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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Do you suffer from IBS?
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Have you tried the FODMAP diet with some or little success?
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Do you find yourself avoiding places that you are unfamiliar with because you are worried that you don't know where the toilets are situated?
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Perhaps you are continually saying 'no' to friends when they ask you out for a meal or a coffee because you know that your gut will suffer the consequences?
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Do you suffer the pain of bloating or the sometimes embarrassment of flatulence?
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Did you know that, while certain foods will rigger an IBS reaction, one of the root causes of the problem is an overly sensitive digestive tract that has been made so by stress and anxiety?
What exactly is IBS?
Well, before we go any further, I can tell you what it is NOT…
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IBS is NOT a disease! Yes, it has symptoms similar to those of diseases, but IBS does not do any physical damage to the body.
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Does not cause inflammation - IBS may be triggered by a gut infection that has created some inflammation, but IBS is more to do with oversensitivity and an “irritated” gut.
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Rarely requires hospitalisation or surgery.
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Does not increase risk of colon cancer or Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD).​
So what is it then?
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Irritable bowel syndrome is a condition that affects the gastrointestinal tract (GI) and causes abdominal pain, cramps, bloating, constipation and/or diarrhoea. Symptoms that you are probably all too familiar with?
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It is estimated that up to 17% of the UK population have diagnosed IBS, but is probably much higher as not everyone with IBS related symptoms get a formal diagnosis from their GP.
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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can cause a great deal of discomfort. Symptoms can range from mildly annoying to disabling, which negatively impacts a person’s life. These symptoms are not consistent from person to person, and are not traceable to a single cause.
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The reason we call it a syndrome is due simply to the fact that we haven't come up with a specific reason as to why IBS occurs and how it can be cured! With such a variety of symptoms it is referred to as a syndrome until more research and information can correctly classify it.
IBS Gut-Mind Relationship
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The human digestive tract is amazingly complex! It is part brain, part immune system and part muscle. So the gut actually has a separate nervous system known as the Enteric Nervous System(ENS).
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For this reason you will often hear the phrase “gut brain” or “gut-brain axis” when IBS is being described. Of course there is no actual organ like the one in our skull as such, but the ENS and our central nervous system (CNS) communicate information back and forth as if there is a little brain in our gut “talking“ with its big brother.
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The information passed between the two “brains” are about things such as the status of your digestion at any given moment - hunger, fullness, dehydration and the amount of food inside the mouth, for example.
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As the messages travel up the nervous system towards the brain there is a protection mechanism referred to as the “pain gate”. This mechanism interprets incoming signals from the nervous system and determines if the message is normal or is cause for alarm.
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People with IBS have digestive tracts that are more sensitive than normal, and messages are often misinterpreted which means these messages are more prone to trigger the alarm when the gut of someone with IBS fills with food, liquid and gas.
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Due to the sensitivity, the nervous system sends an overwhelming amount of signals to the pain gate. As the pain gate has also become sensitive, these messages rush through the pain gate creating a state of alarm and misinform the brain about the volume/type of food in the gut.
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The brain, thinking the body is in some sort of danger, floods the body with stress hormones (“fight or flight”) and tells the muscles of the gut to tighten up and contract to expel the “dangerous goods” from the body to protect it as quickly as possible. This has the effect of impairing the environment of the digestive tract even more, as wells increasing its sensitivity yet further.
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The body’s subsequent action of putting itself in defensive mode in order to protect itself from further “danger” creates what you will have experienced as an IBS flare up.
However, it is not just digestion and food related messages that are communicated back and forth:
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Your gut is full of life, without which you would struggle to survive. The term “gut flora”(also known as the gut microbiome) refers to the microorganisms that make their home in your gut. This biome may include 300-500 types of bacteria and various fungi.
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Because your gut and brain are so interconnected with each other, if one is affected, then so is the other. This means that if we upset the balance of a healthy gut flora by eating foods that your microorganisms don’t like, or can’t digest then this can affect our mood and how we feel.​
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Equally, if we feel stressed about something, this will have a detrimental effect on out digestion.
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In addition, our feelings and emotions are controlled by neurotransmitters produced in the brain. For example, a commonly known one is serotonin which contributes to feelings of happiness. Well the interesting thing is that our gut also produces neurotransmitters, and a large proportion of serotonin is actually produced in the gut, along with other neurotransmitters which help control feelings of fear and anxiety!
Therefore not only can our feelings and emotions created by our response to some external event affect our gut e.g. “butterflies’ in the tummy before a test, but the health and status of our gut can also have a direct influence on our ability to cope with stress, anxiety and depression!
In fact, Doctors do not really think of our gut and brain as separate organs any more as they work as one unit.
The good news, therefore, is that if you help your brain(mind) it will greatly help your gut, or if you help your gut it will have a beneficial effect on your mood and health mentally as well as physically.
Hypnotherapy can help by:
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Breaking the vicious cycle between the two “brains”
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Help with strengthening your mind so that your brain can positively control your gut, rather than your gut controlling you. (Mind over matter)
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Help you to focus less on the physical symptoms of IBS and adopt the mindset of ‘If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter’, i.e. when your mind is okay with something, you cease to worry about the consequences.
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Becoming aware of what causes you stress, anxiety, and fear. Increased awareness means that you then know what to target.
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Teaching you coping skills and new, more helpful ways to deal with challenging events which significantly reduces anxiety issues.
……and most importantly, it will help you to deeply relax, learn to be kind to yourself and provide you with some ‘me time’.
Specialist Qualification
Specialist Therapy Options
Once And For All
One session smoking cessation
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Free Clarity Call: 20-30 mins
Focussed One Session: 2 hrs approx.
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Reinforcement Audio
Optional Follow-up Session: 1-1½ hrs
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Detox/Healing Audio
Costs: Focussed Session £110
​ Follow-up Session £70
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Mind The Gut
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Mind/Gut directed hypnotherapy for IBS.
Based on specific therapeutic techniques for managing and controlling IBS related symptoms, as well as reducing stress and anxiety.
Timescale: 6-8 wks
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Free Clarity Call: 20-30 mins
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Initial Consultation: 1-1½ hrs
+
Relaxation Audio
Sessions: 1-1½ hrs
+
Reinforcement Audio
+
Healing Audio
Costs: Initial Consultation £70
​ All Therapy Sessions £70
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(Weekly payment plan an option)
Inside Out
Weight Management Programme
Designed to manage your weight and body image goals by focusing on your beliefs, thoughts and relationships with the food you eat.
Timescale: 12 wks
Free Clarity Call: 20-30 mins
Initial Consultation: 1-1½ hrs
+
Relaxation Audio
Sessions: 1-2 hrs
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Transformational Audio
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Detox/Healing Audio
Costs: Initial Consultation £70
All Therapy Sessions £70
(Weekly payment plan an option)