Irritable Bowel Syndrome is very common and it is estimated that as much as twenty percent of the global population has or had IBS. It is the most common gastrointestinal condition seen by the family doctor and Gastroenterologist. In addition, it is not just a heavy burden on the patient, but also to the Health Professionals, the Health Providers and Industry in general. In IBS, there is no abnormality of the gut, yet there are distressing symptoms.
There are numerous treatments available for Irritable Bowel Syndrome but the treatment that produces the best long term benefits is hypnotherapy. Most experts think this type of treatment should be reserved for severe or refractory IBS. I believe this is wrong.
It may seem odd that hypnotherapy is so effective. To understand why this treatment works in Irritable Bowel Syndrome, you must understand how hypnotherapy works. Improvement results from powerful post hypnotic suggestions and visualisation. The hypnotherapist aims to get the subject into a deep trance. In this trance state, the brain is at Theta brainwave. Fully awake, you are at Beta brainwave state.
When you are at Theta brainwave state, you are hyper-suggestible. In other words what ever the hypnotist says is likely to reach the Subconscious Mind because the filters that are likely to reject this information are relaxed.
In Theta state, the reality generator in REM sleep is activated. In REM sleep, dreams occur. So in Theta state, visualisation created by the hypnotherapist becomes very powerful and effective. In this state the brain cannot differentiate real from unreal and visualisation is as real as if you are actually living it.
Visualisation and post hypnotic suggestions are very effective in Irritable Bowel Syndrome. In IBS there are several layers of negative information stored in the Subconscious Mind and this increases as further treatment becomes ineffective. In the Theta state, the hypnotherapist gradually replaces the negative messages with positive ones. This helps to change belief, perception and expectation in the Mind of the sufferer. This is when symptoms begin to improve.
Although there is likely to be excellent results following hypnotherapy, in IBS patients relapse can happen if doubts creep in that symptoms are going to return. Once thoughts are channelled in this direction, it is like giving the go ahead for symptoms to return. When symptoms return, more and more negative thoughts take residence in the Subconscious Mind and you are back to the same old familiar IBS.
I strongly believe that hypnotherapy should be recommended to everyone with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and not just reserved for the severe or refractory IBS sufferers. Most severe or refractory IBS patients have symptoms of IBS for a long time. Some have IBS for as long as twenty years or more and if they try something new and it did not work, it anchors yet another negative thought. These patients have a large amount of negative information stored in their mind and the task of the hypnotherapist is difficult.
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
There are numerous treatments available for Irritable Bowel Syndrome but the treatment that produces the best long term benefits is hypnotherapy. Most experts think this type of treatment should be reserved for severe or refractory IBS. I believe this is wrong.
It may seem odd that hypnotherapy is so effective. To understand why this treatment works in Irritable Bowel Syndrome, you must understand how hypnotherapy works. Improvement results from powerful post hypnotic suggestions and visualisation. The hypnotherapist aims to get the subject into a deep trance. In this trance state, the brain is at Theta brainwave. Fully awake, you are at Beta brainwave state.
When you are at Theta brainwave state, you are hyper-suggestible. In other words what ever the hypnotist says is likely to reach the Subconscious Mind because the filters that are likely to reject this information are relaxed.
In Theta state, the reality generator in REM sleep is activated. In REM sleep, dreams occur. So in Theta state, visualisation created by the hypnotherapist becomes very powerful and effective. In this state the brain cannot differentiate real from unreal and visualisation is as real as if you are actually living it.
Visualisation and post hypnotic suggestions are very effective in Irritable Bowel Syndrome. In IBS there are several layers of negative information stored in the Subconscious Mind and this increases as further treatment becomes ineffective. In the Theta state, the hypnotherapist gradually replaces the negative messages with positive ones. This helps to change belief, perception and expectation in the Mind of the sufferer. This is when symptoms begin to improve.
Although there is likely to be excellent results following hypnotherapy, in IBS patients relapse can happen if doubts creep in that symptoms are going to return. Once thoughts are channelled in this direction, it is like giving the go ahead for symptoms to return. When symptoms return, more and more negative thoughts take residence in the Subconscious Mind and you are back to the same old familiar IBS.
I strongly believe that hypnotherapy should be recommended to everyone with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and not just reserved for the severe or refractory IBS sufferers. Most severe or refractory IBS patients have symptoms of IBS for a long time. Some have IBS for as long as twenty years or more and if they try something new and it did not work, it anchors yet another negative thought. These patients have a large amount of negative information stored in their mind and the task of the hypnotherapist is difficult.
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
About the Author:
The Author, Dr. Phil Hariram, after over twenty years of treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome, has developed The Healing IBS Program. This treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is as good as or even better than treatment with hypnotherapy.
