A self-paced programme for working with fear of cancer coming back
Fear of cancer recurrence shows up in different shapes.
For some people, it arrives most often as a thought — a quiet, persistent what if it comes back? For others, it lives more in the body — a heightened awareness, an inability to settle, a back ache that hijacks an evening. For others still, it surfaces as a pattern of behaviour — a hand reaching to check, a scan letter opened more than once before the words register, a reassurance that helps for an afternoon and then needs asking for again.
You may recognise one of these shapes more than the others. You may recognise all of them, depending on the day.
For some people, the fear arrives at certain times — around scans, around bloodwork, in the weeks waiting for results. This surge of fear around scan time is common enough to have earned its own name: scanxiety. For others, the fear shows up unannounced, in the middle of an ordinary Tuesday.
What it has in common, across its forms and its timing, is that it can take a long time to leave.
You are not alone in this — and you are not doing anything wrong
Fear of cancer recurrence is one of the most common psychological experiences after cancer treatment. Around half of cancer survivors describe ongoing or distressing fear that the cancer will return (Luigjes-Huizer, Tauber et al., 2022).
It is not a sign that something is wrong with you. It is not a failure to “move on.” It is a natural response from a system that has learned, in the most direct way possible, that the body cannot always be trusted to behave.
What the research also shows is something more hopeful: the fear of recurrence is driven by patterns that can be worked with. Worry. Threat monitoring. Body checking. Beliefs about whether worrying keeps us safe.
None of these are fixed. With practice, they can shift.
What this programme is
Tools for Fear of Recurrence is a self-paced programme for working with fear of cancer coming back. The skills draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and metacognitive approaches — the same body of work that informs treatments offered in clinical settings — adapted here into a format you can work through at your own pace, in your own time, in your own home.
The programme does not try to make the fear disappear. It teaches you what to do when it arrives.
The programme consists of six modules, each introducing a set of skills for working with fear of recurrence. Each module includes an information sheet and a worksheet. Two of the modules also include a guided audio practice. The programme is designed to be worked through in sequence, at your own pace, and in private.
What you’ll work through
MODULE 1
Understanding Your Triggers and Patterns
The foundational module. It builds the skill of noticing — recognising your own triggers, the automatic reactions they set off, and the consequences those reactions create. Every other skill in the toolkit depends on this one.
MODULE 2
When Problem-Solving Helps, and When It Doesn’t
Two complementary skills: acceptance, and the judgement to know when problem-solving genuinely helps and when it keeps the fear going. Acceptance is the new clinical skill at the centre of this module; problem-solving is its contextual partner.
MODULE 3
The Beliefs That Keep You Stuck
This module looks at what sits underneath the fear of recurrence — the quieter assumptions that often keep the pattern in place. The aim is not to argue with these assumptions, but to understand what they are and learn to hold them more lightly.
MODULE 4
Creating Distance from Thoughts
Learning to see and respond to fear thoughts differently — watching them, rather than getting caught up in them. A skill called defusion. Includes a guided audio practice, the Sushi Train Exercise.
MODULE 5
Choosing Where to Point Your Attention
Attention flexibility — the skill of moving your attention deliberately, even when fear is in the room. Not by suppressing the fear, but by widening what else you give your attention to. Includes a guided audio practice, the Flashlight.
MODULE 6
Choosing When to Engage with Worry
Worry has a job; like any job, it can have hours. The aim is to give the worries that come with fear of recurrence a contained time and place rather than letting them run continuously — and to use that pause to learn which worries genuinely deserve attention.
Who is this for
This programme was built for people living with fear of cancer recurrence. It will likely fit if:
- This toolkit was built for people living with fear of cancer recurrence. It will likely fit if:
- You have completed primary cancer treatment, or are in long-term follow-up
- The fear of recurrence is taking up more space in your life than you want it to
- You are willing to read, write, and practice — this is a doing toolkit, not only a reading one
- You want skills you can return to, rather than a one-time intervention
It may not be the right fit if:
- You are in active distress that needs face-to-face clinical support — please reach out to a clinician
- You are early in primary treatment and looking for help with the diagnosis and treatment itself — this toolkit addresses the fear that comes after
About the author
Nina Tauber is a clinical psychologist with a PhD in psycho-oncology, specialising in fear of cancer recurrence. She developed manual-based FCR treatments at Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, in collaboration with international partners.
Her approach is evidence-based — grounded in the conviction that fear after cancer is a natural response, not a disorder to be fixed, but an experience to be understood and worked with. She works with cancer survivors and their loved ones, online, from wherever they are in the world.
Selected publications include the international meta-analysis on fear of cancer recurrence prevalence (Luigjes-Huizer, Tauber et al., 2022), a meta-analysis of interventions for fear of recurrence (Tauber et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2019), and the ConquerFear-Group randomised controlled trial (Tauber et al., 2023). A full publication list is available on the about page.
What you receive
- A workbook (PDF) containing the Welcome, six modules with information sheets and worksheets, and a closing Toolbox with a personalised practice plan and a printable card
- Two guided audio practices — the Sushi Train (defusion) and the Flashlight (attention flexibility), approximately ten minutes each
Total: One hundred pages of content, plus audio.
Everything is delivered immediately upon purchase. The materials are yours to keep, work through at your own pace, and return to when you need them.
€97
One-time payment
Lifetime access to all materials
14-day refund if it isn’t right for you
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to have read your eBook first?
No. The programme stands on its own. If you have read The Fear That Stays, the toolkit is the practical companion — the skills the eBook describes, set out as something you can practice. If you haven’t, the toolkit’s Welcome document gives you the information you need to begin.
Is this a substitute for therapy?
No. The programme is a structured set of skills you can learn and return to. For some people, it is enough on its own. For others, it sits alongside therapy or medical care. If you are in active distress, please reach out to a clinician — a self-paced toolkit is not the right format for crisis.
How long does it take to work through?
Most people complete a module in thirty to sixty minutes of focused time, then practice the skills over the following week. Working through all six modules at one per week takes about six weeks. There is no time pressure — you can move faster, slower, or pause and return.
What if I get stuck?
The Welcome document includes guidance for common sticking points. The Toolbox at the end of the toolkit gives you a personalised practice plan and a printable card to return to. You can also write to me directly with questions about how to use the materials.
Can I print the materials?
Yes. The PDFs are designed to be readable on screen and printed. The Toolbox includes a printable card meant for the wall, the desk drawer, or wherever you’d return to it.
What’s the refund policy?
If the programme isn’t the right fit, you can request a refund within fourteen days of purchase. Email me and I’ll process it without questions.
Is this available in Danish?
A Danish edition is in development for autumn 2026. The current release is in English. If you’d like to be told when the Danish edition is ready, you can join the list.
Will there be video later?
Yes. The programme was built to extend — video components and an integration with the Fear After Cancer app are in development. People who buy now will receive these as free updates when they become available.