IBS/irritable bowel syndrome

hypnotherapy hypnosis for IBS irritable bowel syndrome Horley, Surrey
IBS or irritable bowel syndrome is a digestive system illness and is associated with stomach pain, diarrhoea and constipation, without any evidence of disease. IBS affects between 10 to 15% of the U.K.'s population. Most people have minor symptoms, but some people have severe symptoms impacting their day-to-day lives, with bloating, discomfort, constipation or diarrhoea which can strike at any time. There is no physical cause as yet, but it is known that psychological stress and diet (and hormones in women) can exacerbate it.

Is your bowel making you feel irritable?! Do you feel like your bowel is in control of your life? I can help you to:

 - Feel more relaxed, and less stressed and anxious
 - Learn how to influence and gain control of your bowel
 - Feel more able to cope with your IBS symptoms

It is believed that hypnotherapy may help IBS by affecting a part of the brain which processes pain; and indirectly by reducing anxiety and stress, thereby reducing symptoms. IBS has proven to be difficult to treat using prescribed drug treatments. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), which guides the NHS on effective treatments, published guidance for GPs and consultants in February 2008, stating that there was good evidence that hypnotherapy can help people to cope with the symptoms of IBS.

how hypnotherapy helps

Treatment for IBS involves a full assessment of how your IBS affects you; your lifestyle, diet, any related anxieties and stresses. I treat any associated anxieties e.g. anxiety about finding toilets. I will then teach you relaxation techniques (e.g. breathing, muscle relaxation) to reduce anxiety and stress; and devise an individual treatment plan using visualisation, hypnotherapy and NLP to help you to gain control of your bowel, so it doesn't control you.

research shows hypnotherapy  is 70% effective

Research on 250 patients suffering from IBS two or more years, found hypnotherapy to be effective in over 70%. Prof Whorwell concluded that "during the hypnotherapy, sufferers learn how to influence and gain control of their gut function, and then seem to be able to change the way the brain modulates their gut activity". Dr Whorwell has performed a lot of research in this area and is trying to spread the word to other doctors. You can view details of some of his work on the BBC website by clicking here. Researchers found that people with severe symptoms showed a dramatic improvement after hypnosis treatment, than compared to a group with the same symptoms not given hypnosis treatment. (Whorwell, Prior and Faragher; The Lancet 1984, 2: 1232-4).