Researchers from UCLA investigated whether a cognitive-behavioral treatment known as Interoceptive Exposure (originally developed for treating panic disorder) targeting visceral anxiety could alleviate the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a potentially debilitating condition with few efficacious pharmacological or psychosocial treatment options available.
[Ed. Note: for a fuller explanation of Interoceptive Exposure, click here]
The protocol randomly assigned 110 subjects to receive 10 sessions of either: (a) interoceptive exposure (IE) targeting visceral sensations (b) stress management (SM); or (c) an attention control condition (AC). They were assessed at baseline, mid-treatment, post-treatment, and follow-up sessions.
Researchers from the Department of Clinical Neuroscience of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden conducted a follow-up of a previously reported study of internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), based on exposure and mindfulness exercises (Ljótsson et al. (2010) Internet-delivered exposure and mindfulness based therapy for irritable bowel syndrome - a randomized controlled trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48, 531-539).
In this small pilot study, researchers from the Department of Behavioral Medicine at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan looked at the impact of Autogenic Training (AT) on the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Twenty-one patients with IBS were randomly assigned to AT (n = 11, 5 male, 6 female) or a control condition (n = 10, 5 male, 5 female). AT patients were trained intensively, while the control therapy participated in discussions about eating habits and general lifestyle.
All patients answered a question measuring adequate relief (AR) of IBS symptoms and four questionnaires: Self-induced IBS Questionnaire (SIBSQ), Self-reported Depression Scale (SDS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Medical Outcome Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36).
Question:
Any research on efficacy of guided imagery for managing Crohns Diseease? My 20 year old daughter is recently diagnosed and I want to find resources for her.
Thank you.
Paul
Answer:
Dear Paul,
There’s nothing definitive - I can only find small pilot studies - but I can certainly point to some promising results from them. One study out of the University of Manchester yielded excellent results with 15 patients suffering from severe inflammatory bowel disease, who were on corticosteroids but were not responding to their medication. These patients were given “gut-focused hypnotherapy” (guided imagery) and were followed for an average of 5.4 years.
We just found this feedback to the IBS/IBD imagery on our website and it’s very encouraging. We decided to post it to inspire others to try imagery for their irascible guts.
Lisa writes:
After having had great results with your Successful Surgery CD, I ordered this one as well. I've been listening every morning for several weeks and am already experiencing a calmer, happier, much less reactive gut. I highly recommend it for those with Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis. Thank you for introducing me to the soothing, supportive experience of guided imagery.
Researchers from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom reviewed the literature, looking at the effects of hypnotherapy on functional gastro-intestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, and non-cardiac chest pain – conditions which create severe symptoms and erode quality of life.
Because these conditions are notoriously hard to treat, often impervious to a wide variety of conventional medicines, there has been an unusual openness to exploring hypnosis as a treatment option.
This review concludes that hypnotherapy relieves symptoms and also appears to restore many of the supposed psychological and physiological “abnormalities” that, for better or worse, become associated with these conditions. The authors recommend that hypnosis be integrated into the ongoing medical care that patients suffering from these functional gastro-intestinal conditions are receiving.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill developed and tested a user-friendly, inexpensive, home-based, guided imagery audio protocol for children with functional abdominal pain and found it much more effective than treatment as usual.
Thirty-four children, 6 to 15 years of age, with a physician diagnosis of functional abdominal pain, were assigned randomly to receive 2 months of standard medical care with or without home-based, guided imagery treatment.
Children who received only standard medical care initially received guided imagery treatment after 2 months. Children were monitored for 6 months after completion of guided imagery treatment.
Subjects found the treatment materials self-explanatory, enjoyable, and easy to understand and use. The compliance rate was high at 98.5%.
Investigators from the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, reviewed the research literature on efficacy of psychological interventions for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.
MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library and Google Scholar identified 25 randomized trials comparing single psychological interventions with either usual care or placebo interventions in patients over 16 years of age, between the years 1966-2008.
Hi there. I heard your interview on New Dimensions Radio and it really rang true that I have had issues with post traumatic stress. I was witness to a suicide bomb in Jerusalem a few years ago. I think that my jaw clenching, irritable bowel syndrome and possibly my quasi-addiction to pot are related to this incident. What CDs would you recommend? Likewise, I just wanted to thank you for your work.
Take care,
Curtis
In a randomized, controlled clinical trial, Dutch researchers from St. Antonius Hospital find that hypnotherapy dramatically decreases pain in children with irritable bowel syndrome or with functional abdominal pain
Researchers from the Department of Pediatrics at St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, The Netherlands, conducted a randomized, controlled trial to look at the efficacy of gut-directed hypnotherapy (HT) for reducing abdominal pain in children with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill developed and tested a user-friendly, inexpensive, home-based, guided imagery audio protocol for children with functional abdominal pain and found it much more effective than treatment as usual.
