[surfboar]

He said to give it a try, although he didn't seem very enthusiastic. From the little I dragged out of him, he believed that the hypno worked on halping you ignore the pain rather than lessening the pain. Thats not what I got from the stuff Eric posted. I have seen where hypno can be used with chronic back pain to allow the person to "block out" some of the pain. Its still there, but you learn to ignore it. Is the gut directed hypno different????LL

 

[eric]

Hi Lincoln, glad you asked him. Did you show him the current reasearch on HT for IBS I have been posting? That would have helped, some doctors are not that far advanced on IBS or IBS treatments. Also, On blocking pain, it is pain signals in IBS that cause pain in the way the brain dysfunctions, not pain from a disease.This is on pain and HT and pet scans. http://www.mustin.com/hypnosissa.htm Its not ignoring the pain, although distraction works also, there is more to it all then that, and in IBS it calms the gut spasms and contractions that cause pain to begin with for one, so the calmer the brain gut axis and the more the two communicate better, the less pain and symptoms you will have. I have a ton of information on all this and how it applies to IBS.Hope this helps and let me know if you need anything or have more questions.This is very safe also and for most very enjoyable, so it can't hurt you and you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain if it helps and it helps the majority of people who try it.

 

[eric]

For an example, and there are many examples of the why's and hows it helps IBS. One thing to realize is that it helps long term after treatment, and this means it is doing something to the root cause of IBS.The majority of IBSers seem to have have rectal sensitivity and they are even looking into it as one marker. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2003 Mar;17 5:635-42 Gut-focused hypnotherapy normalizes disordered rectal sensitivity in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Lea R, Houghton LA, Calvert EL, Larder S, Gonsalkorale WM, Whelan V, Randles J, Cooper P, Cruickshanks P, Miller V, Whorwell PJ. BACKGROUND: : We have previously shown that hypnotherapy alters rectal sensitivity in some patients with irritable bowel syndrome. However, this previous study used incremental volume distension of a latex balloon, which might be susceptible to subject response bias and might compromise the assessment of compliance. In addition, the study group was symptomatically rather than physiologically defined. AIM: : To assess the effect of hypnotherapy on rectal sensitivity in hypersensitive, hyposensitive and normally sensitive irritable bowel syndrome patients using a distension technique barostat that addresses these technical issues. METHODS: : Twenty-three irritable bowel syndrome Rome I patients aged 24-72 years were assessed before and after 12 weeks of hypnotherapy in terms of rectal sensitivity, symptomatology, anxiety and depression. Normal values for sensitivity were established in 17 healthy volunteers aged 20-55 years. RESULTS: : Compared with controls, 10 patients were hypersensitive, seven hyposensitive and six normally sensitive before treatment. Following hypnotherapy, the mean pain sensory threshold increased in the hypersensitive group P = 0.04 and decreased in the hyposensitive group, although the latter failed to reach statistical significance P = 0.19. Normal sensory perception was unchanged. Sensory improvement in the hypersensitive patients tended to correlate with a reduction in abdominal pain r = 0.714, P = 0.07. CONCLUSION: : Hypnotherapy improves abnormal sensory perception in irritable bowel syndrome, leaving normal sensation unchanged.PMID: 12641511This is a new one on dyspepsia also worth knowing.Hypnotherapy Effective in Functional DyspepsiaLaurie Barclay, MDDec. 18, 2002 � Hypnotherapy was better than medical or supportive care for the management of functional dyspepsia, according to the results of a randomized trial published in the December issue of Gastroenterology."Hypnotherapy is highly effective in the long-term management of functional dyspepsia," write Emma L. Calvert and colleagues from Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, U.K. "Furthermore, the dramatic reduction in medication use and consultation rate provide major economic advantages."In this study, 126 patients with functional dyspepsia were randomized to hypnotherapy, supportive therapy plus placebo medication, or medical treatment for 16 weeks. Median improvement in short- term symptom scores after 16 weeks was 59% in the hypnotherapy group, 41% in the supportive group P = .01, and 33% in the medical group P = .057. Median improvement in quality of life was 42% in the hypnotherapy group, 10% in the supportive group P < .001, and 11% in the medical group P < .001.After 56 weeks, hypnotherapy significantly improved long-term symptoms median improvement, 73%compared with supportive therapy 34%; P < .02 or medical treatment 43%; P < .01. Quality of life improved significantly more with hypnotherapy median improvement, 44% than with medical treatment 20%; P < .001. Although median improvement in quality of life was 43% in the supportive therapy group, five of these patients began taking antidepressants during follow-up.None of the patients in the hypnotherapy group required medication use during follow-up, compared with 90% of patients in the medical group and 82% of patients in the supportive group P < .001 During follow-up, the median number of patient visits to their general practitioner or gastroenterologist was one in the hypnotherapy group, four in the supportive therapy group, and four in the medical treatment group P < .001.In an accompanying editorial, Olafur S. Palsson and William E. Whitehead from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill point out research questions that remain unanswered concerning hypnotherapy in functional gastrointestinal disorders. These include the unknown mechanism of action, lack of parallel comparisons with other psychological treatments, failure to test hypnotherapy combined with medications, and unknown efficacy of hypnotherapy when administered in an automated home-treatment format."Although some of the studies to date on hypnotherapy for functional gastrointestinal disorders have been small and lacking in methodological rigor, and many research questions remain unanswered, the cumulative and consistent evidence for efficacy of hypnotherapy for these disorders seems to warrant serious consideration of its use as a regular adjunct in primary care and gastroenterology treatment of patients with functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome," they write.Gastroenterology. 2002;123:1778-1785, 2132-2147Reviewed by Gary D. Vogin, MD

 

[nmwinter]

I can only speak for myself. In some ways, it does help deal with the pain when it comes. But in many ways, it's helped me lessen or avoid pain. Since I can use techniques I've learned to actually physically change my guts reaction, I can avoid or minimize pain.the other big plus is the change in thinking - I used to think myself into attacks based on problems I had in the past. Hypno has helped me turn this around and now I'm more likely to talk myself out of attacks if that makes sense. I can think of several car rides where I've been sure I've needed to pull over NOW but talked myself into being OK. A couple of times I've then gotten really sick once home; but more often, I'm OK in the long run too. And even those times I've gotten sick once home, I haven't done that mad dash to the bathroom to make it just in time. I've been able to take it one step at a time.nancy

 

[Guest]

Have to agree with and promote what Nancy is saying.Since I've introduced hypno and continue to actively utilize its tools since I finished the first program, I am still in total amazement at how much calmer I feel about most everything most of the time.I've been able to stop a full fledged attack of my entire G.I. tract spasming simply by focusing on my breathing, visualizing the calming imagery that I have developed using the hypno, and by feeling my body with my mind I can actually talk myself and my body out of pain and overreactions. The converse is also true I have found. I can actually create a movement when I am constipated by focusing, feeling my body with my mind and allowing myself to relax so much that I achieve relief.I am very pleased with the level of control over my IBS symptoms and my anxiety responses with which the hypno has provided me.Regards, Evie

 

[surfboar]

Well, we will see how it goes. I am certainly going to give it a try. My IBS symptoms are fairly different from most I have read about here. I don't have spasms, I have a constant sharp pain near the left side of my navel, and sometimes on the right side of the navel too. It doesn't seem to have any realtionship to bowel movements. I still spend alot of time worrying that what is causing the pain is something else, like diverticulitis or a partial blockage or even something like a hernia in the abdominal wall. LL