# Question about Mike's tapes--are they right for me?



## webbsusa (Feb 1, 2001)

I am thinking about ordering Mike's tape, but have some questions, and I'd loved to hear everybody's feedback. Let me tell you what's going on with me so you'll know where I am at with this and why I'm questioning whether these tapes may be right for me or not.I am an IBS C/D type (predominately C), and my symptoms seem to be greatly affected my menstrual cycle; C becomes much worse during that time of the month. Due to the C, I stuggle with anal fissures and hemorrhoids. Last summer, I began taking birth control pills continuously, which means I didn't get a period. This basically put my IBS in remission. However, my husband I are hoping to get pregnant this fall, so I went off the pill in late May to try to regulate my cycles before we begin trying to conceive. Six weeks later, the IBS came roaring back, as bad--if not worse--than ever. Two painful fissures and a hemmie immediately appeared, and I am now just recovering from a thrombosed hemmie (major OUCH). I don't want to keep living like this, and I am scared about what my IBS symptoms will be like during pregnancy. I am already at the end of my rope, and I'm not even pregnany yet--I don't think I can take nine months of this. But, I really am ready emotionally to have a child, and this is probably the best time to do it over the next few years.Another issue: if my IBS isn't acting up, then it's my asthma, allergies, or sinuses. It seems I'm always sick. I do lead a stressful life; I am Ph.D. student in English, and I work as a T.A. I am behind in my work from being so sick this entire summer. And, my husband and I bought our first home and will be moving in three weeks. Needless to say, there is definite stress in my life, which isn't helping with the C. My therapist thinks that I manifest my stress through illnesses and suggested that I check into healthy ways of managing my stress. One thing she suggested was a general self-hypnosis workshop. I wasn't able to go, but her suggestion got me thinking more seriously about Mike's tapes.I am wondering if they're right for me, though, because my anxiety doesn't really seem to come from IBS itself; my anxiety about other issues manifests itself in my IBS (hope that distinction makes sense). It seems like the testimonals I read talked about how the tapes have helped D types reduce their fear about making to the bathroom in time, managing their IBS on short and long trips, and that sort of thing. That's not my issue, as my problem is having the urge to go to the bathroom in the first place. Granted, when I am struggling with fissures/hemmies/etc I do get nervous about the pain and fear going, but that's not an everyday worry. I can go on trips without worrying about where the bathrooms are, because unfortuantely, I probably won't need them. That's why I wonder if the tapes are right for me, because my problem seems to be a little different.I guess the main question is, do Mike's tapes only help with stress that results from, and in turn re-triggers, IBS attacks, or do Mike's tapes help people cope with the "everyday" stressors (school, work, family) that lead to IBS? And, do they help wih things besides IBS? Thanks in any advance for any and all feedback.







Webbie


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## Tattoo (May 12, 2001)

{{{{Webbie}}}}, your conditions and situation sound very painful.First I want to say that the tapes seem to have helped hundreds of other people with their IBS! And I'm not sorry I spent the money on them. For me, the tapes improved my attitude and mood a great deal. (Self-hypnosis tapes for just about anything, I find, do that.) However, they had no effect -- good or bad -- on my actual IBS symptoms. What helped with that was to quit taking a supplement for my osteoporosis that triggered the symptoms. Here's how it seems to me. If your IBS is a tendency that is triggered by anxiety and shame and all that, the tapes will help. They are especially likely to help if you haven't done a lot of work on those issues before, like with therapy or relaxation techniques or acupuncture. However, if your IBS is due to specific physical triggers or conditions, the tapes will mainly help you react well to treatments for those physical conditions -- but will not address the conditions themselves. Others, I am very sure, will disagree and have anecdotal evidence to the contrary. But that's my experience!Love,Tats


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## kas (Apr 24, 2000)

Webbie,I have been doing Mike's tapes for about a week. I love it. I do have IBS-D but I am also soooooo stressed out most of the time. I am a teacher of 4th and 5th grade students with learning disabilities. I also have a little girl. I feel so much better when I listen to the tape. It helps me to not be so grouchy to my little girl and that makes it worth it all.Kas


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## zayaka26 (Jul 5, 2001)

