came in he was in his bed and gave me a smile and a big thumbs up. He said it went just like I said. It was obvious that knowing some of what would happen helped him realize that all of it was normal for a surgery.

We decided to tap some more about “what was in his tummy.” I asked him to close his eyes and “look” at what was in his tummy and describe it to me. He said there were little ugly balls. They were bad. They didn’t mean to be bad.

Even though I have these ugly little balls in my tummy, I’m a great kid.
Even though these ugly balls don’t want to be bad, I’m a great young man.
Even though I have these ugly little balls in my tummy, I love myself.

The ugly little balls are bad but don’t want to be.
The ugly little balls don’t want to hurt me.
The ugly little balls probably are sad because they were bad.
I think I’ll tell them that I understand they didn’t mean it.
I tell them that I understand and forgive them.
I see they want to get better too.

After tapping, he told me that the ugly balls didn’t feel bad anymore. I could see the relief on his face.

He told me that people who are sad and depressed feel ugly inside but it isn’t the truth. They are beautiful. As he said it tears welled up in his eyes as he realized it was true for himself too. (Remember he has a tumor in his abdomen) I asked who told him this and he said no one, he just knew it. Again tears welled up in his eyes. I told him he is a wise man.

Doing EFT to release his fear of the surgery changed his experience of having a biopsy.
Even more so, I enjoy the insights that come as one does EFT, even if you are a young boy who just turned 13. Jesus is a wise young man indeed.

I know so many of us worry about the wording we use with EFT. Personally, I love the word play and how my intuition and scientific background bring words to me easily. My preference is to be as specific as possible. Yet, I had an experience where it didn’t matter what words I was using. It was all about my intention.

Yair is a 3 year old with cancer. He doesn’t speak Spanish or English or any language that is spoken in the hospital where he is being treated. After time, lots of smiles, waves on my part, and surrogate tapping on myself as I stood near him, we have become friends. I would come by and tap on myself and watch him giggle as I did. Later I could do a little tapping on him too. I gave him a Tappybear. Now we tap on Tappy while I say words in Spanish that he doesn’t understand, but he likes it anyway.

One day Yair grabbed the blue bag where his Tappy was kept, opened it and carefully paw by paw took Tappy out of it while I was sitting on the edge of his hospital bed. He handed him to me as if he wanted me to tap with him. I gladly obliged. I tapped and spoke in Spanish about what a good boy he is while he laughed. He smacked the buttons or just Tappy as I was tapping with him. It is his way of doing EFT with me. Then he grabbed Tappy, gave him a big hug and me a big smile. My heart melted as I could see that it was his way of telling me he was grateful for my presence, my smiles, my attentions, intentions, EFT and that he had a lovely Tappy of his own.

He likes the attention, and from my point of view the energetic connection between us that comes from my intentions, in this case, to help him feel better. This child has changed significantly from the fearful child who would cry and cry every day, and later when anyone came near him, to a relaxed, content, playful young boy. This change will provide a positive effect on the ability of his body to heal.

For me, intentions are an important part of doing EFT. My intention is always that the EFT I facilitate is for the best and highest good of the person receiving it. I use specific words when I can, when I can’t, as in the case of Yair; I let my intentions set the stage for creating the beautiful interaction and clearing that follow, whatever that may be.

Yair loves to tap with me and Tappy

Today was one of those fun days. I showed several of the kids the video “The Oaxaca Project – Giving Hope to Kids with Cancer”.

Either the kids were in the video or knew some of the children in it. It was delightful to watch their faces as they watched themselves or someone they know. Most of them have never seen themselves or someone they know on video.

I reminded them of how they are “stars” in the video. That always got a big smile. It is fun to bring smiles to their faces by letting them know about how important their participation in the project is, that it is helping others learn about what is possible with Energy Techniques like EFT.

This is another small way of letting them know how important they are.

Rodolfo, one of my kids with cancer, is my EFT champion. He promised to tap every day and he did. He went beyond that. He taught his whole family (sister, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins and even some friends) how to tap. He created his own community of support that uses EFT to feel better. All this at the age of 12.

I called to find out how he was doing. It was so emotional to touch base and find out he is doing fantastically. He had a calcified tumor in his kidney that he was due to have removed surgically. Since he feels fine, no pain, no molestations, his doctor told him that he won’t have to have a surgery. He is ecstatic and so am I.

Rodolfo is a true testament to the power of perseverance and making a choice to feel good.

