Hypnogenesis - Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy Journal

Research into the brain-gut axis has shown that stress can inhibit the signals sent through the vagus nerve and cause gastrointestinal problems, such as IBS(4). Stress can also affect the types of microbes present in the gut(5). Information sent through the vagus nerve results in increased or decreased movement through the GI tract. What we think – and whether those thoughts lead us to a ‘rest and digest’ or ‘fight or flight’ state – directly impacts what is happening in our gut at any time. We don’t know exactly why people with IBS experience a greater response in their gut to stress than other people, but we do know that people with IBS often have other psychiatric and psychological conditions, including anxiety and depression, and IBS patients often have increased levels of hormones involved with the stress response. In many cases, people with IBS have experienced a life trauma, and a history of sexual abuse is more common in patients with IBS(6). The way in which IBS is affected by emotions might be linked to the intensity of the emotion and how a person responds to that emotion. Feelings of anger, aggression, and excitement appear to increase colonic movement while hopelessness and happiness lead to a decrease in colonic movement(7).

This clearly demonstrable link between thought, emotion, and gut function has led to a considerable body of research into the effectiveness of hypnotherapy in the management and improvement of IBS which shows that not only does hypnotherapy lead to an improvement in symptoms, but it also helps people improve their confidence, self-esteem, and mood, with long-lasting effects(8).  Much of the research has focused on ‘gut-directed’ hypnotherapy which attempts to improve the functioning of the gut by activating the parasympathetic or ‘rest and digest’ state and improving gut movement. Using imagery and positive suggestion, research has shown that hypnotherapy can reduce hypersensitivity in the gut(9) and positively affect motor function(10).  More recent research has also shown that hypnotherapy can help people to identify and modify the negative emotional responses which are causing or exacerbating their IBS. By experiencing, under hypnosis, the effects of this helpful emotional response, and by following up the work done during sessions with self-hypnosis and relaxation, people have experienced improvement in their IBS symptoms. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is also recommended by NICE as a treatment option for IBS and an individualized, ‘hypnosis-CBT’ approach can help someone with IBS to identify the emotional triggers and responses which may make their condition worse and find alternatives to their normal triggers and responses(11).

Far from being a condition which is confined to the gut, IBS benefits greatly from therapeutic interventions. Hypnotherapy has an advantage over talking therapies in terms of focusing not only on the link between thoughts, emotions, and gut function but in being able to encourage a relaxation response and reduce stress and anxiety levels generally, with the help of ongoing self-hypnosis. From group hypnosis to Skype hypnosis to individualized CBT hypnosis, hypnotherapy looks likely to gain in popularity as people become aware of its effectiveness in treating IBS.