You are not your IBS

Who do you think you are? This is your sense of identity.

The powerful psychological effect of ‘I am…’ can really serve you well, so long as your sense of identity is a helpful one. This is because our identity, together with our beliefs and values are three of the key reference points our mind uses in order to interpret the plethora of information it’s receiving from the environment moment by moment. And our actions are driven by that interpretation. So, holding the sense of identity – “I am a highly resilient and optimistic person”, would be highly likely to serve you well in relation to coping with your IBS symptoms.

Unfortunately being diagnosed with IBS by a doctor or medical specialist can lead some people into taking on an unhelpful identity, that of IBS sufferer. By assuming the identity of “IBS sufferer” an individual can start to believe that IBS is a fixed and permanent part of who they are, leading to them arriving at the conclusion that the best they can do is live with the symptoms or treat them with medicine.

The fact is you are not your IBS.

IBS is something you experience - something your body does. And because it’s something your body does you have the ability to change how your body does it. And this ability allows you to significantly reduce, and even eliminate, the IBS symptoms and their impact (mentally, emotionally and physically) on you. The outcome is a greatly improved quality of your life. Research tells us that the most effective way to change the way our body is behaving in relation to IBS is gut directed hypnotherapy.

And remember you are not your IBS.

So when you catch yourself thinking/saying “I’m an IBS sufferer” or “I have IBS,” correct yourself by thinking/saying:- “At the moment my gut isn’t behaving the way it should and I’m taking steps to get it working normally again. I am a highly resilient and optimistic person and I believe I can do this.”

IBS Hypnosis is as effective for children with IBS as it is for adults

Children as well as adults can suffer with IBS and when they do, it significantly reduces the quality of life in their lives. Fortunately, hypnotherapy can help children as well as adults gain relief from their IBS symptoms – and there is research to prove it.

A ground breaking piece of research (1) conducted in 2007 by a team at Amsterdam Children's Hospital opened the door for hypnosis to become a standard treatment for children with IBS.

The research team designed an elegant research project to see whether hypnosis and hypnotherapy were as effective in children (ages 8 - 18) with IBS as in adults. They began with 53 children diagnosed with severe long-term Functional Abdominal Pain (FAP) or FAP with IBS, and divided them randomly into two groups.

Both groups received treatment with fibre and medicines as required. Both groups were given reassurance, and educated about the role of stress in causing FAP and IBS. Both groups had discussions about the emotional and other triggers of IBS. The only difference is that the experimental group received six, half-hour sessions of what the authors called "gut-directed hypnotherapy" while the control group received six, half-hour sessions of supportive counselling over 3 months.

The results of this experiment were astounding. Both groups of children got significantly better. But, the hypnotherapy group did considerably better than the standard treatment group in every single category.

At the end of a twelve month period physicians evaluated the medical condition of the children in each group. 96% of the hypnotherapy group were assessed as either totally improved or symptom free compared to 54% for the control group.

Thanks to this pioneering study by the team at the Amsterdam Children's Hospital, we know that "gut directed hypnotherapy" is a highly effective treatment for FAP/IBS in children that can lead to rapid and complete resolution or amelioration of the symptoms.

Note: It’s absolutely essential to look at hypnosis as a tool to be used ONLY after a child has a full medical evaluation because, the symptoms of IBS can also be caused by a number of serious medical conditions such as infections and cancers.

1.     Research study: Vlieger AM, Menko-Frankenhuis C, Wolfkamp SC, et al. Hypnotherapy for children with functional abdominal pain or irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. Gastroenterology 2007;133(3):1430-143 Idoi:10.1053/j .gastro.2007.08.072.

Source for this blog: Hypnosis for Children with IBS and Tummy , Chapter 3, Scientific Research on Hypnosis and IBS (2016) by Robert Hughes

If you want to know more about how I can help you manage your Irritable Bowel Syndrome using hypnosis and other psychological techniques, please do get in touch today!

Visualising a healthier you

As a clinical hypnotherapist helping people to use the power of their imagination to become symptom free is a big part of my Hypno4IBS programme.

The use of the imagination (also called visualisation) to aid personal change and success is common amongst top performers in business, sports and the arts. Visualisation works because our brain/body (aka subconscious mind) doesn’t differentiate between real and imagined information. It responds to all information in the same way.

Creating the healthier future you

One of the keys to creating the future you desire using your imagination is to engage as many senses as you can. The more real and vivid you can make the future scenario the more effective the desired visualisation will be.

Practice daily visualisations

I recommend to my clients that they practice daily visualisations. Here’s an example of a simple visualisation, tailored for constipation or diarrhoea, that you can begin practicing today.

If you are experiencing Constipation:

1.      Find a safe, quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for the period of your visualisation.

2.      Make yourself comfortable and close your eyes.

3.      Take 3 long slow deep breaths.

4.      Imagine you are descending a set of 10 steps.

5.      Tell yourself that with each step you descend you are becoming more and more relaxed.

6.      Once you get to the bottom of the steps imagine you a in a special place where change is possible.

7.      Now imagine your gut is a river, with a dam stretching across it, blocking its flow.

8.      Now imagine the dam bursting, and floating away, bit by bit, little by little down the river. Hear the sounds of the dam bursting, of the water releasing. See the colours of the dam, the water.

9.      Now imagine the river flowing gently and peacefully through the beautiful country side. Hear the sounds of the water gently flowing, notice what else you can hear, perhaps birds, the breeze. What can you smell, the perfume of flowers growing beside the river, mown grass in the fields beyond.

10.   Imagine, a healthier, more relaxed you, free from constipation. See this future, healthier you, free of constipation. What are you doing? What do you look like?

11.   Imagine stepping into the body and mind of this future you and notice how it feels to be this healthier you. What is this healthier you saying to yourself? Notice how your digestive system feels now it’s working perfectly. Imagine taking a snapshot of this like you’re creating a blueprint of this healthier you free of IBS symptoms.

12.   Finally, imagine coming back up those steps you initially descended and as you do tell yourself that the healthier you blueprint is becoming a part of who you are with every step you take so that by the time you reach the top step it is fully embedded in your being.

13.   When you are ready open your eyes, alert and fully aware of the room around you.

If you are experiencing Diarrhoea

1.      Find a safe, quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for the period of your visualisation.

2.      Make yourself comfortable and close your eyes.

3.      Take 3 long slow deep breaths.

4.      Imagine you are descending a set of 10 steps.

5.      Tell yourself that with each step you descend you are becoming more and more relaxed.

6.      Once you get to the bottom of the steps imagine you a in a special place where change is possible.

7.      Imagine your gut is a fast flowing river. Notice the loud roar of the water as it gushes along.

8.      Now imagine the water gradually slowing down.

9.      Imagine the river flowing slowly and gently through beautiful countryside.

10.   Now imagine a healthier, more relaxed you, free from diarrhoea. See this future, healthier you, free of diarrhoea. What are you doing? What do you look like?

11.   Imagine stepping into the body and mind of this future you and notice how it feels to be this healthier you. What is this healthier you saying to yourself? Notice how your digestive system feels now it’s working perfectly. Imagine taking a snapshot of this like you’re creating a blueprint of this healthier you free of IBS symptoms.

12.   Finally, imagine coming back up those steps you initially descended and as you do tell yourself that the healthier you blueprint is becoming a part of who you are with every step you take so that by the time you reach the top step it is fully embedded in your being.

13.   When you are ready open your eyes, alert and fully aware of the room around you.

The more you practice these visualisations the more positive impact they will have.

 If you want to know more about how I can help you manage your Irritable Bowel Syndrome using hypnosis and other psychological techniques, please do get in touch today!