See the original article: Rodolfo, an EFT Champion

Rodolfo - EFT Champion

Till is giving away 500 copies of the Tap Along with
Tappy DVD.

************
TAPPYBEAR DVD – TAP ALONG WITH TAPPY
(An instructional DVD/CD)

Most of you know that I am helping kids with Cancer
with EFT and TappyBear. TappyBear has been a
delightful part of my success working with children
(big and small). He is warm and cuddly and he pays
attention to you. He is a great tool for helping kids
of all ages feel better. I highly recommend Tappy.

Till Schilling the founder of TappyBear is offering
his TappyBear DVD as a gift. This is amazing. You can
use the DVD to teach yourself and your children how to
tap. There are delightful songs that you child can tap
along with too.

He’s only giving away 500 of these DVDs so take
advantage of this chance now. Get your gift copy.

Click here for your TappyBear DVD:
http://www.lifemademucheasier.com/117-2-5-8.html

The answer:  They were all introduced to EFT.

Teaching and doing EFT with these kids has been the most incredible experience of my life. It not only has helped me grow personally, changing my perceptions and paradigms in many ways, but also as an EFT practitioner.

When I first started doing EFT at the hospital with the kids, I was curious as to what would happen despite the limiting working conditions and circumstances. As time went on and with a little bit of encouragement and perseverance, I began to see the details and the real magnitude of what was transpiring. I became aware that true improvements were made. Not only were these children feeling better physically, but their pain and nausea diminished, fevers were reduced, their immune systems recovered faster also emotionally deep changes came about. They were getting rid of their terror and fears of needles, nurses, doctors, of their disease, creating self-esteem and self-worth to name a few.

Finding out about these very important often overlooked changes, I also was glad to observe that some of the children who tapped with me were learning life skills that are rarely taught to them. In a way they were given back their dignity, and that allowed them to embrace their disease on a whole new level. They owned it and claimed their right to heal, and actually allow their body to begin the healing process.

I saw child after child tap on their own, they tapped with TappyBear and reminded their parents to tap with them. They began to choose to feel better, under the worst of circumstances, and to allow themselves to be happy by focusing on all that was good at that moment in their lives. This in turn brought back my most cherished trophy, their smiles and joy.

The quality of life has improved drastically for these children, and consequently that of their parents, the hospital staff, the doctor and me.

These kids are incredible souls and it is such an honor to work with them.

How working with EFT and Kids at the Hospital came about.

How does one begin such an intense, enormous project as working with EFT and kids with cancer, in a hospital of all places?  Amazingly enough it started out in the simplest way. I was invited to participate in a Fundraiser for Kids with Cancer in a local park. I had just gotten my new TappyBear and was eager to see how children responded to him. I went off to the park that day with the following idea: “Let’s see what happens? I’ll spend a few hours of my time lending a hand and helping some children feel a little better”. That simple idea has led to a life-long project that continues to expand and fill my heart with love.

My experience that day was a delight. Remember we were in a park with the kids lying on cots under makeshift tents. It is quite striking to see these beautiful children in pale green gowns with little to no hair, some calm, some very weak, some with IVs, some silent, some distant.

I worked with 4 children that day. The first was Cinthia. She had the roundest face and even though she did not see well out of one eye she paid close attention. She smiled and was open to trying EFT thinking it was fun especially because she got to use TappyBear. It made her feel markedly more relaxed and reduced her discomfort. I was glad as it was such an encouraging start.

With the other children, I had varying success. One of them was open to EFT, another one was still in the shock of finding out that she had leukemia, but tapping with her parents brought them some relief. The last one that day was a shy one. Yet, each relaxed in some way. In each case TappyBear was a soft and gentle way to approach these children, which is very different from their experience with needles, medicines and a hospital.

After observing my tapping, the doctor in charge of the cancer ward commented about me trying EFT in the hospital itself. This idea had to settle for both, and it took 2 months before we managed to connect. The day we did meet, September 14, 2007 is a memorable day for me. It was the beginning of a bigger journey and learning experience in my life.

It started out simple enough with a conversation between the doctor and me about EFT and the needs of these children beyond the physical treatments they receive. He basically gave me the freedom to do whatever I could with EFT, and with my trusty TappyBear I did so.

