Health & Fitness Blog

Although in Irritable Bowel Syndrome, there is no abnormality of the gut, it is very distressing to the individual who has it. It is very common and figures show that as much as 20% of the global population has or had IBS. It is the most common condition seen by Gastroentologist. It is not just a heavy burden on the sufferer but to Health Professionals, the Health Providers and Industry.

Of all the treatments available for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, hypnotherapy is the only one that produces the best long term benefits. The majority of Gastroenterologists think hypnotherapy should be reserved for severe or refractory IBS. I disagree.

If you understand how hypnotherapy works, it will become clear why it is such an effective treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. During hypnosis, the hypnotherapist puts the subject in a trance. If this trance is very deep, then the subject will drop down to Theta brainwave level. When fully awake, you are in Beta brainwave state.

In Theta Brainwave level, you are in a state of hyper-suggestibility. This means that whatever the hypnotherapist suggests is likely to get through into the Subconscious Mind because the resistant filters have become relaxed.

In addition in Theta state, the hypnotherapist has access to the reality generator of REM sleep. Thus is why visualisation in Theta state is so effective. In the REM state, dreams occur and visualisation during REM sleep is like a dream. At the time it is very real. In REM state the brain cannot differentiate what is real or just imagination.

Visualisation and post hypnotic suggestions are ineffective unless the subject is at Theta brainwave state. In Irritable Bowel Syndrome there are layers upon layers of negative information stored in the Subconscious Mind. The hypnotherapist can gradually remove them and replace them with positive ones. It is only when this happens that the Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferer changes belief, perception and expectation. This is when symptoms begin to improve.

Relapse after hypnotherapy develops when doubts creep into the mind of the IBS sufferer. Once the subject believes the symptoms are returning, it is like a green light for it to return. As long as the subject continue to believe that he or she is in total control, the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome will stay away.

I believe that all IBS patients should have hypnotherapy and the earlier the better. Well established sufferers have several layers of negative information in their mind and it will take longer to replace with positive info while newly diagnosed IBS patients will respond to only a few sessions because the hypnotherapist has less work to do.

In cases of severe or refractory Irritable Bowel Syndrome, it will take twelve weeks or more of treatment by the hypnotherapist with special gut directed skills and home use of self hypnosis tapes. Hypnotherapy works in IBS and although there are several explanation, the simplest one is that the hypnotherapist is replacing negative information about Irritable Bowel Syndrome in the Subconscious Mind and replacing them with positive ones. It, therefore, makes sense that this treatment should be offered as early as possible to IBS sufferers and by doing so reduce the years of heavy burden