REGAIN FREEDOM FROM IBS
Gut-directed hypnotherapy for IBS is a mind-body approach that helps calm the gut-brain connection, reduce flare-ups, and help you feel more relaxed and in control of your daily life.
You’ve probably tried it all…. The restrictive diets. Cutting out various food groups. Adding in more fibre. The medications. The prebiotics. The probiotics. The expensive supplements.
Yet somehow, IBS continues to rule your life, keeping you from living fully, from enjoying food without fear, hacking at your confidence, leaving you feeling anxious and in fear of the next flare-up.
There’s a way to regain control, and start living life on your terms.
“I was able to control my symptoms for the first time in 20 years. After the course I felt that I had control of my stomach back!”
Rachel, IBS-D
Hi, I’m Olivia!
I’m a hypnotherapist and I specialise in helping people find relief from the physical and emotional symptoms of IBS and regain control over their lives by using a holistic and evidence-based approach. I am based in London and I work with clients online across the UK, via video calls.
Gut-directed hypnotherapy combined with cognitive behavioural therapy can reduce symptoms by over 70%, help regain body & food freedom and improve overall quality of life. Because it’s not all about the physical symptoms, it’s the emotional and mental ones too.
I love helping people transform their relationship with their body and food because it’s genuinely life changing to be able to manage something you’ve always been told you ‘just have to live with’. I know that, because I’ve been there.
Hypnotherapy for IBS changed my life, and it can change yours too. But don’t just take my word for it. With over 35 years of research behind it, it is one of the most effective ways to regain control of symptoms, mental and physical, without drugs or strict diets. And I’m here to help you do just that.
IBS & the gut-brain connection
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is an all too common condition that affects how the gut functions, which makes the gut more sensitive and reactive: normal digestive sensations start creating pain, urgency, bloating, or discomfort. This often has a huge impact on day-to-day life, from what you eat, to how confident you feel, to how freely you live.
Living with IBS is often mentally and physically exhausting. Digestive symptoms can be accompanied by anxiety, low confidence, fatigue and more or less constant worry about flare-ups, especially around food, travel, or social situations.
Many people find themselves stuck in a cycle where stress can worsen symptoms, and symptoms create more stress. If this sounds familiar, it’s not a personal failing – it’s how the gut and brain are interacting.
You don’t just have to live with it
There’s good news though! Because there are ways to support your gut-brain connection and reduce symptoms.
Over 30 years of research has found that hypnotherapy for IBS can be as effective at reducing symptoms as strict elimination diets (like the low FODMAP diet) and often provides broader, longer-lasting relief than symptom-focused medications.
If you’d like to understand this approach in more detail, including how sessions work and what to expect, you can read more about IBS hypnotherapy.
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The mind-body programme for IBS
I offer a personalised IBS hypnotherapy programme that combines gut-directed hypnotherapy, CBT and practical tools to help calm the gut-brain connection, reduce and learn to manage symptoms, and break the cycle of IBS.
Most clients work with me over 6 to 8 one-to-one sessions, during which we address both the physical symptoms of IBS and the anxiety, stress and loss of confidence that often come with it.
This is suitable for anyone who feels ruled by their IBS symptoms and who wants a practical, mind-body approach to start regaining control.
This is a gentle, evidence-based approach that doesn’t rely on medication or restrictive diets, and is tailored to your symptoms and your goals.
Testimonials
Making meaningful changes
Olivia exudes warmth, approachability, and professionalism, creating an environment that encouraged me to open up and articulate my goals. I consistently felt heard and supported during our sessions, and the recordings she shared proved to be incredibly beneficial. Without hesitation, I would recommend Olivia to anyone contemplating CBT hypnotherapy for making meaningful changes to their wellbeing.
Lucy
After the course I felt that I had control of my stomach back
I suffered with severe anxiety regarding my IBS and was obsessed with working out where the nearest toilets were every single time I went out. Olivia taught me the link between my symptoms and how my brain processed the panic of being desperate to use the toilet when out. After just 2 sessions and some practice of the hypnotherapy techniques that Olivia taught me I was able to control my symptoms for the first time in 20 years! After the course I felt that I had control of my stomach back! I would highly recommend a course of hypnotherapy to anyone suffering with IBS symptoms! Thank you Olivia, it’s been a game changer for me!
