Common reasons people may come for help in this area
- IBS and gut-related symptoms after appropriate medical assessment
- Gut-directed hypnotherapy for IBS where suitable
- Anxiety about bowel symptoms, urgency, travel or access to toilets
- Difficulty sleeping, switching off or settling at bedtime
- Sleep anxiety and worry about the consequences of another bad night
- Physical sensations that trigger fear, checking or anticipatory anxiety
- Symptom-monitoring that begins to dominate attention
- Stress-related bodily tension or autonomic arousal
- Avoidance of activities because of fear of symptoms occurring
- Wanting psychological support alongside appropriate medical care
Physical symptoms are not 'all in your head'
Psychological work should never require you to pretend a physical symptom is imaginary. The nervous system, attention, expectation, fear and behaviour can affect how symptoms are experienced and how much of life becomes organised around them without being the sole cause of the underlying condition.
Medical assessment remains important
New, changing, unexplained or concerning physical symptoms need appropriate medical assessment. Psychological therapy and hypnotherapy can sometimes be useful alongside medical care, but they do not replace diagnosis, investigation or prescribed treatment.
Reducing the secondary struggle
Even when a symptom cannot simply be removed, there may be useful work around anticipatory anxiety, avoidance, hypervigilance, sleep-related pressure, confidence and the amount of mental space the symptom occupies.