Hypnotes April 2010
April is IBS Awareness month. IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a common digestive disorder. One in five readers of this magazine may well have IBS; if not, you most likely will know somebody who does. There is no medical cure for IBS, so use caution when viewing any adverts which claim a cure.
The medical profession diagnose IBS when no physical disease or condition is present thereby excluding other conditions with similar symptoms. It is important to know that you cannot self diagnose IBS, only a medical professional can do that for you. The real and sometimes intense IBS symptoms can be quite frustrating for the sufferer! Simply stated, the motility of the digestive system functions too quickly or too slowly and this causes the physical symptoms of this condition.
The physical symptoms of IBS are wide and diverse and include pain, constipation, frequent diarrhoea, cramping, bloating and many others. 
However there are also many emotional aspects of IBS which can have a serious impact not only on the frequency and presentation of physical IBS symptoms, but also influence many areas of the IBS sufferer’s life. For example, confidence and self esteem are affected; sleep pattern, sex life, work and home relationships are often impacted by this distressing condition. Increased absenteeism is often reported from work, college or school. These symptoms can become worse over time, developing further negative thought patterns and expectations. This further impacts the physical symptoms and begins a spiral of increased physical and emotional symptoms.
IBS is no respecter of age, background, gender or race. Years of ongoing continued research has shown that there is no definitive cause and treatments vary. For some, various medications can offer some degree of help.
Medical research studies for over twenty years have also shown that clinical hypnotherapy has a good success rate in helping manage and reduce the symptoms of IBS. This treatment modality has been especially beneficial for those IBS patients who have not had success with other treatment methods.
The use of clinical hypnotherapy for IBS is an area I have studied since 1991. The structured method and processes I developed many years ago are now trusted and used by literally hundreds of hypnotherapists throughout the UK and many different countries.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) 2008 IBS guidelines state hypnotherapy should be a considered treatment option after 12 months of non-effective pharmacological treatment. This is good news and is a positive step forward that in time will eventually filter through to help the sufferer.
Until then, I see GP and consultant referred patients who acknowledge my experience and expertise in this area in addition to word of mouth clients. While IBS can be a very troublesome and distressing condition, for many the symptoms can be reduced and managed by hypnotherapy, and the importance given to IBS can also be reduced so the sufferer does not have to live a life of dread, pain and negative expectation. Instead, comfort, control, confidence and feelings of well-being can often replace the feelings of despair. IBS is just one of many conditions I work with. There are many other conditions of mind, body and emotion which can often be helped with hypnotherapy too.
Contact me on 01925 658322 for an information sheet or to book an appointment contact me at my practice email at timelineservices@aol.com
