Clinical Hypnosis for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Clinical Hypnosis is typically successful for 70-95% of IBS patients.
Hypnotherapy for IBS targets symptoms such as abdominal pain and bloating. Improvements in overall well-being, quality of life, abdominal pain, and other IBS symptoms have also been achieved.
Contrary to many portrayals in fiction, a clinical hypnotherapist has no power over the hypnotized person. The person is typically aware of what happens both during and after the hypnosis session, with individuals reporting a positive experience.
Research has found that hypnotherapy may help improve the primary symptoms of IBS:
- Palsson, O.S. (2015). Hypnosis Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders: A Comprehensive Review of the Empirical Evidence. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 58(2): 134-158. doi:10.1080/00029157.2015.1039114; https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2015.1039114
- Tan G, Hammond DC, & Gurrala, J. (2005) Hypnosis and irritable bowel syndrome: a review of efficacy and mechanism of action. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis; 47(3):161-78. https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2005.10401481. PMID: 15754863.
- Whitehead WE. (2006) Hypnosis for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: the empirical evidence of therapeutic effects. International Journal of Clinical Experimental Hypnosis. 54(1):7-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207140500328708 PMID: 16316880.
Do the effects of hypnotherapy last once a course of treatment has been completed?
Research on the long-term follow-up of patients who have benefited shows that after a period of between 1 and 5 years, most remain well with many requiring no further medication at all.