Irritable Bowel Syndrome is an intestinal disorder causing some combination of abdominal pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation. The diagnosis is usually made based upon the symptoms. In fact, lab tests and imaging are seldom employed in the medical analysis. The ailment is not curable, but some medical treatments can mitigate the severity of the symptoms, which can last for years or even for a lifetime. Most people first experience symptoms in their twenties. While some people may see reduced symptoms over time, others are just the opposite, experiencing worsening symptoms as they age. Certain foods, like those higher in fiber, or drinks, such as alcohol or caffeinated sodas, may trigger symptoms. While foods seem a likely culprit, (e.g., too much food or food that is fried or fatty) other triggers such as stress can also exacerbate the problem.
As IBS continues, some sufferers report a variety of other conditions. Some experience cramps, either in the bowels or in the rectum or both. Bowel movements fluctuate between diarrhea and constipation. Some sufferers have a feeling of urgency in urination that sends them running for bathrooms, an experience that can interfere with both social activities and work. Back pains that are related to alternating conditions of bowel movements, belching, and vomiting have also been connected with IBS.
Obviously, experiencing such symptoms impacts an individual psychologically. Embarrassment can create stress, which can lead to anxiety. As a result, sufferers tend to curtail their social activities, and life as a whole can begin to deteriorate. The condition consumes everything for the approximately 200,000 IBS sufferers in the United States.
But there is hope! Hypnotherapy has proven to be an effective means of managing the condition, eliminating or significantly lessening the symptoms, so that a client may return to a normal lifestyle.
We now know, and medical science agrees, that there is a brain-gut connection involved in such conditions. We also see that there are elements within the Middle Mind that either originate or exacerbate this condition, thus I like to refer to this connection as more of a Middle Mind – Gut Connection. Study after study shows the effectiveness of hypnosis-based therapy in improving a client’s overall well-being, improving the quality of life, reducing or eliminating abdominal pain, and eliminating or reducing constipation, diarrhea, bloating, and gas. Fatigue, backache, and urinary problems have also shown improvement. At least seventy-five percent of those with IBS have benefitted significantly from hypnotherapy. Benefits of hypnotherapy are sustainable; therefore, clients will reach the cost benefit at the second year of therapy. Hypnotherapy, as one of its trademark benefits, is also faster in positive results than other types of counseling.
Hypnotherapy intervenes to stop the symptoms at several levels. It can give clients more instinctive control over their diets, similar to the control that it gives for weight loss clients. It can offer the same methodology for pain management as it does for those with chronic pain. Of course, hypnotherapy always proves quite effective in relaxing and managing stress, a most necessary task for those suffering from a condition as medically and emotionally confusing as IBS. IBS clients can also gain more confidence and brighter daily outlooks as they get this most aggravating condition under control.