Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

 Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common, long-term condition affecting the digestive system. It causes symptoms such as stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and/or constipation. These symptoms tend to come and go — sometimes lasting for days or weeks, then improving, but often persisting over time. It’s usually diagnosed when tests show everything structurally in the gut appears normal, but the gut’s function — its nerves, muscles and sensitivity — is altered. 

Stress can be a contributing factor of IBS.  Factors that seem to play a role include how food moves through the gut (faster or slower than normal), gut-sensitivity (how strongly nerves react), past gut infections, family history, stress, and sometimes diet or certain foods as triggers. 

Common symptoms include:

• Abdominal pain or cramps, often worse after eating
   
• Bloating and feeling uncomfortably full or swollen in the tummy
   
• Changes in bowel habits: diarrhoea, constipation, or alternating between both
   
• Other symptoms can be fatigue, mucus in stool, urgency to use the toilet, feeling that you haven’t fully emptied your bowels, sometimes other digestive or urinary symptoms.
   

IBS can vary widely: for some people, symptoms are mild and manageable; for others, they can significantly affect daily life, work, mood, and quality of life. 

Living with IBS can be challenging. Flare-ups can be unpredictable, and symptoms can significantly affect mood, energy, social life, and confidence. But it is possible to learn to manage IBS — by noticing your triggers, making lifestyle changes, getting support from healthcare professionals (GPs, dietitians, gastroenterologists), and sometimes seeking therapeutic help for stress or the emotional impact.

 This is where Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) can offer valuable support — by helping to reduce stress, calm the nervous system, and rebalance the mind-body connection. 

  The gut and brain are in constant communication through what’s known as the gut-brain axis. When we’re stressed, anxious, or on high alert, our brain sends signals to the gut that can speed up or slow down digestion, increase sensitivity, and cause discomfort.

The primitive brain (the part responsible for survival responses) can sometimes interpret IBS symptoms as signs of danger, keeping the body in a heightened “fight or flight” state. This increases tension in the digestive system and makes symptoms worse.

By contrast, when the brain is calm, the gut tends to function more smoothly — digestion is balanced, sensitivity is reduced, and the body can return to a more natural rhythm.

Rather than focusing on problems or past discomfort, SFH encourages you to look forward — identifying what’s already helping and imagining the best version of how you’d like to feel. This approach supports your brain in shifting from problem-thinking to solution-thinking, creating small, achievable steps toward better wellbeing.

Clients are often surprised to find that as stress reduces and their mindset becomes more positive, their digestive symptoms also begin to ease.

 Research supports the benefits of hypnotherapy for IBS. The NHS recognises gut-directed hypnotherapy as an evidence-based treatment for IBS, especially when other approaches haven’t provided full relief. Studies show it can significantly reduce symptoms such as pain, bloating, and bowel irregularity, while also improving quality of life and emotional wellbeing. 

 Solution Focused Hypnotherapy helps you rebuild a sense of calm control — over your mind, your body, and your wellbeing. By reducing stress and teaching your brain to respond differently, it supports both emotional balance and physical comfort, helping you live more freely and confidently, without IBS ruling your life.