04/01/2026
Could Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy Help Your IBS?
If your only experience of hypnosis is seeing it on stage, trying it for physical symptoms might feel a little daunting. But here’s the thing: hypnotherapy isn’t magic. It’s a natural state of focused attention that we all experience — like when you get completely absorbed in a book or film and feel like you’re living the story alongside the characters. Your attention narrows, your surroundings fade, and you’re fully immersed.
The difference with gut-directed hypnotherapy is that it’s structured, guided, and focused on calming the gut-brain axis, helping your brain respond less sensitively to gut signals. And the best part? You’re in control the whole time.
How It Can Help:
• Reduce bloating, abdominal pain, and bowel symptoms
• Calm the gut-brain axis
• Build confidence and control over your gut health
• Safe and side-effect free
Many people combine this approach with dietary support. As dietitians, we focus on minimising unnecessary restrictions, because overly strict diets can increase anxiety and gut hypervigilance.
Guidelines Support It:
Gut-directed hypnotherapy is endorsed by major professional guidelines:
• UK NICE IBS Guidelines (2017)
• British Society of Gastroenterology IBS Guidelines (2021)
• American Gastroenterological Association IBS Quality Indicators (2025)
All recommend gut-brain therapies including hypnotherapy for managing IBS and other disorders of gut-brain interaction.
Why it works:
With regular practice, the brain develops new pathways, retraining how it responds to gut signals. In IBS, the brain often becomes hypervigilant, noticing sensations at much lower thresholds — hypnotherapy helps calm this response.
Want to Learn More?
Our 8-week group course, The Contented Gut, provides a validated course of gut-directed hypnotherapy in small online groups. It’s structured, evidence-based, and supportive — helping participants feel calmer, more in control, and less disrupted by gut symptoms.
Learn more:
Gut directed hypnotherapy can improve the communication between your brain and gut to provide long-term relief from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It can be used alongside or instead of dietary and medical management. Find out more.. Introduction to the role of gut directed hypnotherapy for IBS If....