Helix Clinic blog

Previously we looked at some of the natural approaches to treating IBS, but many people are not aware that hypnotherapy can also be a very useful treatment in the management of IBS. In fact, hypnotherapy, relaxation training and CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) have all been shown to help alleviate the symptoms of IBS considerably.

The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidance for GPs and consultants saying there is good evidence that hypnotherapy can be effective in the treatment for IBS.

At Manchester University, Professor Peter Whorwell conducted research that demonstrated a high level of effectivness for hypnotherapy, showing that it could relieve many of the normal symptoms of IBS. In addition he found that the improvements were holding over time, not just in the period immediately after treatment.

Hypnotherapy for IBS works by lowering the body’s general levels of anxiety, and also by lowering the body’s perception of pain and discomfort. Part of the treatment also involves directing positive images and suggestions to the gut.

Interestingly, the gut has it’s own separate nervous system (the Enteric Nervous System (ENS)). It has a full set of neurons and neurotransmitters normally found only in the brain itself, so it is able to function seperately from the main central nervous system, although it is well connected to the brain by special large nerve fibres.

In many ways hypnotherapy is an ideal treatment for IBS. It is great at lowering general levels of stress and anxiety and also any hypersensitivity to stressful situations. Hypnotherapy is also very powerful and effective for the reduction of IBS-related pain.

Tags: hypnotherapy, IBS, pain

Following on from  yesterday’s post about the connection between childhood asthma and watching TV, we thought of an interesting way to use posture to help someone who is trying to stop smoking.

Many smokers have a similar posture where the upper spine is collapsed (like the children mentioned yesterday). Smoking is inherently unpleasant to the lungs, so part of this contraction happens over time as a defensive postural reaction to the smoke.

If you are a smoker, take a brief moment to assess your own posture to see if this holds for you. If it does, and if you are currently trying to give up smoking, you can use the following exercise as a way to condition yourself away from cigarettes.

Take a few minutes to close your eyes and imagine yourself as a healthy non-smoker sometime in the future, standing in a beautiful natural environment where the air is clean and clear. Picture yourself with a naturally straight upper spine, so that your lungs are fully open to the clean air and you are able to breathe deeply and well. Physically allow your posture to adjust at this point so that your spine is straight and you are breathing deeply. Continue to imagine yourself immersed in this scene, and become aware of how good you feel about the fact that you are no longer a smoker. Stay aware of your good posture, and allow yourself to feel free of all past cravings for cigarettes. Notice how good you feel confident in the knowledge that you are now healthy and smoke-free.

Enjoy this visualisation for a few minutes and then slowly come back to yourself. With this exercise, you will have effectively anchored a postural state to a state where cravings don’t bother you any more. This means that the next time you experience a cigarette craving, simply adjust your posture, make your upper spine straight so that your chest and lungs feel open, and imagine yourself back in that natural scene, enjoying the clean air with no more cravings. If you visualised the scene well enough, you should find your cravings reduce and eventually disappear by using the power of your posture and the power of your mind!

Tags: cravings, posture, smoking, visualisation