Most people would not associate Hypnotherapy with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), or would at least wonder if and how Hypnotherapy could help a person suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

This short article explains just how helpful Clinical Hypnotherapy has been found to be for people suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist I see a large number of people struggling with all sorts of issues and conditions. IBS is just one of those and although it is a very real and physical problem, research has found that it can be influenced, often greatly, by psychological treatments, such as clinical hypnosis, not least because associated with IBS are many not physical conditions, such as anxiety, low moods, fears, lack of confidence and more...

At Clarity Flow Hypnotherapy, we practice a modern neurosciences based Hypnotherapy, which means, we take the best evidence-based methods from talking therapies and combine it with the powerful benefits of hypnosis, to help people make practical positive changes and find ways to get the best out of themselves and life. What our Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy sessions do is aim both to help a person cope better, and work on reducing the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Before going any further about how Hypnotherapy can help IBS, let's first take a moment to understand what it is.

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
One of the first things to understand about IBS is that there are no visible abnormality in the bowel and there is no diagnostic test for it. However, this is not to say that it's in the mind, because there are many real, uncomfortable (to very painful) physical symptoms, such as: cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhoea/constipation or both or even nausea.  

Associated with IBS there is often anxiety, low moods, stress and worries, tiredness, poor sleep, fears and confidence issues. It is also very likely that a large part of these worries and anxieties are as a result of how the person suffering from IBS feels about their situation. They may be:
Worried about going out and being too far from a bathroom.
Embarrassed to go out with friends or eat out, in case they suddenly feel unwell.
Anxious about what to eat and how much, so as not to have a flair up.
Sometimes feeling hungry but worried about eating, just in case it causes them pain or discomfort.  

All of these physical and psychological conditions add up, making the symptoms worse and creating a vicious cycle that can make the situation very difficult for a person suffering from IBS. It is not surprising that the condition can have an effect on a person's work, productivity, relationships and sense of worth.

How does Clinical Hypnotherapy help with IBS?
According to Scientific research, Hypnotherapy is one of the most effective approaches for IBS. In most published research studies to date, the response rate to treatment is very high. In one large-scale study, with 1000 IBS patients, the positive response rate was 80% in the females and 76% overall for a study (Miller 2015).

What is also worth acknowledging is that it often helps individuals who have failed to get improvements with other methods.  You can imagine that most people who turn to hypnotherapy do so only after having exhausted the medical treatments available. This therefore means that hypnotherapy ends up proving helpful for even the chronic persistent cases of IBS, the difficult cases, the people who don't know where to turn to any more and start looking beyond what is most obvious.

Dozens of clinical studies have been published showing Hypnotherapy significantly improves bowel symptoms and often the associated quality of life and emotional symptoms.  For example in the study mentioned above of 1000 IBS patients, who received 12 hypnotherapy sessions over 3 months, both anxiety and depression were halved, as were the number of pain days reported.

There are a list of other benefits to using hypnotherapy for IBS:

• Firstly, it has no negative side effects, because it is a drug-free therapy.
• Furthermore, not only does it have no negative side effects, you could say it has bonus positive side effects of improvement in other problems such as migraine, tension headaches, social anxieties etc. As hypnotherapy it holistic , it helps the person's overall well-being.
• Moreover, it is relaxing, easy and very enjoyable, so if anything, it feels like a treat to have a hypnotherapy session, not at all something you have to 'suffer through' in order to feel better.
• Another valuable benefit is that it's empowering, because it utilizes the power of the person’s own mind.
• Finally, its beneficial effects last long after the end of the course of sessions. According to research, individuals can generally look forward to years of reduced (or no) IBS.

For all of these good reasons, Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy (GDH) comes highly recommended, from no less than The British National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).  Nice recommends that, "People living with IBS who do not respond to pharmacological treatments after 12 months, [should] consider a referral for psychological interventions, such as Hypnotherapy.”

