What in the world is Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy?

Simply, it’s a fancy sounding term for using hypnosis that is directed towards healing stomach issues such as constipation, diverticulitis, celiac disease, GERD, IBS and ulcerative colitis. (bonus entertainment at the end on these words)

Were you among the people who heard the NPR broadcast on October 10, 2022 about the new IBS solution of gut directed hypnotherapy for gastrointestinal issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)? If you didn’t hear it, and would like to, click here. — If you haven’t listened in, but have heard of gut directed hypnotherapy, you’re still in the right place!

Did you love the interview, but are left wondering 

“How does gut directed hypnotherapy work?”

“How can I best use hypnosis for gut health?”

Hypnosis helps most with reducing stress, releasing emotional causes for the issue and directing your body to heal and function better.

Have you ever had a doctor tell you to reduce stress and expect you to just magically figure out how to do that? Since stress and anxiety are major causes for IBS and other gut issues it is the most important thing you can focus on when healing, but there often isn’t a clear path of how to do it.

People will throw ideas at you like:

“Mindfulness”

“Meditation”

“Sleep more”

“Do this”

“No, do That”

Whew, it’s just exhausting to think about all the things you could try. 

I’m here to make it easy and simple for you, hypnosis is absolutely something you should try. 

Why? Because just being in hypnosis reduces stress and anxiety in your body! 

Whoa, how is that, you say? 

A lot of hypnotic inductions guide you through a full body relaxation. As you follow your Guide's words and relax your body it shifts you out of your Sympathetic Nervous System, SNS (fight/flight) to your Parasympathetic Nervous System, PNS (rest/digest). This allows your body to relax, like you’re soaking in a hot bath or a hot tub. Your muscles go loose and limp and it gives your body some much needed rest and healing time. 

When you enter your PNS you increase blood flow to your digestive system, reproductive system, immune system, and access higher mind thinking. This allows your body to function as it was intended to. You weren’t built to live in stress permanently, it was an emergency system created to allow you to fight or flee as needed. You were meant to return to safety and comfort when the danger passed. Hypnosis helps your body remember what safety and comfort feel like physically.

Let’s go through an example:

How is Diverticulitis caused by stress? It goes like this, when you are stressed you are stuck in your sympathetic nervous system. The SNS reduces blood flow to your digestive system which allows the diverticula to form. These little pockets can cause colon bacteria to ooze out resulting in infections or inflammation. With hypnosis you can get back to your parasympathetic nervous system, which increases the blood flow to your digestive system. And then you can direct your body to heal and restore your intestine to its natural form, healing the pockets.

Additionally, stress and anxiety are relieved by receiving suggestions to your subconscious about having more peace and comfort in your life. To imagine, sense and feel that you are relaxed and calm. This helps you experience peace and calm outside of hypnosis, to bring the comforting feeling with you into your daily life. 

Next the therapy portion of hypnotherapy helps you to release emotional causes. In my  hypnosis sessions I guide you through different imagery experiences that allow you to release and process your pain, hurt and stress. You’ll let go of past experiences, determine ways to manage current stressors and instill peace into your mind and body.

Lastly, Hypnosis allows you to easily access the natural healing intelligence within your body. 

Have you heard of the placebo effect?

If you haven't, the placebo effect is a beneficial effect produced by a placebo drug or treatment, which cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself, and must therefore be due to the patient's belief in that treatment. Basically, in a medical study some participants get the real medicine and some a sugar pill. The ones taking the fake pill improve simply because they believe they are getting treated. 

This is the power of your mind and hypnosis allows you to harness that power more effectively and efficiently. In hypnosis you are provided suggestions that tell your body not only to heal, but how to function in the way it should. 

These are just a few of the suggestions I use with clients who tell me “anxiety and IBS is ruining my life.”

Because I practice self-hypnosis daily, I am calmer and more centered all day. Each time I exhale I blow off stress and activate my self-healing. Day by day in every way my abdominal area becomes more comfortable

• More and more now I remain calm and relaxed at/during (insert trigger environment, such as “work”

• I handle the challenges of each day with greater ease and grace therefore my digestive system properly, gently and calmly digests what I eat and drink

• For me, mealtime is relaxing. 

• Day by day and in every way I am more comfortable and at ease now. More and more now my digestive system works smoothly, rhythmically, and harmoniously.

You’ve got this and I know you can heal in the ways you want. I hope you are now wondering “How do I quickly heal it and regain my life with hypnosis” instead of “How to live with irritable bowel syndrome.”

Resources

Check out my new gut-directed hypnotherapy download here, specifically for issues on constipation and diarrhea or utilize the self-hypnosis methods taught at this blog post with the affirmations above

To see if doing a deep dive with hypnotherapy is right for you then schedule a free consult with me. My practice is wholly virtual so Yes you can do gut directed hypnotherapy online!

Resources

Why must they make health issues impossible to spell?! You are not alone if you can’t figure them out!  Here are some of the most common misspellings of gut issues:

—
ulcerative cholitis

ulcerartive colitis

ucerative colitis

ulcertive collitis

ulcertive colitis

—
diverticolitis

divertculitis

divercilitis

divericulitis

Divaticulitus

—
ceilac

cilliac

celeiac

ceiliac

celuac