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.
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.
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 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 in Theta State in very effective. In Theta state, the hypnotherapist can gradually replace all the layers of negative information and replace them with positive ones. The benefits only result after there is change in belief, perception and expectation of your IBS.
IBS patient, after excellent results from hypnotherapy, will relapse if doubts creep into the mind. If the patients believe that symptoms will develop, it is like giving it the all clear to return. As long as the IBS patient remain confident that symptoms will not return, he or she will remain symptom free and in control of IBS.
It is my belief that hypnotherapy should not only be offered to difficult to treat or severe IBS patients but to everyone with IBS. Severe or refractory IBS usually develop after some time. Most refractory IBS sufferers have IBS for as long as twenty years and when whatever they tried failed, it anchors another negative thought until nothing works any more. Such patients have layers upon layers of negative information and become more difficult to remove by the hypnotherapist.
Patients with severe or refractory IBS will need at least twelve weeks of hypnotherapy and often supplemented by self hypnosis at home. Research has shown very good results in these cases. There may be several explanation why hypnotherapy works in such cases but the simplest one is that the hypnotherapist is replacing negative information with positive ones in the minds of the IBS patients. It therefore makes sense that hypnotherapy should be offered as early as possible and thereby reduce several years of unnecessary distress in a condition where there is no real disease process.
