Further Information

IBS: "All in our head? "     A few things to consider from Michael Mahoney……..

Many doctors and gastroenterology specialists have implied the term 'all in your head' to patients in the past in error, and some not up on current IBS research today may still view their patients somewhat in this way. But IBS is a physical disorder and I think they are trying to say that there is nothing organically wrong they have pinpointed yet. However, I have had quite a few discussions about this in the past, the problem lies with the fact that doctors are taught to look for disease and illness. We know IBS is a functional disorder and the doctors and researchers have only recently been making progress in the complex condition of IBS, but we can all agree peristalsis is not doing what it should.

'All in the head' is not right, it is an offensive term to those that are looking for solutions. It conjures up the emotion that sufferers are doing it on purpose somehow.

However, the majority of us, tend to run things out before they happen. So along with stress, there is also a psychological element in our thought patterns that expects us to have difficult IBS days. Running out our worries causes us to have anxiety and added stress, which in turn creates a negative physical response. The annoying thing is, it's part of being human, it's a response which we don't have to even try to do, it all happens automatically.

To understand the IBS Audio Program 100^® a bit more, we have to understand stress is not 'out there', stress is how we respond internally to real or perceived external demands. What is a stressful event for one, can be invigorating or relaxing event for another.

Every thought has a physical response. We can prove this by the feelings of love, anger, jealousy, etc., all emotions start with thought (our interpretation to an event), which then leads to physical response. This is even recognized in legislation by recognition of the term Crime of passion - a person might kill another (an extreme example, granted) because they were firing on emotion, which made them pick up the knife to perform the action. That anger began in the thoughts, was interpreted and an action was carried out, all by the release of chemicals and electrical impulses. Police officers see heightened states every Saturday night when people come out of the pubs, we even have our own language for heightened emotion, count to ten is a good example. Count to 10 before we say or respond to something that has annoyed us, basically by giving a bit of time, the response travels through the 7/8ths of the brain that is emotion until it gets to the 1/8th bit of logic and reason, which allows us to stop and think. In effect, time delay changes the chemical releases and electrical impulses - we simmer down.

All these physical reactions, along with the more every day concerns of, getting to work on time, what happens if I need the toilet? Do the shops have toilets, etc. every thought produces a physical reaction, good or bad.

The thing is, we can choose to learn new coping strategies. Our inner resources can be topped up. Users of the program will have noticed that the first session, is time spent topping up the emotional reserves, making sure they can complete the journey through the program. Patients that come to my practice all go through the same thing, in short we have to be able to have the internal emotional resource to deal with everyday living, as well as changing our thoughts towards IBS. Because IBS has affected the lives of sufferers so deeply, to try and deal with the IBS before we are prepared would lead to a tougher journey. So taking the time to top up the emotional batteries as it were, is time well spent. 

In thinking about stress, it helps too if we remember that the only important moment of our lives is the current moment. We are living now, not in the past (although we can change emotions attached to memories to make the past more comfortable for us), but we don't want to worry about future events or problems that might never come.

The other thing that holds us back is the fear that however we are feeling is going to last forever - Nothing lasts for ever, if we want to change! When we throw a ball up in the air, there is a point of time which the ball is neither going up or coming down, that is the moment of change. Users of the program who are feeling much better are changing the way they think, their outlook on life and its events, but I doubt anyone will be able to pinpoint exactly when things started to get better, but they do, and they do so because very gently the subconscious mind, which controls the digestive system, begins to realize, that these thought patterns of IBS are no longer needed, the individual as a whole is reminded that it existed very well thank you, without IBS, and can do so again, simply and gently by changing the thought processes, that kept Stress and Anxiety,
Guilt etc. in control.

So the sessions are quite complex in their make up, but when I was doing my early days of research, I remembered that people learned more and it was easier for them if they enjoyed what they we're doing, so by using imagery and suggestion we create an environment internally, that allows changes, both emotionally and physically to occur. And because we enjoy what we are doing it doesn't seem difficult, and it isn't, its only when the conscious mind tries to control areas it wasn't designed to that problems occur.

Who Should Avoid This Therapy?
Hypnosis is considered safe no matter what your IBS symptoms but, please have your symptoms diagnosed by a medical practitioner or doctor. It is important to remember that you cannot self diagnose IBS and there are many serious conditions that mimic IBS. If you have any other conditions or medical history please discuss with your medical doctor.

What Side Effects May Occur?
Many people avoid hypnotherapy for fear of losing control to the therapist. They take showbiz stunts, with audience members clucking like chickens or bawling like babies, as genuine examples of hypnotic power, which is just not true.

