ABSTRACT
The disorders of gut brain interaction (DGBI), of which irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the commonest example, are the most frequent gastrointestinal disorders seen by general practitioners and gastroenterologists. There are no really effective medications for DGBIs, but there is accumulating evidence that gut-directed hypnotherapy can be extremely successful in reducing symptoms in these disorders. In IBS, not only does it reduce symptoms, but it also appears to have the capacity to modulate both gastrointestinal physiological function and, on brain scanning, the central processing of noxious stimuli from the gut. The use of hypnotherapy in other DGBIs has not been so extensively investigated, but the published evidence is positive. Second to the DGBIs, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are the next most common disorders encountered by gastroenterologists. Unfortunately, there has been relatively little research on the role of hypnotherapy in IBD, although those studies that have been published are encouraging. IBS and other DGBIs have traditionally been considered to have a strong psychological component, whereas IBD is regarded more as an inflammatory condition related to abnormal immune function. This strong dichotomy in thinking probably explains why hypnotherapy is regarded as acceptable for IBS but encounters far more skepticism in the IBD world. Hopefully, attitudes will change in the future, especially if hypnotherapy starts to be regarded as an adjunctive form of treatment for a wide range of medical disorders, rather than being a specific stand-alone treatment.