I choose to begin by teaching and showing EFT to the nursing staff as they are in immediate contact with the children on a daily basis. I wanted them to know personally what I was up to, and not be surprised by the funny looking “tappings” and “stuffed bear” I would be using. I led them through a few rounds of EFT and we ended up laughing, yawned and relaxing. It created a beautiful connection between me and these nurses who care so diligently for these children. When I met them initially I could feel them stressed and tired from the amount of work to care for these children, especially since getting too attached to any one of the kids is difficult and has emotional consequences if he/she doesn’t survive. I truly believe that connecting with them has been one of the keys to success as they freely allow me to work with them and the children.

As I got to the Children’s area, much to my surprise, the first girl I saw in the hospital was Cinthia. She was glad to see me and Tappy’s Blue bag on my shoulder. She told me excitedly that she remembered how to tap, had taught her Dad how to tap and they tapped together. How wonderful that after 10 minutes of tapping with me, she could recognize its value, use it and teach someone how to do it with her. She was the first recipient of a TappyBear, and I knew I would need many more right then. (As of Oct 2008, with the strong support and help of TappyBear Inc. I have been able to give over 80 children with cancer their very own TappyBear.) Every time I give a child a TappyBear, I see the other children looking at me with hope in their eyes that they’ll be the next one. It makes me wish I had one to give each one right now.

Initial Perceptions

The children’s cancer ward has a waiting room where up to 25 parents and children wait for treatments and two rooms with beds. One of them has 3 beds and the other 6 of them.

The first day I walked into the cancer ward, I was overwhelmed with the sadness, pain, misery and fear that I literally sensed, as if I were being hit by a wall with these emotions. I saw a mother and child huddled together in a corner, and there were about 30 more people in the room in a similar state. I could feel that in their perception, they were alone, huddled in their own misery. It was a lonely, isolated and depressing picture that deeply saddened me.

With Cinthia and Tappy as my ice breaker, I began to shed all doubts, and sat down to tap with her, observed by all others. Her smile was more than enough proof that this was only the beginning.

When I began using EFT, the children and parents who tapped with me began to feel relief on many levels. With time, and, as more and more of the children and parents learned EFT, the whole atmosphere of the ward gradually changed.

Here are some of the changes that I perceived.

– One morning I walked in and four children with their parents were having breakfast together and laughing. This was so remarkable that even the doctor noticed it and commented about it to me.

– On another visit, the children were playing games together or on their own. They were laughing and talking to each other. They were doing puzzles, drawing and coloring. They were playing with a ball and constructing things out of Legos.

– Another shift was the parents talking, sharing experiences and helping each other out. One mother told me before learning EFT she couldn’t help anyone else. She was so absorbed in her own problems with her own child that she couldn’t even think to look at what was going on with the others much less help them. Now she feels empowered, because she feels calm and much more relaxed in the face of her child’s cancer. Believe me, she now is one of the mothers who goes out of her way to help the children and other parents.

– The next aspect that I was amazed by is that the nurses are more relaxed as they enjoy interacting with children who aren’t afraid (or less afraid) of them or of the treatments they will be giving them.

– A delightful indirect coincidence was that the only place in the whole hospital that got a new paint job was the children’s cancer ward. It went from drab gray walls and dark blue doors to fresh and inviting colors like a beautiful soft yellow with stuffed animal detailing and light blue with scenes from the sea.

– Parents themselves show markedly reduced anxiety and intensity of fear, so they can be joyful with their children.

– One of the best aspects was that the doctor and nurses found increased compliance with the children when taking their medications or coming to the hospital for treatments and injections.

The big shift is that now when I walk in to the cancer ward, the energy feels light and comfortable. The ever presence and seriousness of the disease is still there, but not the intense fear of it or the inability to manage it. Laughter is now regularly heard from the ward.

For me, these shifts alone have been worth bringing the gift of EFT to the hospital.

A young teen who was going home today looked sad and tired from her chemo. I joked with her and tapped about how she could “dance” her way out of the hospital. The little girl next to us started laughing and laughing. It was such a fun and novel idea for her. The thought of dancing instead of dragging oneself out of the hospital cheered us up.

What fun it is to give TappyBears to kids with cancer. I gave out 3 of them today. The kids light up and shine when they get their own bear. It feels good to know that I’ve deeply touched a life by doing so.

You can help by donating a TappyBear to these children. Click TappyBear to make a child’s day.

Jesus was sitting quietly and crying. I asked him if he was feeling bad, but he said no, the doctor told him that his tumors had gone away. He was crying out of joy. What Great News!

Jesus