Rachel
Gut-directed hypnotherapy with Olivia has really helped my IBS
Gut-directed hypnotherapy with Olivia has really helped my IBS. I enjoyed the sessions, and looked forward to them. The hypnotherapy itself was brilliant, and the having the recordings to listen to is really valuable. Olivia takes time to get to know you and what you need. It’s definitely made a difference. I’d thought about exploring this therapy for a while, and Olivia gave me an opportunity to try it. If you have gut problems and you can, I recommend giving it a go.
Nicola
FAQs
If you’re new to hypnotherapy, these are some of the most common questions people ask before getting started.
What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is used as a therapeutic technique that involves a state of focused attention, heightened suggestibility and often, deep relaxation. It can be compared to the feeling of daydreaming, when you are completely absorbed by your imagination. Just like in a daydream, you always remain fully conscious and in control, and cannot be stuck in hypnosis.
Hypnosis can help you to become more open to positive suggestions, and using your imagination, it provides you with a time and a space where you can rehearse changes to how you think, feel, behave as well as how you respond to anxiety inducing, stressful situations.
In the case of gut directed hypnotherapy, mounting evidence demonstrates that hypnosis affects the physiology of the body in a positive way, by helping the gut lining to become less sensitive, reduce painful contractions and spasms, and positively affects how the brain processes pain.
Is this suitable if I’m new to hypnotherapy?
Yes, absolutely. You don’t need any prior experience. Hypnosis is a natural state of focused attention that most people can access easily, and I will guide you through the process step by step.
Can anyone be hypnotised?
Just like everyone can get absorbed into a daydream or into a captivating movie, anyone can get hypnotised. It is very easy to go into hypnosis, it doesn’t take a special skill, ability or talent, and people tend to get better and better at it every time they use it.
Is hypnosis safe?
Hypnosis is completely safe when used responsibly, by a fully qualified hypnotherapist who is a member of a professional body.
Hypnosis does not have side-effects, and cannot make your IBS worse.
However it may not be appropriate for people with psychotic disorders, severe personality disorders, certain medical conditions (such as epilepsy), active substance abuse issues, cognitive impairment, specific psychiatric conditions, and when there is a strong unwillingness or resistance to the process.
Does hypnotherapy really work for IBS?
Gut-directed hypnotherapy is one of the most researched psychological treatments for IBS, with numerous studies showing it can significantly reduce symptoms for many people. These effects last in time as well, the longest study we have shows that five years down the line, improvements had remained.
Hypnotherapy works by targeting the gut-brain connection, rather than just the symptoms themselves. In this way, it helps to reduce how sensitive the gut is, to regulate motility, and more generally, gives you tools to manage stress which has a direct knock-on effect on symptoms.
What happens during a hypnotherapy session?
During a hypnotherapy session you will be guided into a state of focussed attention, relaxation and suggestibility. You will remain aware and in control the entire time, because hypnosis is not a state of sleep, unconsciousness, or mind control.
Hypnotherapy feels different to everyone, for example some people might feel more absorbed by their imagination and positive suggestions, others may feel more relaxed than normal.
Using visualisation, imagery and suggestions, you will be invited to imagine your gut functioning normally, targeting specific symptoms that you’d like to work on.
Does hypnotherapy work online?
Hypnosis is not something that is done ‘to you’, it is something you do yourself, with the guidance of a therapist. Therefore, whether we are physically side by side, or speaking remotely through a video call, the process remains unchanged; you can follow my guidance by listening to my voice to use the power of your mind and create change through hypnosis.
All you really need is an internet connection, a laptop or tablet and a quiet, comfortable place where you will not be disturbed. The added benefits of working virtually is that you can be comfortable in your own space, maybe with a nice blanket and some cushions. Basically, get cosy.
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