Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is far more common than many people think. In the UK, one in every two patients referred to a Gastroenterologist is diagnosed with IBS. In fact, one in four UK adults will be affected by IBS at some point in their life. (1)

IBS affects people not only physically but mentally also. The symptoms can be distressing and debilitating: incontinence, pain, constipation and/or diarrhoea, bloating, flatulence, nausea … and many more. It can happen at any age, and women sufferers outnumber men four-to-one.

The American Gastroenterological Association has approved the used of clinical hypnotherapy as an IBS treatment method since 1996. In the UK clinical hypnotherapy has been used as a successful IBS treatment method for over 25 years (2). In 1984, researchers in Manchester in England published a report (3) in the British medical journal The Lancet, showing that hypnosis dramatically improved the symptoms of IBS patients who had failed to benefit from other treatment. Other clinical studies have confirmed the efficacy of clinical hypnotherapy for the treatment of IBS (4)(5)

The programme uses the OPSIM™ method developed by Michael Mahoney, which has alleviated the symptoms of thousands of IBS patients resistant to conventional medical IBS treatments, helping to alleviate pain, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating and more, and also works on the anxieties and fears and other emotional aspects of this condition too. Clinical trials for over 20 IBS symptoms with three year follow-up showed continual on-going improvement after completion of the Programme (6).

I have been trained in OPSIM™ by Michael Mahoney (Clinical Hypnotherapist, IBS researcher, and member of the Primary Care Society for Gastroenterology), a leader in the field. I am also a member of the UK Register of IBS Therapists.

IBS Programme

The IBS programme consists of 4 sessions typically a month apart, with 5 supporting CDs. The programme will require a commitment from you to listen to the CDs between sessions.

Contact me for a free initial consultation to discuss how I can help you.

Charges:

The initial consultation is free. If we decide that the IBS Programme is right for you, the full cost of the programme is £297, payable in two staged payments of £148.50

References

1. Karen Gowland, Specialist Gastro Nurse. Article in Clinical Review, December 1996: “Towards effective resource allocation in patient care: the case of Irritable Bowel Syndrome”

2. M Mahoney www.ibs-register.com

3. Whorwell, P.J., Prior, A., & Faragher, E.B. (1984). Controlled trial of hypnotherapy in the treatment of severe refractory irritable bowel syndrome. Lancet, 2, 1232-1234.

4. Tan G, Hammond DC, Joseph G. Hypnosis and irritable bowel syndrome: a review of efficacy and mechanism of action. Am J Clin Hypn. 2005 Jan;47(3):161-78.

5. Hauser W. Medizinische Klinik I, Klinikum Saarbrucken gGmbH, Saarbrucken. Hypnosis in Gastroenterology. Z Gastroenterol 2003 May;41 5:405-12 PMID: 12772053

6. In 1996 Mahoney was invited to participate in a medical research study funded by the UK National Health Service which was monitored and audited by the local Health Authority Audit Commission. Medical centre GPs and hospital gastroenterologists screened 20 IBS patients: all were long-term sufferers, had undergone all medical diagnostic tests, and had taken prescription medications without attaining significant relief from their symptoms. Each patient underwent Mahoney's original protocol of the introductory and five subsequent hypnotherapy sessions. At the end of the project, feedback sheets from the patients indicated an overall reduction of 80% in symptom severity and frequency of presentation.