Irritable Bowel Syndrome
What is IBS?
Irritable bowel syndrome is a condition that can be very debilitating and difficult to manage and live with. Symptoms range from diarrhoea to constipation, bloating, wind and urgency for using the toilet.
IBS is diagnosed by your doctor/consultant when there is no organic cause (such as disease or virus) for the symptoms and they last more than 3 months.
How can hypnotherapy help you with your IBS?
You may or may not have noticed your emotions and stress levels can have a direct impact on your symptoms. Your therapy will help you and your body develop different ways of dealing with emotions and stress whilst developing strategies to take back control of your symptoms and help you manage your condition.
Hypnotherapy is a self-help treatment and requires commitment. You are provided with audio CDs to listen to regularly between appointments. Commitment to listening to the audio sessions is essential to the success of the treatment and must be adhered to.
Hypnotherapy is a very gentle non-invasive treatment for the symptoms of IBS. It involves an initial consultation (information gathering) after which there is usually a further five sessions of hypnotherapy during 12 week period after which you continue to listen to the audio for a further period of 11 weeks.
Your condition and symptoms are logged for evaluation at initial consultation and after the third and fifth sessions and reported back to your GP if you have been referred via him (call for information about referral routes).
This treatment is simple and effective enough to have NHS recognition. Quoted from the NICE clinical guideline Irritable bowel syndrome in adults Diagnosis and management of irritable bowel syndrome in primary care
Issue date: February 2008 -
'1.2.3 Psychological interventions
Referral for psychological interventions (cognitive behavioural therapy [CBT], hypnotherapy and/or psychological therapy) should be considered for people with IBS who do not respond to pharmacological treatments after 12 months and who develop a continuing symptom profile (described as refractory IBS).'
Deborah Boughey has an NHS provider number and can take such referrals.