BBC, 25 May 2007
Hypnosis 'can ease bowel illness'
BBC, 4 January 2004
“Hypnotherapy Changed My Life” -- Patient relates how his IBS
was cured by hypnotherapy at Manchester's Withington Hospital.
BBC, 4 January 2004
Report
on Withington Hospital's highly successful use of hypnotherapy to cure
IBS.
Reuters, 3 October 2004
Study of
over 200 patients at Manchester's Withington Hospital shows 71% of IBS sufferers
responding well to hypnotherapy with long-lasting benefit.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects around one in four of the population at some time and varies in degree from slight discomfort to considerable pain. Despite being so prevalent, however, it is little understood.
There are theories that the root of the problem is the bowel being allergic to certain food products. This is certainly sometimes the case and some people have claimed success for diets that are wheat-free or that avoid other food product. The fact that, despite their best efforts, some people find it impossible to isolate any clear allergen, however, indicate that this is sometimes an overly reductive approach.
Emotional states are not located solely (or even mainly) in the brain. Some people develop tense shoulders when they are under pressure, others get acid stomach aches, still others carry tension in their gut. When we are under pressure, the body focuses on pumping blood to the major muscle groups in the fight or flight response. In order to secure the resources for this, it downgrades the priority it attaches to non-urgent activities like digestion, which further exacerbates digestive problems.
Hypnotherapy will let you learn how to relax deeply and remain inwardly calm even under pressure, thus alleviating the part of the problem being caused by the stress response. When people are in a relaxed hypnotic state, the body redirects blood back to the vital long-term functions like digestion. Hearing your stomach gurgling nicely is one of the many signs that will let you know you have relaxed into trance! Being able to deal with previously difficult situations without letting them leave you tense for the rest of the day will show you how you have learned to react to situations in a way that is less damaging for your digestive system.
These understandings are by no means mutually exclusive. IBS conditions generally comprise certain proportions of both dietary and psychological factors so the most effective solution should comprise both approaches.
If you are experiencing bowel discomfort, you should first of all visit your doctor for a proper diagnosis. Ask yourself if the discomfort seems to follow any pattern and, if your doctor agrees, experiment with cutting certain foods like citrus, dairy, yeast, wheat, or other grains out of your diet and taking supplements of friendly bacteria such as the acidophilus bacteria.
In addition to this, hypnotherapy routinely produces positive results in over 80% of IBS sufferers who use it. It has been so overwhelmingly successful for IBS symptom-alleviation that Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD, chair of the National Women's Health Network in Washington, DC, says that hypnosis should be the treatment of choice for IBS cases that have not responded to conventional therapy.
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