Irritable Bowel Syndrome
What is it?
IBS is a condition that affects the digestive system and causes symptoms such as abdominal pain, stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea, or constipation. Symptoms can last for days or even weeks and months. It is usually a lifelong problem and can severely impair one’s quality of life.
While its exact cause is unknown, it’s been linked to food passing too quickly or slowly through the gut, oversensitive nerves in the gut, stress and family history.
It is important to get formally diagnosed so you should contact your GP who will arrange for required tests.
Cause and triggers
By definition, IBS does not have one clear cause. New science has suggested possible factors like genetic variations and altered gut microbiomes. In addition, stress has been recognised to alter the brain-gut connection and therefore increase symptoms.
The connection between brain and gut – and vice-versa – is altered and for example, muscles of the intestinal wall can be hyper-reactive. In addition, the brain can also misinterpret normal signals from the gut which starts then a chain reaction that creates further symptoms.
What can you do to alleviate the symptoms?
Exercise can help IBS by managing stress in your life and massaging the digestive tract.
Diet is an essential part and you should avoid processed foods and keep a diary to identify potential trigger foods such as high-FODMAP foods.
Relaxation will also help with stress management.
Why us?
We hold specific qualifications in gut-directed hypnotherapy.
Our treatment plans will focus on your history, a detailed analysis of your triggers and a specifically designed gut-directed program.
You will be provided with recordings specifically designed to 'talk to your gut'.
You will be offered Sophrology treatment should you chose to so you can be given tools to control your symptoms.
In case of flare-up, we offer emergency Reiki treatment to help you cope with the pain.
Contact us for a free consultation today
Call us on 077 59 44 53 60
What solutions do we offer
Gut – directed hypnosis has been recommended by European and North American gastroenterology guidelines for the management of IBS.
Hypnotherapy has proven to be most effective to address IBS. It addresses the neurological issue that this is the miscommunication between the brain and the gut which in turns triggers IBS symptoms. For that reason, you want to meet with a speciality trained gut-directed hypnotherapist. The therapist will basically ‘talk to your gut’.
In addition, your hypnotherapist will support you with stress-management procedures. Under stress, the brain perceives that there is threat to your safety. It then switches on your fight of flight response, triggering responses in your body (turning on some signals like accelerated breathing, and turning off others like digestion). A prolonged exposure to stress will therefore disrupt some of your body responses on a long term basis.
One of the major benefits is that this has proven to not only greatly improve your quality of life, but also improve other areas of your life such as counteracting stress, relationships and work challenges. Your hypnotherapist will teach you specific techniques so you can learn to manage your symptoms effectively on your own.
Sophrology is relaxation method that combines physical and mental exercises. It brings you to a relaxed state where you can focus on your breath and positive memories. By becoming more aware of your body, we can help you improve your physical health. In addition, sophrology can help you develop a positive attitude towards life which in turns help with the management of symptoms.
We hold certificates specifically related to stress management.
Reiki is a Japanese healing method where the practitioner hovers their hands over your body. We re-establish energy flows and release blockages. You may have sensations or nothing at all. Some of our clients report a warm or tingling feeling in their gut. As a result, you feel pain relief.
After the first Reiki session, you will likely feel strangely calm and your whole body will be very relaxed. After a few days, your general tonus and energy levels pick up if for any reason you were in need with this boost. The effects of Reiki are lasting and go beyond the area where you feel pain.
You can choose to come and see us as a result of flare-up so we can relief you from the pain, otherwise anytime you want to rebalance your energy flows.
Some statistics
The efficacy of gut-directed hypnosis has been demonstrated with the highest level of evidence, namely systematic reviewed of randomised controlled trials.
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In the largest clinical series to date, including 1,000 patients, >75% of patients refractory to standard medical treatment achieved a clinical response to hypnotherapy, defined as a ≥ 50-point reduction in IBS symptom severity score.
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In a 2001 study at the university of Manchester, 250 patients receiving hypnotherapy interviewed 5 years later, 71% reported lasted improvements in their condition.
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A 2014 meta-analysis[ of 7 randomised clinical trials revealed that hypnotherapy significant improved abdominal pain ad provided benefits for overall gastrointestinal symptoms.
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A 2015 study demonstrated that were also significant improvements in extraintestinal symptoms and anxiety and depression scores.
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In a 2016 study, gut-directed hypnotherapy matched the results of the low FODMAP diet.
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A 2020 study has demonstrated a highly significant improvement in the entire spectrum of IBS symptoms following hypnotherapy in children and adolescent with an overall response rate of 88%. This also demonstrated that school attendance was improved.
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A meta-analysis of RCTs showing that gut-directed hypnotherapy is one of the few treatments that performs better than a control for patients with refractory symptoms.