# finished hypnotheraphy with therapist



## matrixd (Jul 31, 2003)

hi guys just thought i'd share my story. i've been suffering with ibs and anxiety for maybe the last 10years of my life. only in the last year have i been trying different techniques to get better. my main symptoms are urgency, cramps, gas, loose BMS, C & D. because of this i also find it impossible to gain any weight. i had once tried hypnotheraphy before for a confidence problem whilst djing on radio and i remember to this day how amazing just that one session was. i dont know why but the trance state i was in was completetly different to the one that i've been experiencing with another therapist who i've been recently visiting who was recommended to me. someone on this board explained to me there are different levels of the hypnotic state but it seems not all therapist use them. when i tried to explain to him today that when i listened to the tape i didnt really feel that hypnotised i was trying to say in a round about way that i've felt alot more in a hypnotic state with that other therapist. i didnt of course, i thought that by saying this he would explain that there where different levels of the hypnotic state and his way was just one of them, but he didnt, he just said that you are hypnotised you just dont know it cause you can hear things around you and its more about how relaxed you feel, which if thats the case i have still felt more relaxed in the other state.so as i said a few years back i went for one session and never went back but the changes in my life confidence wise where immediate and really positve. i continued to listen to the tape for a period of time and now i wish i continued to do so and maybe even return to that therapist because of the amazing success i had with her the one and only session i had. this session was'nt even IBS focused i only told her that sometimes i can need to get upset stomach due to anxiety. rolling on a few years now and my ibs symptoms began to get worse along with the anxiety and vice versa. so i decided to give the hypnotherapy another go this time with a different hypnotherapist. so basically i've had 3 sessions and now my time is finished with him. we decided today that he had done as much as he could for me and it was down to me to continue the progress. he would ask how i was feeling the last few weeks between session and i said that 75% of the time my ibs would be improved, but he seemed to take this as 75% of the time i would feel normal in my gut with not IBS symptoms at all which was'nt the case.i can gladly say although my IBS and anxiety are not gone, they have reduced considerably after those 3 sessions. i learned alot about myself and my reasons for anxiety in the sessions and the stuff i've learned has helped me to cope better with the anxiety and IBS. i also dont really feel depressed anymore, am more positive about myself and my future. generally calmer.but i cant help feeling that if the technique of hypnotheraphy had been used better for example like the techniques used on mikes tapes which i dont know much about other than they are more gut directed, my IBS symptoms would be disappearing. i read somewhere that you need to see a therapist who specialises in gut focused hypnotherapy which he did not ever do in my opinion in the 3 sessions we done. he just dismissed the notion that IBS really exists and its your anxiety that is giving you the IBS. he could be right but i still think you need to focus on the gut to an extent, maybe due to the brain gut connection. also i never felt the some sort of deep relaxation or trance state that i got with the first therapist and never got that added burst of extra confidence that i also got with the first therapist. dont get me wrong it was worth it what i've learned and i'm generally better. i just cant help feeling that the hypnotheraphy could do alot more for me in the hands of the right person.so basically i had my last session today with him and he left me the tape to listen too, also for me to change my bad diet of alot of junk food, fizzy drinks and chocolate which obviously doesnt help my IBS. so i'll see how it goes.if i look back at how i was before i went to him i can see i've improved alot mainly in the areas i mentioned above and i'm happy with that, i just feel i might need to try either mikes tapes and or return to that first hynotherapist i went too. you see i can still remember the change that i felt first time round and its like i was looking at myself saying who is this confident person even people around me noticed and commented that i seemed alot more lively and confident. i felt good about myself and who i was and anxiety was not an issue, maybe it was just a lucky freak incident but i believe if it can happen once it can happen all the time. i dont wanna go down the route of antidepressants but the thing that has helped my symptoms the most has been medication in the form of a betablocker called inderal which i take 10mg every day. if i was to try any other meds i would prefer to try something natural at least such as st johns wort, i just get the feeling i need that extra helping had with the physical symptoms of anxiety and IBS as on some occasions they can be very hard to deal with. i even get sexual dysfunction due to my IBS/anxiety which is very disturbing for me. so if anyone is to learn anything from this story its that each therapists methods can vary wildly and some may be more effective than others. but i'd still be of the idea that hypnotheraphy is one of the most effective things you can use for your IBS or anxiety and recommend it to anyone and everyone. anyway if anyone has any comments or suggestions on what i should do next please post back thanks guys


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## cookies4marilyn (Jun 30, 2000)

Hi Matrix d -Thank you for sharing your experiences and your kind and encouraging words about using clincial hypnotherapy for the treatment of IBS.You are right in saying that different therapists use different methods and techniques - and that there are also different levels of trance - each one allows a certain level of work to be done.Most hypnotherapists are not trained specifically to treat IBS - they may treat anxiety, but not necessarily the actual IBS symptoms. And for those therapists that do have training in IBS therapy, there is the gut-directed technique, and there is the gut-specific technique, which Mike developed in 1991 and is unique to his program - made available to the public in 1998 and in my opinion has proven to be the most successful publicly available program out there. His clinical trials over 3 years have shown an average of 90% symtom reduction for over 20 IBS symptoms lasting and improving over time after program completion.It is not enough to listen to one or two sessions over and over again. Mike's program is based on how we learn and addresses the person as an individual, as well as the IBS and anxiety. He incorporates 5 different sessions, each with a specific intention, one built upon the other, in ordered progression.Also, with any hypnotherapy program, there can be a gradual continuation of the healing process, so you may well continue to improve as you go along.But after a few months, I would say, if you haven't had the relief you seek, I would give Mike's program a go - the cost of the entire program which includes not only 5 sessions, but an intro and learning session, and a recording to the IBS patient's family, and an info booklet - is usually less than the average cost of one in-person therapy session - at least in the US - I am not aware what they charge in Ireland.Take care, and all good wishes to you to continue to feel better!~ MarilynNeed more info? - www.ibscds.com


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## jools41 (Jan 8, 2004)

i think id be scared to get this treatment id be scared at what i may find out


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## CrohnieToo (Dec 21, 2004)

How in the devil does one go about FINDING a good hypnotherapist in their area?I started with one who was a two hour drive from me close to 10 years ago and it worked well to restore my self confidence that had been badly battered. But I am no longer working and can't afford to make that two hour drive.I'd like to find a FEMALE hypnotherapist closer to home but I would feel more comfortable with one who was also a licensed psychotherapist, i.e. a clinical social worker on up. The only hypno/pscyhotherapists I've been able to find in my area (2) are both male. I'd like to try the hypnotherapy to quit smoking but my problem isn't the nicotine, its the darn compulsive hand to mouth habit that I need help with.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Now these are trained in IBS-hypnosis not cigarette hypnosis but http://www.ibshypnosis.com/IBSclinicians.html lists a few people, A couple of the MI people are female, but I don't know if they are in your area or not.As a general rule IMO I think the people that go through this training tend to be of the caliber you are looking for so it might be a place to start.On another page from that site http://www.ibshypnosis.com/hypnosisabout.html


> quote:2. Look for a person who is a member of one of the two reputable national organizations of professionals in clinical hypnosis. These are the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis and the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (ASCH). Both organizations restrict their membership to qualified and properly licensed professionals, provide training of high quality, and require their members to adhere to ethics codes that dictate proper uses of clinical hypnosis. You can write to ASCH (enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope) and get a list to practicing members of the society in your area. Their address is:The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis130 East Elm Court, Suite 201Roselle, IL 60172


So that may be a way to sort through people in your area.K.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

http://www.asch.net/referrals.asp is the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis page for referrals.


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