Gut-Directed Hypnosis for IBS

Written By Laura Nolan, LCSW, SEP

Gut-directed hypnotherapy is a promising form of treatment for IBS. Gut-directed hypnotherapy is a particular type of hypnotherapy focused on healing the gut. IBS is a functional disorder which includes visceral hypersensitivity. Gut-directed hypnotherapy addresses a miscommunication between the brain and the gut, helping to calm the body, ease symptoms, and foster healing. Gut-directed hypnotherapy may also help those living with IBD and refractory GERD.

Gut-directed hypnotherapy works well in concert with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). For more information about CBT for IBS, see the book Reclaim Your Life From IBS by Melissa Hunt.

Nerva is a  paid subscription app which offers gut-directed hypnotherapy and CBT for IBS. A 2023 retrospective analysis of the Nerva App showed 81% of the gut-directed hypnotherapy group had a clinically significant reduction in overall IBS symptoms and 71% had a clinically significant reduction in abdominal pain. The Nerva program consists of a daily 15-minute recording for 6 weeks. The curriculum also includes information about the gut-brain axis and IBS symptom management.

Below, I’ve included some free resources as examples of gut-directed hypnotherapy. I also like this meditation, available for a fee, from Belleruth Naparstek.  

Free Resources

I’ve personally seen gut-directed hypnotherapy, in combination with therapeutic approaches such as CBT and Somatic Experiencing, to be helpful for those living with IBS.

Laura Nolan, LCSW, SEP

Laura Nolan is a licensed psychotherapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), and lover of nature and the numinous. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she blends Internal Family Systems, EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, and Pain Reprocessing Therapy in her therapy practice. She specializes in anxiety recovery, neurodivergence, neuroplastic chronic pain, trauma resolution, and women’s health.

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