# Stress and sleep and Mike's tapes?



## 18819 (Mar 2, 2007)

Just wondering if anyone that tried Mike's tapes noticed improvements in sleeping better and less stress/anxiety after completing the program?I listened to his samples on his website and some of the things he was saying about being afraid of being in public and finding a bathroom are NOT fears of mine at all!I think I have other health problems than just IBS but I do get "flared up" and when I do I seem to be stressed out until I can calm my guts back down usually by eating little or nothing.But it seems to me that my guts get flared up and I get anxiety ridden but when I get my guts calmed down I calm down. My sleep has been messed up for about 19 years. I'm a "shallow sleeper"...at best!I'm a little skeptical on hypnotherapy. I gave a local psychologist a shot for a little while because it was covered under my health plan (partially) and he did NET therapy. I have to say out of everything I have ever tried that was the biggest waste and just complete nonsense!But it seems that others have really benefitted from Mike's tapes. If it can at least help my sleep it would be worth it for sure!Jim


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## Cherrie (Sep 1, 2006)

Hi Jim,Mike has a CD that addresses insomnia/sleep issues in particular -- I'm wondering if you've tried that?I have and it was the biggest help ever for me -- it has improved the quality of my sleep and I was able to fall asleep and fall back to sleep after waking up at night most of the time after listening to his CD. There was a time where I did have some setbacks, but I knew that it was me -- somehow during that time there was just too much going on in my life and I was not receptive of his suggestions. But that passed after talking with Marilyn and reading more about hypnotherapy and understanding more about how the mind works.I do understand that each individual is different and no one thing works for everyone, though. And I'm totally sympathetic with your situation.For most methods like hypnotherapy, I personally feel that it is healthy to start with a little bit of skepticism, but if one's mind is too much resistant to the whole concept and therefore to the suggestions given, I'm not sure -- maybe that would also affect its effectiveness?Cherrie


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Jim, there is a sample on there that is not hypnosis, but a cd to expalin IBS to non sufferers.Also are you predominate d or c or d/c?Amost everyone who has done Mike's program have been helped with sleep, including myself, it did a number on my insomnia and IBS. Have you read the research overview on HT for IBS on the forum here? Or the success thread?HT can help "calm my guts back down" by calming the brain gut axis or by using the techniques in general to calm yourself. It is a tool.Also HT adresses the subconcious mind, this is one reason why kids to well with it, they don't question as much and go with the flow. So conciously you really don't have to do anything but listen.Stress and anxiety reduction with HT for IBS is really part of the picture but more side effects of doing HT in general, the HT is geared towards the whole condition of IBS.It also has been researcheed now for IBS for twenty some years.I have to ask what about it makes you skeptical out of curiousity?This should in no way be confused with stage hypnosis, this is clinical gut directed or gut specific HT. It doesn't work for absolutly everyone, but has been shown in research to help 8 out of ten.Its much like meditation, with sugesstions for the most part. This may help alsoAltered StatesHypnosis can help with problems from anxiety to pain. How it works, and what it does in the brainhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6037903/site/newsweek/Hypnosis May Be Useful IBS TreatmentLarge Study Shows Good Long-Term Symptom Reliefhttp://www.webmd.com/ibs/news/20031021/hyp...l-ibs-treatmentHypnotherapy works for bowel painhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3207972.stmThe Washington Post"At last week's annual meeting of the American Gastroenterological Association in San Diego, Palsson reported that hypnosis treatment seems to relax the autonomic nervous system, which controls movement in the digestive tract. "We're not just making people believe they're better," Palsson says. "Stool consistency is better, so something is happening to the digestive tract . . . and abdominal pain is much lessened. Bowel movement frequency was also reduced by the treatment." http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?p...p;notFound=trueMore than Meets the Mindhttp://research.unc.edu/endeavors/spr2007/hypnosis.phpThe Effects of Hypnosis on Gastrointestinal Problems -- O. Palsson, PsyDhttp://www.med.unc.edu/medicine/fgidc/effe...gi_problems.pdfThere is a lot more but that is a good start.alsoDefinition of the Process of Hypnosis and Trance StatesHypnosis is a process during which an individual, usually with the aid of another, allows themselves to become more suggestible. One can experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behavior. Hypnosis is generally established by an induction procedure. Although there are different hypnotic inductions, they are based on imaginative involvement with focused attention and concentration. People respond to hypnosis in different ways. Some describe their experience as an altered state of consciousness. Others describe hypnosis as a normal state of focused attention, in which they feel very calm and relaxed. Regardless of how and to what degree they respond, most people describe the experience as very pleasant. A person's ability to experience hypnotic suggestions can be inhibited by fears and concerns arising from some common misconceptions. Everyone has a conception of hypnosis. It probably comes from depictions of hypnosis in books, movies or on television. Those who have been hypnotized do not lose control over their behavior. They remain aware of who they are and where they are, and unless amnesia (the inability to recall past events, in this context the inability to recall what has occurred during the hypnotic session), has been specifically suggested, they usually remember what transpired during hypnosis, the only exception to this is what is called a somnambulist. A somnambulist is an individual who has the ability to go very deeply into hypnosis. A somnambulist will have total amnesia. Hypnosis makes it easier for people to experience suggestions, but it does not force them to have these experiences. Although scientists have different theories about the nature of hypnosis, all seem to agree that hypnotized people report changes in the way they feel, think, and behave, and these changes are in response to suggestions. People vary in their of responsiveness to hypnotic suggestions, what is called their hypnotizability or hypnotic susceptibility, but most people can be hypnotized to some degree. Hypnosis is a naturally occurring phenomenon. We go in and out of hypnosis constantly, while watching an interesting program on television, reading a book, driving a car, or day dreaming, just to name a few. People who appear to be low in hypnotizability often can improve their response to suggestions with practice. If an individual is unable to use all of their hypnotic ability during a testing session, it might appear that they are a poor subject, but with improved rapport, many are able to improve hypnotic ability. Most clinical uses of hypnosis have been designed for the average individual, and a deep state of trance is not usually needed for most clinical treatment. American Psychotherapy & Medical Hypnosis AssociationAPMHA Consumer Information January 2000 http://www.ibsaudioprogram.com/ibs_&_hypnotherapy.htm


