Does Hypnotherapy Work As an IBS Treatment?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of the digestive system whose symptoms include bloating, discomfort, abdominal pain and irregular bowel habits. In turn these symptoms can lead to depression. There is no known cure for IBS however one treatment that appears to be coming to the forefront is hypnotherapy.
Hypnotherapy is a treatment that many people have heard of, but they’re not entirely sure what it is or how it works. Typically a session of hypnotherapy involves a client/patient and a hypnotherapist (or in this modern age a CD or MP3). The session will first begin with some “pre-talk” where the hypnotherapist will explain what to expect from the hypnotherapy IBS treatment. Once this has been discussed the treatment itself will begin.
The hypnotherapy will begin with a hypnotic induction and then a deepener. This ensures that the client is in a trance state. It is difficult to explain a hypnotic trance because it can vary from person to person. Some people get a tingling sensation and feel very light while others feel very still and heavy as if they are sunk into their chair. During hypnotic trance a person is still aware of what is being said to them and they are not asleep or unconscious in anyway. Hypnotic trance is often described as an altered or heightened sense of focus, much like “being in the zone” while playing a sport.
Once trance has been established the hypnotherapist will embed certain suggestions into the mind of their client. In the case of IBS treatment the suggestions may revolve around helping the client to feel less stressed (as stress often makes IBS symptoms worse), more optimistic about the situation, relieve pain and discomfort, and regulate sleep patterns depending on the situation.
It may seem amazing to think hypnotherapy can help treat all these symptoms of IBS but scientific studies suggest that hypnotherapy is the real deal, not just for IBS but for many other issues too.
Back in 1989 scientists at the Frenchay Hospital in Bristol ran a study on the effects of hypnotherapy on IBS patients. 33 patients with IBS were treated with hypnotherapy over the course of 7 weeks. Of these 33 patients only 2 patients showed no positive effects. The condition of 20 of the patients improved and 11 were completely free of all their former symptoms. With those kind of results, if hypnotherapy was a drug, then doctors wouldn’t hesitate to prescribe it! Unfortunately few doctors are well versed in complementary treatment.
It’s also interesting to note that the hypnotherapy given to the patients in the study was a group form of hypnotherapy, meaning that the sessions were not catered to individual needs. This suggests that CDs or MP3s recorded by qualified hypnotherapists are highly effective, and they are much more affordable than hiring a hypnotherapist.
To answer the question, “does hypnotherapy work as an IBS treatment?” the answer is a resounding yes! If you are a sufferer of IBS and are looking for relief from your dire symptoms then give hypnotherapy a try today.
You will be truly astonished!
Author Bio: Jake works for leading hypnosis website HypnoBusters. They offer a variety of articles, videos, MP3s and hypnosis scripts. You may be interested in their IBS Hypnosis MP3.
Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: IBS treatment, hypnotherapy for ibs, hypnotherapy ibs treatment, ibs hypnotherapy