Webbie, my IBS (D and urge to go) is mainly related to anxiety as you might remember. The best thing I have noticed from the tapes is a change in my mood and attitude. Of course, that has helped me being less focused on my bowels, which has allowed me to do other things I previuosly was not doing. I'm still learning about how my body will respond under new situations, but so far, so good.I think eric, Mike himself or marilyn can give you good advice on this one.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Its actually pretty easy right off that bat to tell you yes they can help you.First they can help boost your immune system, so some of the other conditions maybe helped.Second, they work on areas both in the brain and in the gut, they can reduce stress hormones.They can also help with pregancy.This are side issues really though.They do effect IBS in more ways then a lot of people on the bb may realize. I have been studying this for quite some time now in depth. That they lower anxiety is really a side effect of them and that they can help some people with migranes or headaches is also a side effect of them. That they can seriously work on increase bodily muscle tension from IBS and stress is a major plus and a reason alone to do these kinds of things, but they may also help you sleep better and more fully.They are gradual however, its not a quick fix and you have to stay wth the schedule like clockwork, but they are really super easy to do, because you don't have to do anything but listen to them, thats it.There is way more to it then this, but those are some relatively fast answers for you.Hypnosis also has the highest success rate to date for IBS.This website will help to explain HT for IBS. From a major figure in the IBS reaserch field at the UNC.www.ibshypnosis.comStress is an issue with IBS, but its way more then stress its emotions themselves. Its also a part of a chronic fight or flight mechanism in IBS that plays a big role.On the anal fissures and hemmie, they won't cure them, but they can help the pain they cause and they can help boost your immune system to help things.During pregancy your IBS sysmptoms could get worse or they could get better, everyone is different on how the hormones may effect the IBS. I would guess it would be rough though either way and I am a male so can't say personally, just from what I have read.IBS allergies ect and always sick. This is not uncommon and in part due to the fact that we are constantly run down, this effect the body and the immune system big time. It also effects our thoughts. When your worn down and tired you can't think as clearly, that is a proven fact.A big player in IBS is serotonin and this effects our moods and emotions, sleep, appetite and sex.Fron the pet scans they have done and from some of the expertss on IBS I have had in depth converations with, the signals from the gut are turning up areas in the brain that deal with emotion and anxiety, so the anxiety is turned up basically. They have pictures of this and have for quite some time.This is on that. Dr Drossman is perhaps one of the most if not the most knowledgable person in the world on IBS. He will also be doing a chat with the experts next tuesday from their site and you might possible be able to ask him about the hormones or I am sure someone will. http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/clinicalIssues.html This is the chat page. http://www.med.unc.edu/medicine/fgidc/ Hypnosis can make a major impact on Pain, peoplesstools have actually gotten better also.It in part works by helping the communication between the gut (brain) their is one and the brain and back. It also seems to work by calming the central nervous system.That you don't have d and worry where the bathrooms are maybe because the IBS is more mild or moderate, or c which is a slightly different ballgame, but in c IBS the body does not have enough serotonin going through the receptors that start the Peristaltic Reflex.I hope this helps some to answer your questions and if you have more let me know.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

