Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disorder of the large intestine that often plagues its sufferers with diarrhea, constipation, cramping, gas and bloating, is often improved by making dietary changes and assessing stress, hormones or the possibility of more severe underlying conditions.
According to Alison Burton, an IBS expert, the condition "can be debilitating and lead to anxiety and a reluctance to go out in public."
However, Burton, who is also a hypnotherapist who has made numerous media appearances, believes that hypnosis can help diminish the stress and anxiety that accompanies many IBS sufferers and in turn, drastically alleviate their symptoms.
"I believe that the mind can help heal... pretty much any physical condition," she says.
Burton explains that IBS is part of a vicious cycle in which the gut flora is disturbed and typically worsened by antibiotics. Hypnosis, she says, is a great way to get people to relax. Furthermore, she says that, while many may have preconceived negative notions about hypnosis, it's actually "a natural state of being" that brings about relaxation and actually allows sensations of pain to be filtered out.
Proof that hypnosis can help those with IBS heal
Studies have shown that hypnosis has the ability to improve the health of those with IBS. A series of studies focusing on gut-directed hypnosis involved splitting up groups of people, some receiving hypnosis and others not. After just three months, symptoms in those who received hypnosis decreased by at least 25 percent compared to just 11 percent among the group who did not receive hypnosis. Most noted a drop in bloating and pain.(3)
Olafur S. Palsson, an associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill says that the studies show that "hypnosis can work in 'real life,' in the community setting, and not only the specialized research setting."
