# new member!!!!



## Bonnie (Oct 18, 2004)

Hello EveryoneI am new to the BB. I wanted to see if there was advice for me as a new member. I have had IBS C & D since I was a child. I am 29 now. I have been in and out of therapy and docs. I decided to start over with new docs and therapist. I am desperat. It runs my life as you all know. I just don't know where to start. I am hoping that the BB will help and offer some different approaches to this debilitating condition. I think I have myself trained to have a stomach ache daily.I welcome adviceThanks


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## cookies4marilyn (Jun 30, 2000)

Hello Bonnie, and welcome to the BB!There is a great deal of info here on this forum and all the others on the BB, and I see this is your first post, so take a peek at some of the other topics here and on the other forums for more info.Since you have posted here, I note your comment: "I think I have myself trained to have a stomach ache daily."This is most certainly a very common and prominant factor of IBS, our thoughts about worrying if we will have IBS symptoms are replayed over and over in our mind and then are fulfilled.Many of us on this BB have found that after all the trials with medications, and OTC remedies for IBS, we were about to give up, but as clinical studies and research have borne out, some here have found that the use of clinical hypnotherapy for IBS has greatly improved symptoms and has broken that "training" of having to have, think about and worry about IBS on a daily basis. I came to this BB in 2000 after having been to Mayo, numerous gastroenterologists, and lots of different meds, and was encouraged to try clinical hypnotherapy, which took me from having severe incapcitating D almost every day for hours, to just an occasional small attack now and then, and usually very short-lived if so, and I continue to improve to this day.Take a look at the success thread here, and also this link for information on a program from England that uses clinical hypnotherapy in the privacy of your own home. www.ibsaudioprogram100.com Out of the help I received from this program, I now work directly with its author to help others here.Ask your new doctor and therapist what they think about this approach. You don't mention what type of therapist you are seeing, but depending on their background, some therapists are trained in treating IBS, so if you are seeing this therapist specifically for IBS, you may want to ask them what training they have had with the condition, or mention clinical hypnotherapy, or perhaps cognitive behavioral therapy, which is also helpful.Also feel free to look at the featured informational threads on this forum for links to more info on both of these treatment methods.You don't have to live with the constant IBS thoughts, and clinical hypnotherapy breaks that worry connection, and helps to reduce and mitigate your IBS symptoms. If you have any specific questions or concerns, please let us know - we are all here to help and support.Wishing the very best to you ~ Marilyn














Moderator of the CBT and Clinical Hypnotherapy Forum


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## Bonnie (Oct 18, 2004)

Marilyn,I haven't found a new therapist yet. I don't really know where to start. How could I go about finding someone that specializes in IBS/hypnotherapyThank you so much for all the info. I read all of this and it mirrors me and I am so relieved that I am not the craziest person on earth but also saddened that other people suffer from this too!!!!Bonnie


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## cookies4marilyn (Jun 30, 2000)