This will help explain it also.with permissionThe Effects of Hypnosis On Gastrointestinal Problems Olafur S. Palsson, Psy. D. Research Associate, UNC-CHAPEL Hill Department of Medicines Hypnosis is a treatment method, which still carries an aura of mystery,that unfortunately continues to be promoted by misrepresentations in movies and stage shows for entertainment. In reality, there is little mysterious about hypnosis anymore. It is a well-researched clinical technique which was formally accepted as a treatment method by the American Medical Association and the American psychological Association over thirty years ago. Clinical hypnosis is currently used by thousands of clinicians in the U.S. to treat both psychological and medical problems. Until recently, the possibilities of using hypnosis to treat gastrointestinal problems had received little attention. In the last 15 years, however, research has shown that hypnosis can influence gastrointestinal functioning in powerful ways, and that in particular, it is effective in helping patients with irritable bowel syndrome and to control nausea and vomiting. How Hypnosis Works: Hypnosis is a special mental state in which a person's focus of attention becomes narrow and intense like the beam of a bright flashlight in a dark room. This state is usually created with the aid of a hypnotist,who guides the person systematically to relax, focus only on one thing, and to allow things to happen by themselves. Whatever the mind focuses on while in this special mental state of hypnosis holds the entire attention. Therefore, people tend to experience things they think of, imagine or remember, more vividly and clearly than under usual circumstances. This is why people can sometimes recall things from their distant past under hypnosis even though unable to do so in the normal waking state (research has shown, however, that such hypnotically enhanced recall can be highly contaminated by the person's imagination). The narrow hyperfocus of this mental state is also why therapists using hypnosis are frequently able to help people make strong positive changes in their emotions and physical functioning. Hypnosis can work like a magnifying glass on the mind's effects on the body and emotion. Clinical hypnosis relies on suggestions, imagery, and relaxation to produce its therapeutic effects. Hypnotic suggestions are things that the hypnotist verbally suggests may happen while the person is under hypnosis. Due to the focused and receptive state of the hypnotized person, these suggestions happen almost automatically and without conscious decision or effort. If you, for example, receive the suggestion under hypnosis that your arm may be getting heavy, you will very likely feel it becoming heavy, without trying to do anything to make it happen. This "automaticity", the feeling of things happening by themselves, is by some considered the hallmark of hypnosis, and is often surprising to people experiencing hypnosis for the first time. Hypnotic imagery consists of picturing mentally events or situation or place in a way that has a desired positive physical or mental effect. For example, patients undergoing surgical or dental procedures are sometimes taught to enter a hypnotic state and go to a pleasant place in their mind. When successfully applied, the person gets completely engrossed in the vivid enjoyable imagery and is therefore happily unaware of the unpleasantness of the procedure. The hypnotic state is naturally accompanied by relaxation, and the physical relaxing effects are often deliberately strengthened further by clinicians through suggestions and relaxing imagery. Some of the benefits that come from hypnosis treatment are likely to result partly or entirely from the fact that hypnosis is a powerful relaxation method. Over decades of research and clinical experience, hypnosis has proven to have many valuable therapeutic uses. In psychotherapy, hypnotic techniques can speed the therapy process in various ways - for example by facilitating patients' self-understanding, extinguishing unfortunate habits, uncovering repressed or forgotten memories, reducing anxiety and phobias, and helping people to adopt a new and more adaptive outlook. In medicine and health psychology, hypnosis is used to reduce pain and discomfort associated with medical procedures such as childbirth, treatment of burns, and surgery where chemical anesthesia cannot be used effectively. It is also used to treat chronic pain and psychosomatic problems and counter unhealthy habits that contribute to illness. In dentistry, hypnotic analgesia is an effective needle-less alternative to topical anesthetic drugs, reduces bleeding and discomfort in oral surgery, and is used to treat teeth grinding and temporomandibular disorder. In recent years, the effects of gastrointestinal functioning and GI symptoms have been studied extensively. The Effects of Hypnosis on Gastrointestinal Functioning: The hypnotic state itself, without any particular suggestions, seems to slow down the gut, and clear-cut and specific changes in GI functioning can be induced in individuals by directing thinking or inducing specific emotional states under hypnosis. For example, one study(1) found that when healthy volunteers were hypnotized and simply instructed to relax, the orocaecal transit time (the time it takes material to pass through the GI tract from the mouth to the first part of the colon) was lengthened from 93 to 133 minutes. Another study(2) found that being in a hypnotic state decreases muscle movements in the stomach. The same study demonstrated that the emotional state of happiness, created under hypnosis, suppresses gastric muscle activity but anger and excitement increase muscle movement in the stomach . A pair of other studies(3) showed that when volunteers were guided to use imagery of eating a delicious meal while they were under hypnosis, gastric acid secretion was increased by 89%, and that acid production of the stomach could also be deliberately decreased during hypnosis using hypnotic instructions. Close to fifty published studies have reported on the therapeutic effects of hypnosis on nausea and vomiting problems related to chemotherapy, after surgery, and during pregnancy. Overall, this substantial body of literature indicates that hypnosis can be a powerful aid in controlling nausea and vomiting. Hypnosis may also be helpful in preventing gastrointestinal problems from recurring after they have been treated with medication: One study(4) of thirty patients with relapsing duodenal ulcers who had been successfully treated with a course of medication, found that only 53% of the patients who received preventive hypnosis treatment had a relapse within one year. In contrast everybody (100%) in a comparison group receiving no hypnosis relapsed in the same period of time. In 1984, researchers in Manchester in England published a study(5 )report in the journal Lancet, showing that hypnosis treatment dramatically improved the symptoms of IBS patients who had failed to benefit from other treatment. The researchers had randomly divided patients with severe IBS problems into two groups. Fifteen patients were treated with seven hypnosis sessions. Fifteen comparison patients were treated with seven sessions of psychotherapy, and those patients also received placebo pills (pills with no medically active ingredients) which they were told were a new research medication for IBS symptoms. Every patient in the hypnosis group improved, and that group showed substantial improvement in all central symptoms of IBS. The control group showed only very modest improvement in symptoms. Partly due to these dramatic results with treatment-refractory patients, a dozen other studies