Hypnosis (Hypnotherapy) for IBS

At some point in every child’s life, they will say “you’re getting sleeeeepy,” while waving something back and forth in front of someone’s face. This demonstrates that for most of us, our earliest exposure to hypnosis comes from Saturday morning cartoons! In adulthood, we may have seen a hypnotist put on an entertaining show in which the performer is able to get ordinary people to behave in extraordinary ways. These "parlor tricks" unfortunately serve to interfere with the awareness that hypnosis can be an effective form of treatment for a variety of disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

To take the mystery out of it, hypnotherapy is simply a procedure in which a qualified therapist uses a variety of techniques to induce a state of consciousness -- the trance state -- which is generally experienced as relaxing. In a trance state, suggestions are made to specifically address target areas -- emotional, physical, or behavioral. While in a trance state, the client remains aware of outside surroundings, yet experiences a very focused attention to internal sensations. There is a lot of differences in how each person experiences the trance state.

Research has consistently shown hypnotherapy to be an effective form of treatment for many individuals who suffer from IBS. Treatment effects include:

• Decrease in abdominal pain
• Reduction in diarrhea episodes
• Reduction of chronic constipation
• Decrease in visceral hypersensitivity
• Positive effect on motility
• Improved quality of life
• Reduced doctor visits
• Reduced use of medication
• Decrease in depression and anxiety
• Results are maintained long after treatment ends

As with any form of treatment, it is important to see a practitioner who is qualified and well-trained. These associations offer referral services:

• American Association of Professional Hypnotherapists
• American Society of Clinical Hypnosis

_{Gonsalkorale, W.M., Houghton L.A, & Whorwell PJ. “Hypnotherapy in irritable bowel syndrome: a large-scale audit of a clinical service with examination of factors influencing responsiveness” American Journal of Gastroenterology (2002) 97: 954-961.}

_{Whorwell, P. “Hypnotherapy for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders”. IFFGD Fact Sheet.}