Good News for IBS Sufferers – Hypnotherapy can help relieve most symptoms in more than 80% of cases

Hypnotherapy is one of the recommended interventions for people with IBS who do not respond to traditional pharmacological treatments and who go on to develop a chronic symptom profile. An increased sensitivity of the entire gut is the most common description of IBS and this can often be preceded by some type of food related illness, trauma, chronic stress, bereavement or depression.

The distressing symptoms of IBS can be life shattering. Pain, bloating, constipation or diarrhoea can have a devastating effect on a sufferer’s day to day lifestyle. From urgency to embarrassment, or pain to bloating, it’s no fun to live your life never knowing when the next episode of IBS is going to strike.

Over 20 years of research into the use of gut-directed hypnosis has been conducted by Peter Whorwell, Professor of Medicine and Gastroenterology, Withington Hospital, Manchester, showing that hypnotherapy has a very high success rate in more than 70% of patients. Another study done by Prof. Olaf Palsson in the University of North Carolina, reports that hypnosis has a success rate of up to 95%. In the majority of cases, most symptoms are greatly improved. During the hypnotherapy treatment, sufferers learn how to influence and gain control over their gut function.

Although psychological issues don't necessarily cause IBS directly, sufferers agree that stress or anxiety makes their symptoms worse.

The benefits of hypnotherapy for IBS

• It is a comfortable and enjoyable form of treatment
• The skills are easy to learn and put into practice
• There are usually no negative side effects
• Relaxation is emphasised and tension relieved
• It utilizes the healing power of the mind
• There are often other benefits, like relief from headaches or migraines
• The effects of treatment last long after the treatment has finished
• Stress levels are reduced overall
• The sufferer becomes empowered to activate their own healing abilities
• New pathways in the brain are created to change the way the body reacts to stressors

IBS The precise causes of IBS are not known, although it is commonly accepted to be a functional disorder of the gut, made worse by certain foods, stress or anxiety. Sufferers agree that the gut is extremely sensitive to what’s happening in their lives on a day-to-day basis.

The IBS Hypnotherapy Programme

I have based my IBS Treatment Programme on the work of both Professors Whorwell and Palsson mentioned above. The course of treatment consists of 6 sessions each lasting one hour. The sessions are structured to include suggestions for functional, emotional and behavioural well-being. The plan is symptom oriented and is tailored to suit each client individually.

Skills Training

Typically, you will sit down comfortably in a chair and relax while you allow your mind to let go and turn inward. You listen to my suggestions and allow them to seed themselves within your unconscious mind. Your attention is all that is required to water those seeds. Over the course of 6 sessions, these seeds grow to maturity while new pathways in the brain are being created and you are learning new skills that empower you to take control of what happens to your body. We work together and in tune, I respond to your needs and you respond to my suggestions. By creating an inner space you can align and balance the energies to flow freely, allowing your own creative healing power to be switched on. You will be taught how to ease the pain, reduce the bloating, and overcome the distressing symptoms of IBS in the comfort on the therapy room, or your own home. These skills can then be transferred for use in everyday life and in any situation.

You will be taught the skills of relaxation, mindfulness, self hypnosis and pain reduction methods. You will also be given a hypnosis audio to listen to between sessions to enhance the process.

Rest Assured...

You can be assured that when you work with me, I am extremely sensitive to your needs, understanding of the distressing symptoms you experience and the confidential nature of the problem. I will work with you to build your confidence and enable you to start taking control again. Your body knows how to be well; we just need to re-activate that programme.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE BEEN PROPERLY DIAGNOSED WITH IBS BY YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE COMMENCING HYPNOTHERAPY TREATMENT FOR IBS
contact me