Irritable Bowel Syndrome

by Jack Artie McMurtrey

IBS is a disturbance of the colon where patients present with long-standing

symptoms of crampy abdominal pain, bloating, excessive flatulence, diarrhea,
constipation, or alternating diarrhea and constipation. It accounts for about
half of all the visits to gastroenterologists and affects approximately 10% of
the population. Stress is involved and the symptoms of IBS also cause stress
because they are very uncomfortable and inconvenient. Stress probably
makes it worse and the symptoms of the disease make the stress worse
making it a never ending cycle.

Summary of Presentation:

Hypnotherapy for the treatment of IBS therapy is very nonspecific as it

manifests differently in different people. This presentation is only intended as
a guide because the therapist must develop individualized treatment.

CASE HISTORY: It is absolutely essential to take a detailed case history even

though the referring specialist has made the diagnosis of IBS.

The following should be determined:

1. When symptoms first appeared,

2. What makes the situation better or worse,

3. How severe is the pain (on a scale of 1-10,1 no pain, 10 most severe pain).

4. What does it stop the patient from doing

5. What steps have been taken in he past to solve the problem.

6. Medication

7. Establish the patient's recreational interests (do they still experience IBS in
recreational situations?).

8. Does the patient suffer from lack of confidence

9. Are there any other complicating symptoms

10. Family history

ESTABLISH A TREATMENT PLAN:

For doing this the therapist should consider what techniques might be
applicable for the patients own personal needs.

1. Is the pain a problem? (Utilize glove anesthesia protocol)

2. Is the patient afraid to go out? (Has the patient lost bowel control in public?)

3. Is the patient sleeping well? (good indication of anxiety level)

4. Is there any warning (prodrome) to attacks? (find what triggers attack and
intercept it) Multimodel approach to treatment

1. Patient's "homework", Self-hypnosis, green count

2. Analysis I Dissociation

3. Re-framing the anxiety and the behavior problem

4. Direct suggestion

5. EGO strengthening

6. Consider ways of making the patient feel good about themselves

7. Consider the need for "healing white light" script

When improvement has been noted it is always useful to use pseudo

orientation in time to prepare the patient for discharge. Ego strengthening
should be "client driven" especially following improvement and a fractionation
technique should be employed to make best possible use of the improvement
already gained

Use of a sample script for treatment

1) Induce trance and deepen.

2) Set up IMR for "yes"

3) Establish glove anesthesia

A script for helping those with IBS: White Warm Comforting Ball: A white
warm glowing ball full of purifying light begins to form over your head. A
beautiful, healthy, cleansing white mist. You see it as good, positive, healthy,
full of comfort and security. It slowly descends around your head and now,
completely surrounds the top of your head. As you take your next breath, you
begin to breathe this wonderful white mist into your body. As it slowly enters
your nostrils you now immediately begin to breathe easier. This wonderful
healthy, beautiful, cleansing white mist begins to heal all the tissues in your
body; as it slowly begins to coat your throat, moving through your body.
Moving now, into your stomach and completely coating the lining, beginning
the healing process immediately. Now slowly the mist flows down into your
intestines coating the inside with this white wonderful, protective mist. A
coating that protects your intestines from all forms of irritation. Now moving
slowly into the colon and thoroughly coating and protecting it from further
irritants. As the mist begins to leave the colon, your breath pulls it back up into
the colon and intestines, to re-coat everything again, doubling the wonderful
new line of protection for your colon in the future. It will not allow any foods or
irritation to bother your intestines and colon again. Now leaving the colon well
protected, the mist flows back into the intestines thoroughly coating to prevent
any further irritation in the future. The mist gives you protection that lasts and
lasts. Now the white mist begins to move back into the stomach, once again
recoating the entire surface, doubling that wonderful protection that will last
and last. The mist now travels back through your nostrils, growing back into
that warm ball of protective mist. Back surrounding your entire head, slowly
raising from your head, slowly dissolving away, leaving your entire digestive
system, completely coated and safe from further irritation.

CONCLUSION: Through the case histories, it appeared that the primary

origin to IBS was due to continual self-perceived stress, tension and anxiety.
Once this vicious cycle was broken through the use of hypnotherapy, the
subject's became better. The extent of improvement depended upon their
motivational use of hypnosis and whether or not their self-belief's had
changed. Continued referrals from the MD have lead to a fine-tuning of this
protocol. Continued use of these chosen outcome measures, easily
demonstrate to the subjects, their improvement through the use of
hypnotherapy.