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## cookies4marilyn (Jun 30, 2000)

Hi Jim,Yeah, I hear ya - when Eric first suggested doing Mike's program for IBS I was really skeptical - I thought it was pretty bogus to use hypno to treat IBS, but Eric did very well with the program, as well as many others on this BB before I came to it, and so I tried it as a very last resort - and if you have read my story - you will know I went through everything else...Not everyone is helped with hypno, but most people are - some feel better right away, others it takes a few rounds - but the one universal seems to be improved sleep right from the start. I think the program would help you there almost for sure (there are always exceptions in the bell curve of life) and in turn, I think your gut will settle down - you most likely listened to the introduction session which is not a therapy session, where Mike explains about IBS - he has worked with thousands of patients, and so he addresses as many case scenarios as possible, and what is mentioned on the sample is what a vast majoriity of IBSers feel.If you have any questions, or would like to talk to someone, you can leave your number and a good time to call you back on Mike's toll free US number - 877-898-2539.Read everything you can about the research for hypnotherapy - WebMD, Medscape, and the research thread on this forum - all show that hypnotherapy is an effective treatment for IBS and related symptoms of anxiety, and yes, sleeplessness...All the best to you in your journey to feeling better....


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## 18819 (Mar 2, 2007)

WOW Thanks so much Cherrie Eric And MarilynEveryone on this board is so nice. If it has helped you 3 I guess it is worth a shot.I got turned off to drugs at a young age and even vowed to never take another! It's been 11 years since I took any medication even if I get a severe cold I just wait it out.So I have been through my share of alternative quackery!Eric I am definitely diahreah predominant. In fact I'm almost never constipated.My skepticism with hypnotherapy had to do with me seeing a psychologist that was covered under my health plan a while back. He just pretty much railroaded me into doing a therapy called NET (neuro emotional technique) and I did this for a while. I'm sure it has helped someone but I would tell anyone I knew to either not do it or be really sure that it is helping you. This was bar none the biggest bunch of nonsense that I have ever tried and it should not even be used in practice IMO.Now I might have just seen a really bad psychologist. I know from making the rounds to different doctors that IMO a lot should not be allowed to practice and are probably helping few or no one.But that experience left me really skeptical about any "psychological" treatments. I know that hypnotherapy is completely different than NET and it looks like hypno has a lot of actual testing behind it where NET I'm sure has nothing more than a hand full of testimonials at best...like most alternative therapies!Being sick really ruins your life. It has affected every aspect of mine and my whole life is lived around sickness...rather than doing what I want it's more like doing what I can. Or what my illness will let me do might be more like it!Jim


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## cookies4marilyn (Jun 30, 2000)