have followed, including three U.S. studies. The general conclusions from most of these studies are that hypnosis seems to improve the symptoms of 80% or more of all treated patients who have well-defined "classic" IBS problems, especially if they do not have complicating factors such as psychiatric disorders. The improvement is in many cases maintained at least for a year after the end of treatment. What is particularly remarkable is that this high rate of positive treatment response is seen even in studies where the participating patients all have failed to improve from regular medical care. The dramatic response of IBS patients to hypnosis treatment raises the question of exactly how this kind of treatment influences the symptoms in such a beneficial way. Four studies to date, two in England and two in the U.S., have tried to discover how hypnosis treatment affects the body of IBS patients. Since it is well known that many people with IBS have unusual pain sensitivity in their intestines, which is thought to be related to the clinical pain they experience, much of the focus of these studies has been on assessing the impact of this kind of treatment on intestinal pain thresholds. The two English studies both measured intestinal pain sensitivity with balloon inflation tests. The second study also measured muscle tone, to see if hypnosis relaxes the smooth muscles of the GI tract. No overall changes in pain sensitivity were detected, and gut muscle tension was also unchanged after treatment (except a subgroup of unusually pain-sensitive patients had lessened pain sensitivity in the second study(7). . In 1995-1996, during my post-doctoral fellowship in the Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition at UNC-Chapel Hill, we conducted the first U.S. study(8) on hypnosis for IBS under the direction of Dr. Whitehead. We evaluated the effects of a highly standardized treatment protocol, delivered verbatim following written scripts, on rectal pain thresholds and muscle tone. Seventeen out of the 18 patients we treated with hypnosis showed significant improvement in their clinical symptoms. However, we found, like the English researchers, that gut pain thresholds and muscle tension were unchanged after treatment. In a second study(9,) which I conducted with co-investigators at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, we used the same treatment protocol but this time measured autonomic nervous system functioning and blood levels of a gut hormone called vasoactive intestinal peptide. These are regulators of GI functioning in the human body, and the aim was to see if they would change due to treatment. Again, we found no changes in our physical measures after treatment (with the exception of reduction in sweat gland reactivity) even though 21 out of 24 treated patients were clinically improved. It should be noted, though, that in both our studies, we found clear improvement in the psychological well-being of our patients after treatment. In summary, it is clear from our work and other research that hypnosis treatment substantially improves all the central symptoms of IBS in the majority of patients who receive such treatment (see the effects of our two studies on clinical symptoms in the Figure). What happens in the body of these patients to cause such improvement, however, remains a mystery. Future prospects: In light of the many studies which have shown hypnosis treatment to be effective for such problems as IBS and nausea and vomiting, the question may be raised why this kind of treatment is not more widely available or generally offered to patients with such GI problems. One limitation is the fact that not everybody is equally hypnotizable. Research has consistently shown that at least 15% of people are practically non-hypnotizable, and even those who are able to enter a hypnotic state vary greatly in how well they respond. Interestingly, the ability to be hypnotized is a stable mental trait. In other word, if you are highly hypnotizable now, you will most likely be so also in thirty years. Fortunately, the majority of people are sufficiently hypnotizable to have a potential for enjoying at least some of the medical and psychological benefits of clinical hypnosis. Furthermore, the idea of being hypnotized does not agree with all people. Even individuals who are sufficiently hypnotizable, may not like the idea of "letting go", may have difficulty trusting a therapist to guide them in hypnosis, or may have other concerns about the hypnosis experience. Fortunately, other forms of psychological treatment for gastrointestinal problems - in the case of IBS especially cognitive-behavioral therapy -- have also been found to be effective and are good alternatives. Finally, an obstacle which has barred many patients from receiving help for gastrointestinal disorders with hypnosis is the fact that in the U.S. the technique is more commonly used by psychologists and other mental health professionals than by physicians. Many mental health professionals who use hypnosis are not accustomed to treating gastrointestinal disorders, and therefore reluctant to take on treatment of such problems. As the reliably beneficial effects of hypnosis on gastrointestinal functioning become better known both to health professionals and the general public, this benign and comfortable form of treatment will hopefully become a more popular treatment option for GI patients - especially for those who have not received much relief from standard medical management. As far as IBS is concerned, we have been making an effort in the last two years to encourage clinicians across the country who have adequate training in hypnosis to provide such treatment for IBS. We have done this by providing them, free of charge, with the complete standardized treatment protocol which has proven effective in our research. To date, more than eighty licensed health professionals, practicing in almost all states, are started using our protocol, making it a little bit easier for patients in many geographical locations to receive help with hypnosis. References 1. Beaugerie, L., Burger A.J, Cadranel J.F, Lamy, P., Gendre J.P., & Le Quintrec, F. (1991). Modulation of orocaecal transit time by hypnosis. Gut, 32, 393-394. 2. Whorwell PJ; Houghton LA; Taylor EE; Maxton DG. Physiological effects of emotion: assessment via hypnosis. (1992). Lancet, 340, 69-72 3. Klein K.B., & Spiegel, D. (1989). Modulation of gastric acid secretion by hypnosis. Gastroenterology, 96, 1383-1387. 4. Colgan, S. M. , Faragher, E. B. , & Whorwell, P. J. (1988). Controlled Trial of Hypnotherapy in Relapse Prevention of Duodenal Ulceration. The Lancet, 1(8598), 1299-300. 5. Whorwell, P.J., Prior, A., & Faragher, E.B. (1984). Controlled trial of hypnotherapy in the treatment of severe refractory irritable bowel syndrome. Lancet, 2, 1232-1234. 6. Prior A., Colgan, S.M., Whorwell P.J. (1990). Changes in rectal sensitivity after hypnotherapy in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Gut, 31, 896-898. 7. Houghton, L.A., Larder, S., Lee, R., Gonsalkorale, W.M., Whelan, V, Randles, J., Cooper, P., Cruikshanks, P., Miller, V., & Whorwell, P.J. (1999) Gut focused hypnotherapy normalises rectal hypersensitivity in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Gastroenterology,116: A1009. 8. Palsson, O.S., Burnett, C.K., Meyer, K., and Whitehead, W.E. (1997). Hypnosis treatment for irritable bowel syndrome. Effects on symptoms, pain threshold and muscle tone. Gastroenterology, 112, A803. 9.Palsson, O.S., Turner, M.J., & Johnson, D.A. (2000). Hypnotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome: Symptom improvement and autonomic nervous system effects. Gastroenterology, 118,(4) A174.


