What it can help
 

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Hypnotherapy, through the research undertaken at the University of Manchester School of medicine, is listed in the NICE Guidelines (CG61IBS) as a treatment for refractory IBS. (www.medicine.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/ibs)

The use of Hypnotherapy in treatment of this condition is the well-established ability to reduce stress and anxiety thus lowering the perception of pain and discomfort.

The mind and the body are inextricably linked and therefore when we become stressed and anxious this can have a profound affect on the body’s immune system, which may result in the symptom pattern prevalent in Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

The gut has its own separate nervous system (Enteric Nervous System – ENS), which is connected, by nerve fibres, to the brain. The bowel can be influenced by images and thoughts from the brain and the use of guided imagery as used in hypnosis can be enormously helpful.

It should be stressed that IBS is a medical condition and as such, if you think that you have symptoms of IBS then the first course of action is to visit your GP for diagnosis and advise.