Hi JimYou are very welcome. I too have had the same frustration - my whole life was ruined with IBS - I went from a person who could travel, speak in front of large groups of people, not give a thought to what I ate, etc. to almost a housebound recluse, packing extra clothes, etc. My marriage suffered and ended mostly due to IBS, lost out on a lot of my kids activities, and basically was in agony. After being on every med, Mayo Clinic, 4 colonoscopies, other CT scans and ultrasounds, food eliminations, etc. I was at the end of my rope - so when I came here at the request of my gasto telling me to go to the internet, he had nothing left for me (I begged him to put me on a nutritional IV instead of eating, and he said no) I thought the hypno was really "way out there." And I have a degree in psychology (though I am not a psych) have talked to many either as part of past jobs, or otherwise, and was not impressed with what they have to offer - a lot of clock-watching and platitiudes. When I listened to the sessions, even though I really enjoyed how I felt, I am a critical thinker and an intelligizer, so the content at first seemed like, oh no, this is different - but I kept with it and persevered because of all the others on this BB (I am talking in 2000) that had been helped at that time, so I just continued. But you really have to "shut down" your intellectual self, and just listen passively - it does work, and it does break that mind-gut connection. I can tell you many times of being in the car and getting that urgency feeling - prior to the hypno - it was a mad dash home, or to the nearest loo - after the hypno - if I got a twinge, a brief sort of thought came over me that in effect said - I don't need this or want this now - I didnt think it through - it just came to me - and the pain and urgency went away - and I mean - in seconds.Most recently, this happened to me in April on my way to give a talk about hypno and IBS at a hospital for a gastro - as I was on the bumper to bumper traffic - the impending speaker's nerves, plus the traffic (would effect a non-IBSer!) kicked in a bit of an attack - but it went away within a minute or so, and I carried on the whole evening with no problems whatsoever - so there you go...I don't know too much about NET - from what I could see, WebMD didnt have any research articles on it, so you are probably right - whereas hypnotherapy and hypnosis have had many successful clinical trials not only for IBS, but many other physical conditions. The problem with hypno is that not as many people are trained properly in it, and it is not usually covered by insurance. In spite of all the good research done on it, it just has not taken hold in most of the medical communities, unless they are a tertiary medical center and do the training and research onsite, such as UNC.Mike once took care of a fellow who was in a big soccer match and had a bad case of IBS-D in front of the whole spectator stand - he had to walk the length of the field in his white kit, showing full well what had happened - and MIke sorted him out - he has seen thousands of IBS patients since 1992, and kept refining his protocol as he got different IBS patients with various symptoms and pains, etc. so that his sessions cover all case scenarios - believe me - I too was the most skeptical person - even as I was listening to the sessions - and I probably was the most resistant to the therapy having had to have three gos at it - but I am so glad I persevered and didnt give up - there were times when I just wanted to - but now I have been on this BB 7 years after being encouraged by Eric and others - so that says something - most people do move on once helped, because they have no further need of the BB once their IBS has been addressed by Mike's program, but mine was such a dramitic change, that I am still here - and I have had IBS over 20 years...Well, hope that encourages you a bit - if you do decide to get the program, let us know - and if not - that is OK too - it is up to you, and only you know what is best for you...I wish you all the best in your journey to feeling better no matter how ya do it! Take care....


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## 18819 (Mar 2, 2007)

Thanks MarilynI ordered the tapes on Mike's website tonight. It says 7-10 working days for delivery so I guess I will have them in a few weeks or less.I figure it's about the same amount of money as one doctor appointment.It's rare that I can't "hold it" I just eat small frequent meals and that seems to help. I have no fear of finding a bathroom.But I do get a lot of pain and when the pain flares up it seems that I get stressed really bad until I can get my guts calmed back down. I usually just don't eat and drink a ton of water. Also I just sit down in the shower and let hot water hit my lower stomach and that seems to help.I read somewhere that toxins interfere with your brain when your guts get flared up. But it can also be that if you have a "brain" in your gut that if you get that all inflamed your brain gets upset also. I notice a big increase and decrease in anxiety depending on how calm or flared up my guts are.My sleep has been a wreck for so long and if these tapes can help put that back together it might be able to heal everything.I don't know that IBS is my only problem but it's definitely a big piece of the puzzle at least.I'm glad you were able to finally get well!! I know how it is going from doctor to doctor it's awful. I think I have always had IBS. But I remember being about 15 and that is when my sleep went from being pretty normal to really messed up. And at that time I had IBS. I didn't know what it was at the time but I know now.So maybe IBS has something to do with my sleep problems.I'm 34 so I guess it's approaching 20 years for me also. And I've said it many times that I would give all my material posessions to be totally healthy. It's like when you are sick in this world you have no chance all doors are closed to you!I hope Mike's tapes are helpful for sleep problems and anxiety and pain...I'm looking forward to trying them out!I think you are doing a great job on these boards helping people out!Jim


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## cookies4marilyn (Jun 30, 2000)

Thanks for your kind words, Jim. I sure do hope the CDs work for you too - You should have your program before a few weeks. As mentioned, if you have any questions, ask away, or call. Be sure to read the whole booklet all the way through before you start - and many times, if you have quesitons along the way, they are answered in the booklet, or in Mike's informational session - and on his website and in the FAQ thread on this forum - so lots of support and help along the way if needed.Take care and all the best to you in your journey to feeing better.


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