Most guys with IBS feel like they’ve tried everything, cutting out certain foods, following crazy diets like the Lion diet, downing peppermint oil, and maybe even have a supplement-graveyard in their kitchen cupboard.

Some of it maybe helps… some doesn’t, and especially when stress hits, or you’re halfway through a meeting and your gut decides to kick off again.

So today we’re asking: Can hypnotherapy help IBS, and what does the science actually say?

Choose how you want to take this in:

📖 Read the article below...

Before I get into what hypnosis is all about, I want to give you some context...

So I’ve been successfully helping people with IBS for over a decade, both in the NHS and privately, and I’ve helped hundreds and hundreds of people turn things around through diet alone, so just by making targeted dietary changes.

And because of that, many have reduced or totally come off their IBS medications, but obviously under the guidance of their doctor (- so don't stopping your meds willy-nilly without talking to your doctor first).

And, I’ve authored an NHS audit published in Complete Nutrition magazine, reporting on our own Dietitian-led outcomes for both individuals and groups of people with IBS.

We tracked what happened after both first-line dietary advice and the FODMAP approach, and the results were clear:

The vast majority of our patients improved, or significantly improved, symptoms like tummy pain, bloating, and bowel habits.

So yes, diet works, especially when supported by a Dietitian, because you need to know what you’re doing and it’s about looking at your overall health and wellbeing as well – it’s no good just getting your symptoms dialled in at the expense of your health.

And for some people, it’s more than just diet.

And over the years I’ve had a small handful of people where diet helped, but not as much as I’d like, and that’s what prompted me to train in cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy...

So I could help people in these areas as well as with their diet – so we're not just tackling what’s on your plate, but also what’s happening between the ears as well.

And as we now know, IBS is a disorder of gut–brain interaction because IBS isn’t just about the gut.

It’s about the gut–brain connection – the two-way conversation between your brain and your gut.

So when stress, worry, or tension get involved, those signals can go haywire and your gut reacts.

That’s where gut-focused hypnotherapy comes in.

Researchers have found gut-directed hypnotherapy can help reduce tummy pain, bloating, and improve quality of life, even in severe cases.

And it’s even mentioned in some clinical guidelines from around the world, including the UK, Japan, Canada and the US, although none of them recommend it as a first line treatment or as a standalone treatment.

And researchers, Vasant & Whorwell (2019) made a key point:

“It is important that hypnotherapy is not considered a standalone treatment, and the package of care offered should include dietary modifications to improve the chances of a successful outcome.”

So they’re highlighting the importance of using hypnotherapy alongside dietary changes, and not instead of them.

But I’ve seen various apps and a lot of people who are promoting hypnosis as a standalone fix for IBS. But there’s a problem with that.

Because someone’s diet could be *rubbish and nutritionally inadequate, and could absolutely be triggering their flare-ups, plus what they’re eating might also be unhealthy and not meet their needs, but these people promoting hypnosis as a total standalone treatment will ignore all that, all the dietary side of things and focus purely on hypnosis, which I think is wrong.

Although, to be clear, if they’re not a Dietitian or a medical doctor, then they definitely shouldn’t be dabbling with giving dietary advice for health conditions – and nutritionists, they can help with general healthy eating but not relating to medical or health conditions. Whereas I can do both because I’m a qualified cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist and a clinical and sports Dietitian.

And that’s important, and it’s exactly how I now work - combining dietetic science with cognitive and behavioural tools.

*By the way, if someone's diet is super "healthy" doesn't mean they won't get IBS symptoms either. It depends on the person's unique triggers.

I digress...

So it’s not just one study.

A 2024 systematic review in Gastroenterology found that both CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), and gut-directed hypnotherapy improved abdominal pain in IBS, but neither was superior.

So, it’s not about hype. It’s about using the evidence-based tools that best fits the individual person.

But actually, what is hypnosis?

Everyone’s got their own ideas about it, and no doubt you’ve seen hypnotists on stage or on TV, making people do crazy things like acting like chickens or whatever, like the hypnotist is controlling them. Or maybe you’ve listened to something on Audible or YouTube where they talk about “going into a trance”.

The problem is, that’s not what clinical hypnosis really is. And even some dictionaries get it wrong by repeating those old “trance” ideas.

And there’s all those films and cartoons where the hypnotist swings a necklace or pendulum or whatever to hypnotise the person, or they have like a black and white striped spinning spiral going round and round, supposedly hypnotising them and putting them under the control of the hypnotist.

But evidence-based hypnotherapy isn’t about being in a trance or unconscious or under someone’s power.
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​You’re awake, aware, and in full control the whole time.

Yeah, sure, some people do drift off if they’re already super tired like I've experienced with a few of my early clients, but that’s just falling asleep - not hypnosis.

The hypnotist can’t make you do something you don’t want to do – those stage shows are just that – they’re a show! It’s entertainment. And the person has decided to play along with it – they’re not being controlled.

Hypnosis is really about focusing your attention and deliberately using your imagination, which you couldn’t do if you were asleep or unconscious.

Think of it like this, you know when you’re reading a really good book or engrossed in watching a film – you’re aware of things and people around you but you’ve chosen to totally focus on what you’re doing – watching the film, reading the book. And at any moment you can just stop what you’re doing, get up and walk away – the same as with hypnosis.

Also, another common myth about hypnosis is about being stuck in hypnosis – you can’t get stuck in hypnosis. The hypnotist doesn’t have to somehow “release” you from hypnosis otherwise you’ll be stuck there forever. That’s not what it is.

So does that all make sense, yeah?

Here’s a simple way to picture it...

Imagine your gut as an engine and your brain as the driver.

You can put the best fuel in, which is your diet. But if the driver’s foot is jammed on the accelerator, the engine’s still going to overheat.

Hypnotherapy helps you retrain that driver - teaching your body to ease off the pedal, so your gut can do its job properly.

I’ve worked with men who’d nailed their diet but still flared up before presentations, travel, or stressful events.

But once we worked on calming that gut–brain feedback loop, everything changed.

I didn’t cure their IBS – there is no cure unfortunately, but their symptoms improved and they regained control.

And that’s what this is really about - getting your life back, not just managing flare-ups.

Because when you take control of both your gut and your mind, you stop living reactively, and start living confidently again.



If you found this helpful, please share it with someone who needs to hear that IBS isn’t all in their head, but the head definitely helps the gut.

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