Hypnosis for Irritable Bowel
Hypnosis for Irritable Bowel
Aug. 23, 2001 -- Relax, you're getting sleepy ... very sleepy.
That may sound like a Hollywood cliché -- the glassy-eyed subject lulled by a swinging watch -- but some researchers believe the peaceful state achieved in hypnosis can help people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.
At a meeting this week of the World Congress of Psychosomatic Medicine, gastroenterologist Peter Whorwell, MD, will discuss more than 20 years of research showing that hypnosis can not only improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, but can even alter the underlying physical problems that cause the symptoms.
The movie version of hypnosis is not much like the real thing. Instead, says Whorwell, in his practice it is more like meditation, yoga, or guided imagery. For treating IBS, a hypnotherapist guides a patient in relaxation exercises and helps him focus on the muscles of the stomach that are so critical in IBS.
"It's a concentrated form of relaxation where the therapist is teaching the patient to control systems of their body they can't normally control," Whorwell tells WebMD.
IBS is a common disorder of the digestive system that leads to cramps and pain, gassiness, bloating, and changes in bowel habits. Some people with IBS have constipation, others have diarrhea, and some have both.
And many doctors believe there is a psychological component to IBS, in which stress, depression, or other mental states can lead to physical symptoms in the gut. Such symptoms are called "psychosomatic," and Whorwell says they are not confined to IBS. "Every disease has a psychological component," he says.
With IBS it's important for patients to have better control of the contractions of their stomach muscles and the sensitivity of their stomach to stress and other influences. That's where hypnosis can help, Whorwell says.
But it doesn't happen overnight.
"It's a skill the patient has to take the time to learn," he says. "Just as it took time to learn to control bowels as an infant, it takes time to train your body to control your gut."
At the Hypnosis Unit of University Hospitals of South Manchester, in England, where Whorwell practices, patients typically receive twelve half-hour sessions of hypnotherapy, he says.
That may sound like a Hollywood cliché -- the glassy-eyed subject lulled by a swinging watch -- but some researchers believe the peaceful state achieved in hypnosis can help people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.
At a meeting this week of the World Congress of Psychosomatic Medicine, gastroenterologist Peter Whorwell, MD, will discuss more than 20 years of research showing that hypnosis can not only improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, but can even alter the underlying physical problems that cause the symptoms.
The movie version of hypnosis is not much like the real thing. Instead, says Whorwell, in his practice it is more like meditation, yoga, or guided imagery. For treating IBS, a hypnotherapist guides a patient in relaxation exercises and helps him focus on the muscles of the stomach that are so critical in IBS.
"It's a concentrated form of relaxation where the therapist is teaching the patient to control systems of their body they can't normally control," Whorwell tells WebMD.
IBS is a common disorder of the digestive system that leads to cramps and pain, gassiness, bloating, and changes in bowel habits. Some people with IBS have constipation, others have diarrhea, and some have both.
And many doctors believe there is a psychological component to IBS, in which stress, depression, or other mental states can lead to physical symptoms in the gut. Such symptoms are called "psychosomatic," and Whorwell says they are not confined to IBS. "Every disease has a psychological component," he says.
With IBS it's important for patients to have better control of the contractions of their stomach muscles and the sensitivity of their stomach to stress and other influences. That's where hypnosis can help, Whorwell says.
But it doesn't happen overnight.
"It's a skill the patient has to take the time to learn," he says. "Just as it took time to learn to control bowels as an infant, it takes time to train your body to control your gut."
At the Hypnosis Unit of University Hospitals of South Manchester, in England, where Whorwell practices, patients typically receive twelve half-hour sessions of hypnotherapy, he says.
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