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Hi Webby:I was predominantly C before and the tapes have definitely helped me a great deal. I am rarely C now. And they do help with anxiety in all areas, not just IBS.I finished the tapes a long time ago and still love to listen to them. I also do self-hypnosis, since it is to relaxingI hope you decide to try them, and good luck with having a baby.







JeanG


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

I should have added there is a lot of information out there on Hypnotherapy for pregnancy, as it can help nausea, boost the immune system, make birthing easier and less painful ect. I will look for some articles on it. for you and you may want to look into that area also. I am sure you would need a special hypnotherapist that deals with Pregnancy. Mike does some work in it also and you can email him. The IBS program would address some of the issues here, but mainly the IBS issues although it would have positive side effects in other areas as well. There was a really good article on it in abc.com news but I can't find it yet."Clients in the Obstetric or Gynecology settings can benefit in the areas of increased fertility, minimizing blood loss, relieving heartburn related to pregnancy, lessening back pain, premenstrual syndrome and supporting a comfortable natural child birth. "Here it is. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/GoodMor...s_and_pain.html Hypnosis can ease the pain of childbirth


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## webbsusa (Feb 1, 2001)

A big THANK YOU to all of you who have taken the time to respond to my post! I appreciate all of your comments and insights. A special thank you to Eric for all of those links! Eric, you are just the link god, aren't you?







Your posts are always so informative and helpful; I really appreciate how you took so much to time to respond to me.Incidentally, I actually watched a program about a month or so ago that showed a woman using self-hypnosis as a way to manage the pain of labor and delivery. It was very, very interesting. I think I'm going to try the tapes. I was 95% sure I was going to try them before I posted, and reading all of your responses and Eric's links convinced the other 5% of me.







I need help, and even if they don't help, they certainly can't hurt. But I really think they will help. If I can get some relief for the C, then the hemmies and fissures will resolve themselves; they only flare up and cause pain when I'm suffering with C (dry, hard stools lead to tearing and straining very easily, hence my fissure/hemmie problem). I am doing everything "right" in terms of lifestyle (diet, exercise, fiber supplements, water, etc), but clearly it's not working--even my wonderful doctor is at a loss for medical ways to help me. Even though the tapes won't be a "quick fix," they will (hopefully) be a fix of some kind for the C. Any improvement will be better than where I'm at now.I will probably wait to order the tapes until after I move (afraid the mail situation could get a little screwy), but I will definitely order them. After I get going with the tapes, I'll let you know how I"m doing. Thanks again for all of your comments, and no matter what the tapes do for me, I'm very happy to have read so many positive stories (in this thread and others) about them. It's great that so many people have found a method to reduce their IBS symptoms!














Webbie(formerly known as Webbsusa)


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

webbie, no problemo, if you have any more questions feel free.Good luck with the conception and I am sure everything will work out okay for you.







Good luck also on moving.


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