Of course, a person suffering from abdominal or other health concerns should always consult their doctor first to rule out other diagnoses.  However, as NICE recommends, if you've been suffering from IBS and would like to see how Hypnotherapy can help you, Clarity Flow Hypnotherapy offers a Free Initial Consultation* which is very easy to book.  Simply click the link and choose your preferred time for a video meeting with Maral Kojayan, a qualified and experienced Clinical Hypnotherapist.

During the 30-40 minute Initial Consultation, we will assess your needs, discuss how hypnotherapy can help you and answer any questions you may have.  You will also learn more about how the brain works and already start to get some insights into understand what changes to make and how.  

So, if you feel you'd like to start hypnotherapy, feel free to book yourself in for the free consultation offer and we looks forward to helping you towards helping yourself to get more peace of mind, and body.


Maral Kojayan MA HPD
Clinical Hypnotherapist
www.clarityflowhypnotherapy.com

TO BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION* FOR CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPY CLICK HERE

*Only one Free Initial Consultation booking per client pending therapist's availability. You must have a genuine interest in starting Hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy. A Clinical Hypnotherapist is not a medical professional. You should always consult with your physician/GP or a medical/mental health provider regarding your health concerns.

Reference:
V Miller, H R Carruthers, J Morris, S S Hasan, S Archbold, P J Whorwell. 2015. 'Hypnotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome: an audit of one thousand adult patients'. Aliment Pharmacol Ther.41(9):844-55.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25736234/

Advantages of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy has so many benefits. It can help with a long list of problems from insomnia to anxiety related issues to confidence to fears and phobias, stress reduction, chronic pain, management of anger, other emotions and much more.

The fact that it is so versatile and can help with so many different conditions, can be considered the first advantage of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy.
“The Benefits of Hypnotherapy: How can it help you?” article looks at all the many things Hypnotherapy can help with and how. In this article we'll be looking at what makes Hypnotherapy—more specifically, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy—a good and worthwhile choice for so many people.

No Unwanted Side Effects
One of the best advantages of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is that it's natural.
Natural means no medication or even herbal tinctures are involved. As no medication is involved, there are non of the unwanted side effects that go with them. This is great news to all those people who (in consultation with their medical doctors) are trying to move away from medication or reduce their dosage.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy uses the natural process of trance state as well as some of the best tools from modern psychotherapy to empower individuals to create the changes they want to make in themselves and in their lives.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy does this in a couple of ways. It helps people move naturally into activating the parasympathetic nervous system, the system for rest and restoration which can often results in a natural boost that is often felt directly after a session. It also works with techniques that tap into the body's natural pharmacy. Regular sessions habituate engagement in positive activities which help towards stimulating the production of serotonin (the so called “happiness hormone”) dopamine (for motivation) endorphin (morphine-like pain inhibitor) and other 'feel-good' neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters produce a healthy brain and body chemistry which support the body's systems in maintaining good health and coping better with life's challenges.

Complementary Therapy
Because of this, Hypnotherapy has been used in many hundreds of cases as an adjunct or complementary treatment, with positive results in hospital trials for accelerated wound healing, bone healing and for cancer care, as well as for IBS, migraines, insomnia, anxiety, weight-loss, and more studies outside of the hospital setting.

So clearly, another great advantage of Hypnotherapy is that it's a complementary therapy. As such, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy does not attempt to be an alternative to the mainstream but rather works as an additional complement for the treatment of many conditions.

It's worth mentioning that, unless specifically stated, a hypnotherapist is not a medical professional, so if you have a medical condition or are on any medication, it is always advisable to consult your doctor regarding your condition.

