Digestive Health

IBS, IBD, CD, UC - if you recognise these abbreviations or have suffered from an "anxious tummy", you will likely know how Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Disease, Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis can impact your life. From planning your day around toilet stops, to embarrassing symptoms, discomfort or debilitating illness, long-term or periodic digestive disorders can dictate our days, pastimes and working life, and ruin our nights.

Hypnotherapy is effective in the treatment of digestive and gut disorders. Several research studies and clinical trials have supported this. It has been shown to alleviate stress triggers and improve symptoms, including abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea, and constipation. Hypnotherapy also reduces relapse rates and medication usage in patients with Ulcerative Colitis (UC), significantly improves the quality of life, and reduces symptom severity in patients with Crohn's Disease (CD). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK recognises hypnotherapy as a recommended treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in their clinical guidelines.

Stress is known to trigger or exacerbate symptoms of digestive disorders. Solution-focused hypnotherapy can reduce stress levels and promote a sense of calm by inducing a state of deep relaxation and by using techniques including visualisation and guided imagery.

There is a strong connection between the gut and the brain, often called the gut-brain axis (GBA). Solution focused hypnotherapy can influence this connection to promote healthy digestion and regulated gut function. By focusing on positive changes in overall well-being and gut health, solution focused hypnotherapy can help improve symptoms and encourage a healthier gut-brain balance.

Whilst I cannot give you dietary or health advice, I will help you identify positive lifestyle choices and support your intentions to adopt positive behaviours. I can help you address behaviours and habits that may contribute to digestive disorders, for example, by identifying stress-related behaviours such as emotional eating or dietary choices, which can worsen symptoms. I will help you focus on your strengths, resources and goals. We will shift the focus from the problem to the solution and help enhance your ability to cope with your condition and improve the overall quality of your life.

References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4015203/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348831853_Systematic_review_meta-analysis_with_subgroup_analysis_of_hypnotherapy_for_Irritable_Bowel_Syndrome_effect_of_intervention_characteristics

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apt.13202