Bonnie,Finding a therapist who has both experience and training in IBS and close to where you live is difficult, but if you do want to find a qualified therapist in your area, one way is to go to this link that has therapists trained in an IBS protocol that has been clinically trialled: http://www.ibshypnosis.com/IBSclinicians.html The only therapists listed on this site for your state are both in Huntsville, which is quite a distance north of your. Harry Kinnanec/o NAPS3330 L & N DriveHuntsville AL 35801Phone: (256) 880-9040 Fax: (256) 650-5805Dr. Tom SandySummit Psychotherapy3330 L & N Drive, Ste AHuntsville AL 35801Phone: (256) 880-7173 To possibly find other qualified hypnotherapists in your area, you can also contact these organizations, but you have to make sure they are trained in IBS - ask them if they are aware of the gut-directed method - here is some more info for you.To find a qualified clinical hypnotherapist in your area, contact one (or several) of these organizations, and do a search/ask for a search, for a qualified IBS hypnotherapist near where you live: (these are in no particular order, and it is just a listing, not a recommendation)American Council of Hypnotist ExaminersGlendale, CA818-242-5378www.sonic.net/hypno/ache.htmlThe American Insitute of HypnotherapySanta Ana, CA714-261-6400The American Society of Clinical HypnosisDes Plaines, IL708-297-3317www.asch.netInternational Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy AssociationInternational HeadquartersRed Oak, MI800-257-5467 or local: 248-549-5594www.infinityinst.comMilton H. Erickson FoundationPhoenix, AZ602-956-6196www.erickson-foundation.orgIn looking for a personal therapist:There is a specific list of questions to ask your therapist to see if they are qualified to treat IBS.Here are the Questions Mike (the author of the IBS Audio Program 1000) says to ask a therapist before considering taking therapy for IBS Treatment:Q: How long have your been practicing IBS hypnotherapy in particular?A: Minimum of two years; IBS is complex, no two are alike.Q: Can you help IBS sufferers?A: If they give you any other answer besides a definite yes, or say they are willing to try, but never have before, then reconsider.Q: What is your success rate with IBS patients?A: Minimum of 80% reduction in symptoms; and ask how they arrive at their figures.Q: What is IBS?A: If they don't know, don't go!Q: How many sessions will it take?A: You need to know to plan for your budget. Should show some improvement after the fifth session (though factors such as general health, stressors, duration and intensity of IBS etc. will enter into the equation.)General Questions to Ask:Q: Where did you train?A: Some credentials are more credible than others. A minimum of 2-3 years training in hypnotherapy plus 1 full year internship is the minimum.Q: How much will this cost?A: Insurance coverage may or may not cover; be cautious with payments up front.Q: Do you receive an audio recording of your session?A: Progress will result more quickly if you are given a tape of each session to use at home.Q: Do you have letters of recommendation from past patients that I can view?A: Most IBS patients are very grateful for help and the therapist should be able to give you referrals if needed. (Naturally, privacy may require that no names are given, but usually there are some that don't mind sharing their success to help others.)Q: Do you offer a pre-session consultation?A: Absolute necessity to determine goals, your personality, etc. for the best treatment outcome.And a question that the therapist should ask YOU, as a perspective patient:Have you been seen and diagnosed with IBS by a medical doctor? If they don't ask you this, then look elsewhere.Also, it may be that your personality may not quite fit the style or personality of the therapist even if they sail thru the questions.After reading all this information Bonnie, if you still are uncertain about finding a therapist in your area, or cannot find one, do consider the IBS Audio Program 100, firstly, because it has been clinically trialed and has worked for many, it uses a specially trialed gut-specific method, that is a bit different from the gut-directed method, and has proved very successful, secondly, because it is more cost effective than going to an "in-person" therapist - less than the cost of one session alone, in most cases, and lastly, you don't have to travel, keep appointments, and can do the sessions on your own private time.However, if you are still in desire of a live therapist for other issues in addition to your IBS, then of course, by all means, search one out. It's just that so many here have done the program, and it really really helps!If you have any specific questions about the program, let me know.But also, let us know how it goes no matter what you decide - we are all here to help.







Take good care. Marilyn


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## Bonnie (Oct 18, 2004)

thanks for the info. Do you have any info on CBT in my area?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

The UNC-Chapel Hill Functional GI disorders clinic does CBT, and might know if someone in your area has been trained to do it. http://www.med.unc.edu/medicine/fgidc/contact.htm That is where I did my CBT.K.


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## Bonnie (Oct 18, 2004)

did you feel like it helped????


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Tremendously.I was in a clinical study and they had to track all kinds of things with me.I was taking Buspar 15 mg 2X a day and about 7 or so Levsin SL every day to stay minimally functional (pain was may main problem, but the stools tended loose, and usually triggered by eating).About 1/2 way through the 3 months of therapy I was down to Buspar 15 mg a day and about 2 of the Levsin, and even when I had pain I didn't HAVE to have the drugs. Shortly after the study ended I was down to about 2 Levsin a month, which has gotten less and less over time.I have continued to improve since then and I just finally stopped the Buspar all together (I used to get a vague mild nagging discomfort without it)Hopefully I can stay drug free. I've had a couple of pain things since off the Buspar but they were easy to deal with and one was a bad reaction to an allergy shot (they can set off the GI tract via histamine release) and I finally went and got some Benedryl and it cleared up right after that.K.


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## BR (Apr 12, 2001)

Hi Bonnie,Welcome to the BB - this is a wonderful place for you to come for help and support.I've had IBS diarrhea predominant for almost 20 years. In the beginning I harbored hope that it would go away and after a few years of trying different things that helped some but not a lot I learned to live with it.Then when I found the BB and the hypnotherapy tapes I decided to give it a try because so many people were helped. I became one of the people who was helped a great deal. I'm still working on getting my mind to give up the IBS because I've had it so long but I get better each day.Best wishes to you that whatever you try gives you relief and comfort.Barbara


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