Hypnotherapy is one of the best known and most widely utilized treatments for IBS, and can use patients a drug-free solution to their signs of diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain and bloating.

There are now many hundreds of hypnotherapists who use what is called "gut-directed hypnotherapy" for IBS, which takes the basic techniques of hypnotherapy and applies them directly to the abdominal pain and digestive symptoms which IBS patients struggle with. This type of hypnotherapy has been scientifically evaluated and discovered to be really handy to many IBS clients.


Among the very first studies of hypnotherapy for IBS was carried out by Dr Peter Whorwell, a leading specialist on IBS and hypnotherapy in the UK. A trial he carried out in the 1980s discovered that a group of IBS patients who had stopped working to react to other treatments showed significant enhancements when treated with gut-directed hypnotherapy. Considering that then, other therapists have actually shown comparable results.

Hypnotherapy in a medical setting bears no relation to the type of stage hypnosis where volunteers are made to do absurd things in the name of entertainment. Clients remain completely in control of their own actions, and are just coaxed into a kind of deep relaxation state.
While the clients is in this state the therapist will talk to you and make positive suggestions-- one common method for IBS is to ask you to position your turn over your abdomen and imagine that a healing warmth is streaming from your hand to your stomach.

Some hypnotherapists will tape-record each session for you so that you can listen to them once again between your appointments, and for that reason increase the efficiency of the treatment.

If you do not have the time or the resources to visit a certified hypnotherapist, you might find some relief in one of the self-hypnosis CDs offered, which can be listened to in the comfort of your own home.
While you will not get a specific treatment program from a ready-made CD, you will have the ability to take advantage of the general hypnosis method, and you can pick to listen to the CDs whenever you have the time.
The IBS Audio Program, developed by the UK hypnotherapist Michael Mahoney, is the most extensively used program for IBS patients, and is readily available on audio CD and cassette. The program is designed to be utilized over 100 days, and consists of four CDs and a program booklet. The makers claim that around 80% of listeners experience a significant reduction of discomfort and bowel dysfunction.

The program consists of three healing session CDs, with an introduction and 5 different hypnotherapy sessions. It likewise consists of a perk 4th CD (the IBS Companion), which explains IBS to non-sufferers.

One of the very first studies of hypnotherapy for IBS was performed by Dr Peter Whorwell, a leading expert on IBS and hypnotherapy in the UK. A trial he carried out in the 1980s found that a group of IBS sufferers who had actually failed to respond to other treatments showed dramatic enhancements when treated with gut-directed hypnotherapy. The IBS Audio Program, established by the UK hypnotherapist Michael Mahoney, is the most widely utilized program for IBS victims, and is offered on audio CD and cassette.