Can hypnotherapy help with IBS?

I’m writing in April, which is IBS Awareness month, so I thought I would have a look at how hypnotherapy can help with irritable bowel syndrome. IBS is a condition that produces gastrointestinal tract pain for countless people. It’s not possible to remove or cure IBS using hypnosis. But studies show that a few sessions of hypnotherapy are effective in helping many people to manage the symptoms.

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

The signs of IBS can include gut pains, loose stools, constipation, acid reflux, flatulence, queasiness, and trapped wind. Some people with irritable bowel syndrome worry about their symptoms getting out of control when they are away from home and end up avoiding social outings as a result. This can lead to feelings of isolation, and periods of depression and anxiety which make it even harder to cope.

Despite the fact that IBS is a common condition, it can have more of an impact on quality of life than many people realise. Those who have to live with IBS can find it a daily struggle. For some people, specific triggers such as stress, meal times, or certain foods trigger IBS symptoms. This makes them a little easier to manage. Others need to have constant access to a toilet and experience significant pain much of the time. This has a powerful effect on their ability to enjoy everyday life.

IBS is likely to be linked to the way the gut functions, although the causes are not fully understood. Some researchers have suggested that individuals with IBS feel gut pain differently from those without the condition. Those with IBS are also more likely to be allergic to cats and feathers than other people, though we don’t know why this is!

How can hypnotherapy help with IBS? For most people, worry and anxiety tend to make irritable bowel symptoms flare up. This is probably because stress hormones alter the way the gut works. Even when the symptoms start off relatively mild, worrying about them can be enough to increase your stress levels, and the whole cycle begins again. Hypnotherapy helps you to relax and cope better, so that the symptoms aren’t triggered.

Diagnosing IBS

Only a medical professional can make a diagnosis of IBS, and they will advise about changes in lifestyle and diet to reduce the chances of symptoms occurring. Alongside this, medication can help to control the symptoms when they do flare up.

It’s unwise to self-medicate without a diagnosis, as there are other conditions with similar symptoms that need a different approach. In the past, many people avoided going to a doctor because the diagnosis required a colonoscopy. However, in most cases, doctors use the ‘Rome lll’ criteria, which requires only symptom testing and blood tests.

Once IBS is properly diagnosed, a hypnotic approach can help you in a number of ways:

• relaxation and stress/anxiety reduction to help keep flare-ups to a minimum,
• hypnotic pain control to reduce discomfort,
• motivation to follow lifestyle changes recommended by your GP,
• confidence boost for those whose worries about their symptoms have kept them from participating in life fully.

Hypnosis and IBS

Hypnosis cannot cure or treat IBS. But studies show that, for many people, it can be helpful in reducing and controlling symptoms. Continuing to use the techniques at home is essential. But if you can do this, it’s a great way to get back in control.

Psychological health and physical health are connected, especially in conditions that tend to flare up when our stress levels rise. For many of those affected, reducing your IBS symptoms could significantly improve your everyday life.

Help for IBS

If you think you may have irritable bowel syndrome, your first step should be to see your GP. After that, get in touch with me to ask about gut-directed hypnotherapy which may help you control the symptoms.

You could surprise yourself with just how powerful your mind can be.