How can hypnotherapy help alleviate Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Knowledge of the mind-body link is a few thousand years old now, so it is hardly new news that our mental state can affect our state of physical well-being, indeed many people who experience IBS also suffer with anxiety, depression or stress. Whether anxiety and depression result from having IBS or whether they contribute to the development and/ or maintenance of symptoms is unclear, but what is clear is that depression and anxiety frequently co-exist with IBS. In a recent study it was reported that 38% of IBS patients had clinically-confirmed depression (compared with 6% of healthy controls) and 32% had anxiety (compared with 13% of healthy controls) [Shah E, et al. Ann Gastroenterol 2014;27:224-30].

It is possible that past events, such as childhood illness, bereavement or other significant trauma, may unwittingly have sensitized an individual to stress and the symptoms of pain and discomfort. Where this is the case, hypnotherapy can help identify, reframe and release any underlying subconscious reasons for the symptoms. Our bodies have a wonderful capacity for ‘talking’ to us, to alert us to the fact that something needs attention, and far from it being a scary process, it is most usually a deeply restorative and healing experience.

Besides dealing with any root cause, hypnotherapy can also help by teaching the client relaxation and stress-management techniques, pain management and coping strategies, including self-hypnosis that the client can use whenever they need to.

It has been found that six sessions of treatment are effective for suffers of IBS, though a pre-treatment assessment is required to establish each client’s individual needs and treatment plan. Personalised recordings form an integral part of the treatment.