Hypnosis significantly relieves the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, an intestinal disease that is not serious but responsible for significant daily discomfort.
Hypnosis helps relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, according to new research. Practiced in a group or individual session, it could offer new treatment options for a disease that is often resistant to drugs.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or functional colopathy, is a functional disorder of the intestine (colon or large intestine), not serious but responsible for significant daily discomfort. It triggers abdominal pain and significant bloating, coupled with transit disorders. About 5% of French people suffer from it, with women being twice as affected as men.
Nine months of profits
The trial in question was randomized and included 354 adults. After three months of treatment, relief of symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome was noted by a significant number of patients who underwent individual (40%) and group (33%) hypnotherapy. These benefits persisted through the nine-month follow-up for 42% and 50% of these patients.
The interest of group hypnosis is to be able to treat many patients at the same time, without it costing too much. Be careful though, hypnosis alleviates the symptoms, but does not make them disappear. “What is striking in these results is that the perception of the disease has a real effect on the suffering of the patient. The perception of the symptoms seems as important as their real severity”, note the researchers. Further research will be needed to assess the optimal number of hypnosis sessions needed.
A recognized medical technique
According to renowned hypnotherapist Olivier Lockert, hypnosis is a natural state of consciousness different from waking and sleeping, known since human beings exist. The “consciousness” we are talking about is simply our conscious mind: the ordinary perception we have of the world, with our five senses. The techniques used to modify a person’s usual state of consciousness (towards less or more consciousness) are multiple and chosen according to the overall objective to be achieved.
Medical hypnosis, officially taught at the Faculty of Medicine since 2001 and recognized as a medical technique by the Order of Physicians since 2005, is increasingly used for treatment and surgery.
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