Gut-directed hypnotherapy: example of the mind-body connection

In one way, the whole idea of the mind-body connection doesn't make sense. After all, it isn't as if the mind is one thing and the body is a different thing.

The mind basically is the brain in action. The brain is part of the body. So obviously there's a connection between the mind and body, since they're different aspects of the same entity. 

But most people, me included, do view the mind as something more ethereal than the cruder body.

Our thoughts and emotions seem to be distinct from the flesh, blood, and bone of the body. Even though I know that thoughts and emotions are just as physical as my hands and feet, this is difficult to believe given the inherent subjectivity of mind.

Because I have a sensitive digestive system -- I've never been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) though I have symptoms of this -- I found it interesting when my 52 year-old daughter, Celeste, told me last summer that she's been told she has IBS.

Celeste mentioned that she'd been advised to follow the FODMAP diet, though she's been reluctant to do this because she likes so many foods that aren't advised by FODMAP, such as avocados. 

I downloaded the FODMAP app and made some changes to my diet that have alleviated most of the irritating symptoms of my own IBS, assuming that's what it should be called. Then I came across a mention in a science magazine of the Nerva app that uses hypnotherapy to alleviate IBS symptoms.

I've tried hypnotism a few times and didn't find it very useful. But I found the theory behind the Nerva app to be intriguing, so I've been using it daily for the past four weeks in hopes that I could get back to eating some of the foods that I'd eliminated from my diet.

The basic idea is that Irritable Bowel Syndrome actually isn't caused by a problem with a person's digestive system, because almost always they have a normal digestive system. Instead, the problem lies is miscommunication between the brain and the gut.

Most of us have experienced the brain-gut connection. For example, if we're stressed about giving an important presentation at work, we may feel "butterflies in the stomach" as we get up to speak. This shows that the mind and digestive system are linked quite closely.

The web site for the Nerva app says:

The app includes daily short readings, along with a 15-17 minute hypnotherapy session. One of the goals is to disrupt a negative brain-gut/mind-body feedback loop. This pertains to problems other than IBS, clearly.

Say we feel stressed. One of the ways that stress may manifest is physically. In the case of IBS, maybe we feel some stomach pain. That gut pain then leads to more mental stress, because now we're not only stressed for the original reason, but also because of the stomach pain.

So the brain can affect the gut, and the gut then can affect the brain. Left unchecked, we can spiral into a negative feedback loop. The idea of hypnotherapy -- and this also seems to apply to some forms of meditation -- is to break that cycle by introducing positive thoughts and feelings into the brain as regards the gut problem.

This happens consciously, though the real benefit seems to occur as those positive thoughts and feelings wend their way into our unconscious, creating more beneficial patterns of thinking and feeling largely outside our conscious awareness.

Apparently it doesn't matter if someone isn't highly suggestible with hypnotherapy. That's good, because while I feel relaxed during a session, I never enter a state where I'm not completely aware of my surroundings and what's going on.

Nerva says:

How does hypnotherapy really work?

Hypnosis involves entering a state of absorbed attention where you become hyper-focused on specific stimuli (such as a feeling or a memory) led by suggestions from a hypnotherapist.

During hypnosis, suggestions bypass the critical mind allowing you to subconsciously 'fix' the miscommunication between your gut and brain (how your brain and gut send and receive nerve impulses). These suggestions teach you automatic skills that can help you self-manage IBS symptoms.

Comments

[Lili]

Brian,

I think you’ll really appreciate this:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5772764/

[Ron E.]

Hi Brian. I have never considered hypnotherapy for gut problems, though seeing as though the gut has a few million neurons and is connected to the brain (the brain has billions of neurons), I’m not surprised that such a connection can be influenced by the mind as the gut is sensitive to emotions, to anger, anxiety, sadness, elation etc.

As you rightly point out, the mind is the brain in action and responsible for sensations, perceptions, emotions, memory, desires and so on – basically it comes down to forms of thought, thought being the product of a lifetime’s information and influence.

Back to the gut. My family has IBS and diverticular disease – as have I. I assume my lifestyle, mental attitude, meditation and metabolism helps somewhat. I have a reasonable diet (although probably too much fat and sugar), and also think I stay clear of gut problems by keeping reasonably fit – miles of walking mostly.

It will be interesting to see how your inquiries and hypnotherapy programme work out.

[I could feel it in my gut]

There’s the mind-body connection and then there’s the mind-mind connection.

What causes that sudden unexplained heartache you feel hours before you receive a call informing you one of your loved ones passed away unexpectedly?

Perhaps our mind is very real in a scientific sense but part of the invisible light spectrum… like an aura.

[Joe]

This Fodmap diet is pure bullcrap!
I'd rather suffer from the farting, bowel cramps and constipation them give up any one of these foods that make up the bulk of my diet except for the ice cream and apples:
Dairy-based milk, yogurt and ice cream
Wheat-based products such as cereal, bread and crackers
Beans and lentils
Some vegetables, such as artichokes, asparagus, onions and garlic
Some fruits, such as apples, cherries, pears and peaches

[Gin]

@Joe

Really? There are soooo many other foods you can eat. Lol

I don’t see how apples are bad, though. I think they’re one of the healthiest foods on the planet. They’re magic.

[Joe]

"Really? There are soooo many other foods you can eat. Lol"

Not really, I'm on three restricted diets; lacto-vegetarian, low spice and low sugar. Whatever pain the food I eat causes is bearable and I could careless about the farting since I live by myself.

[Gin]

@Joe

Nice 👌

I only eat spinach, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and apples because those are the only foods I like. Putting me on a restricted diet would be laughable.

I’m not a foodie. I don’t really care.

[Tim Rimmer]

Hi Joe
As an old friend of mine (who had a business making compost toilets) said:
“It’s a sad arse that never rejoices”
Go well