Hypno-IBS® for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Hypnotherapy and IBS
If you have IBS, it might be a bit difficult to understand how hypnotherapy can help. Hypnotherapy deals with the mind, right? And IBS affects your gut. So there can’t be a connection…
In fact, there’s a very clear connection between your mind and your gut. Your brain and gut are closely connected by your vagus nerve, which is like an information superhighway and sends messages from your brain to your gut.
Your thoughts and emotions are communicated directly to your gut and affect how your gut works – we’ve all felt worried about something and been unable to eat or have felt nauseous. Likewise, information is communicated from your gut back up to your brain. The expression ‘gut feeling’ sums this up nicely – your gut is giving you information which might be important and your brain can then act on that information.
Expertise with HypnoIBS®
As a trained HypnoIBS® practitioner, I offer specialist treatment using gut-directed hypnosis (GDH) or ‘gut-guided’ hypnotherapy, which has been shown in clinical trials to be significantly effective in helping people with IBS.
This approach uses hypnosis, suggestion, guided imagery and relaxation to produce a therapeutic effect. Clinical trials show that around 70% of those who try gut-directed hypnotherapy see a reduction in symptoms within six weeks. GDH addresses the “miscommunication” between the brain and gut by improving the connection of the mind and body – or the gut-brain axis – and increasing the response of the parasympathetic nervous system.
How hypnotherapy helps
Many people find that particular emotions – such as anxiety and anger – make their IBS symptoms worse. Hypnotherapy can help you recognise the situations which trigger these emotions, your own response to the emotions and the impact this has on your IBS. Using hypnosis, you can learn to experience new outcomes from these triggers and emotions which can help manage and improve your symptoms.
Another way in which hypnotherapy can help is by introducing you to deep states of relaxation and powerful imagery during your hypnotherapy sessions, and afterwards as you practice self-hypnosis and listen to your HypnoIBS™ recordings.
Most clients who have experienced HypnoIBS™ report not only an improvement in their IBS symptoms but in their lives in general!.
Managing your IBS
Hypnotherapy is not a cure but can help to reduce symptoms and make them more manageable. Hypnotherapy can help to:
- Reduce the sensitivity of the digestive system making it less likely to over-react and cause symptoms.
- Reduce severity and frequency of physical symptoms such as pain, bloating and urgency and regain a more regular bowel habit.
- Reduce stress and anxiety about your symptoms.
- Give you the time, opportunity and support to find the right approach for your health.
- Give you tools to use in everyday life to help you feel more in control.
- Help you feel more confident in managing your condition.