Fortunately, the truth of the matter is that the hypnotherapist is never in control. A hypnotic suggestion works only if you accept it, and the therapist cannot make you do something you would not do consciously, something that goes against your moral code or religious beliefs, for example. The practitioner's goal is to help you use your own mind to solve problems, rather than give you the answers.

Modern Hypnotherapy
Modern hypnotherapy relies on induction of a "trance-like" state to reach the unconscious level of the mind--the level over which people usually have no control. Once the unconscious is open to suggestion, you and your therapist can more easily change the way you perceive problems--and promote new ways of responding to them. 

Although "trances" may sound like psychological hocus pocus, they are neither mysterious nor unfamiliar to most of us. We have all daydreamed or become lost in a novel. Sometimes we concentrate so deeply on a problem that we drive right past our exit on a highway. In all such cases, we are in a sort of trance--a state of "focused concentration" in which we are neither fully awake nor fully asleep. We have blocked out all distractions so that we can think exclusively on a particular subject, memory, problem, or sensation. 

The concept of using trances to alleviate ills, both physical and mental, has recurred throughout the history of medicine. The ancient Greeks and Egyptians induced trance-like states to cure what we would call anxiety and hysteria. The Druids called trances "magic sleep." Native Americans and Africans recognized the hypnotic effect of drumming and dancing. 

Modern hypnotherapy got a false start in the 18th century, when Austrian physician Franz Anton Mesmer propounded his theory of "animal magnetism." Believing that illness was a result of imbalance in the body's magnetic forces, he insisted that he could restore balance--and thus cure diseases--by transferring magnetism from his body to his patients. He endeavored to achieve this by waving iron rods, magnets, and his hands in front of his subjects and using "soothing words" to induce a trance. His influential contemporaries branded him a charlatan, and his magnetic theory was soon discarded. 

Interest in the healing potential of the trance was later resurrected by James Braid, an English ophthalmologist, who coined the term "hypnosis," after the Greek word for sleep. To induce a trance, Braid simply stared at his subjects intently. Although he realized he could implant ideas in his subjects while they were in this deep, relaxed state, he could not explain why this was so. 

Hypnosis remained in vogue until the late 19th century, and Freud used it in his early work. It then fell out of favor once again, resurfacing in the 1950s when Milton Erickson began experimenting with it for the treatment of both mental and physical ailments. By 1955 the British Medical Association had approved hypnotherapy as a valid medical treatment; the American Medical Association (AMA) followed suit in 1958. Today, the therapy is so widely accepted that the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, a professional association of physicians, psychologists, and dentists, boasts 4,300 members. 

While there seems to be little doubt that hypnosis provides lasting benefits for many of those who try it, no one is quite certain of the reason. Some scientists speculate that it prompts the brain to release chemicals called enkephalins and endorphins, natural mood-altering substances that can change the way we perceive pain and other physical symptoms. The majority, however, feel that it acts through the unconscious, the part of the mind responsible for involuntary reactions ranging from blood pressure and heart rate to hunger. Normally, these reactions are beyond our control. Hypnotherapy seems to put them under our power. 

Whatever the truth of the matter, it's clear that when you are in a relaxed, trance-like state, you are receptive to suggestions that can help you react differently to negative situations, turn your attention away from harmful or unpleasant stimuli such as pain, discourage unwanted behavior, and even change your pulse rate or body temperature. The technique can also put you in touch with memories that may explain the origins of current problems and habits. Once you understand why you act a certain way, proponents suggest, you're in a better position to change the way you respond. Your mind can focus on productive solutions and hopefully overcome negative reactions. 

One of hypnotherapy's greatest benefits may be its ability to reduce the effects of stress. Many physicians and psychologists believe that the mind has a direct impact on physical well-being. According to this theory, tension, anxiety, and depression can undermine immunity and compromise your health, while a positive attitude can reinforce the immune system, enabling it to better fight infections, toxins, and other invaders. Hypnosis can allay stress by putting you into a relaxed state, offering positive suggestions, and ridding the mind of negative thoughts. As tension in your muscles--and even your blood vessels--recedes, the theory goes, your circulation then improves, and your entire body feels healthier.

As with most hypnotherapy processes, direct suggestion, guided imagery, and metaphor techniques are used in this hypnotherapy program. Imagery phrases such as mystical and crystal are used solely for illustrative purposes. These are used in the context of childish wonderment and imagination, openness, and seeing things in perspective. No implication of any religion, belief, or faith is mentioned nor is implied by the author. It is not our intention to offend any individual belief. Should these phrases offend, please do not purchase.