Pleasant Process
One of the nicest advantages of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is that it's a pleasant process. The focus of this branch of Hypnotherapy is always positive, the hypnosis itself is through visualisation and relaxation, rather than drawing up or dwelling on unpleasant episodes, which is what some therapies have been doing a lot of for many decades now. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is a modern psychotherapy, based on neuroscience and a scientific understanding of how the brain works. Neuroscience has reviled already that the brain cannot tell the difference between what you're thinking about and what is actually going on, it has also reviled a great many things about how we perceive reality, what neurotransmitters are responsible for etc. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy has taken on-board these and other discoveries into its therapy methods, to create a powerful yet pleasant therapeutic process.

An Education
Another very valuable advantage unique to Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is that it's not only a therapy but an education. During the process you have the benefit of learning a lot about how the brain works and how to maintain well-being in the most effective, efficient and lasting way based on this knowledge. In short, it teaches you how to be and stay as your best self without long-term support from the therapist.

Very Accessible
A little known super advantage of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is that it can be, and often is, done online via Zoom, Skype or other video conferencing apps. People sometimes have false ideas about what Hypnotherapy is and what's possible with it. The fact is that Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is a neuroscience based branch of psychotherapy, as such the only thing that's necessary is to see and hear each other. This type of Hypnotherapy doesn't need physical contact or physical proximity.

This makes Solution Focused Hypnotherapy a very conveniently accessible service for people. You can be anywhere in the world and still access a Solution Focused Hypnotherapist at Clarity Flow Hypnotherapy or other Solution Focused Hypnotherapy providers. You can even be in the same city as your therapist but choose to have sessions online which saves you time and money.

Affordable
This brings us to the last, but not least of the advantages, which is its affordability. There are two factors which make it affordable. The first is that online sessions save not only the client time and resources, but also save them for the therapist and these savings can be passed onto the client. The second factor that makes it affordable is that, unlike some therapies, services and activities people engage in, Hypnotherapy doesn't drag on indefinitely. It varies on the person and issue presented, but most people are able to resolve their problems within 12-15 sessions and do not need to revisit the therapist except if they choose to do a sort of periodic 'maintenance' because they find it enjoyable and empowering, but not out of necessity.


So, as you can see there are many advantages to working with a Clinical Hypnotherapist, in short, it's natural, complimentary, pleasant, educational, accessible and affordable, so if you're at a point where you think you could benefit from some support, it's best to start sooner rather than later.  Procrastination never solved anything, manageable small steps with support along the way often takes you a very long way, so don't hesitate to book a consultation, it's currently free at Clarity Flow Hypnotherapy.
 
TO BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION FOR CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPY CLICK HERE

Maral Kojayan MA HPD
Clinical Hypnotherapist
www.clarityflowhypnotherapy.com

There are thousands of evidence based articles on the benefits and effectiveness of Hypnotherapy, here is just a short list of BBC News articles:

1. IBS & Bowel Pain
2. IBS
3. Chest Pain
4. Anxious Teens
5. Singing
6. Pain Control
7. Childbirth
8. Childbirth
9. HypnoBirthing
10. Unemployed
11. Hay Fever
12. Smoking
13. IVF
14. Cancer Pain
15. Insomnia
16. Hypnotherapy
17. Pain free guide to Anaesthetic
18. Cancer op pain
19. Selective Eating Disorder

"Enough studies have now accumulated to suggest that the inclusion of hypnotic procedures may be beneficial in the management and treatment of a wide range of conditions and problems encountered in the practice of medicine, psychiatry and psychotherapy."    The British Psychological Society 2001

"The benefits of hypnotherapy as an adjunct treatment for neurological degenerative conditions such as Parkinson's Disease (PD) have come to the attention of both doctors and neurologists alike. Several evidence-based trials undertaken by hospitals, universities, and medical centres in the UK, USA, Canada, and Israel have yielded positive and encouraging results, especially in regard to reducing the symptom of resting tremor... [Thus Hypnotherapy] offers another avenue of treatment for those living with PD."  writes Peter Kingsford-Petley in his article Hypnotherapy as an adjunct treatment for Parkinson’s Disease patients in The Journal for Hypnotherapy, Coaching and NLP. Issue 27.