Swedish researchers suggest hypnosis should be offered to patients with IBS
Hypnotherapy helps fight IBS symptoms. These are the findings of researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden, who proposes implementing this treatment method into the care of severe sufferers of this common disease.
Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is a very common stomach disease that manifests as abdominal pain and discomfort, disturbed bowel movements, abdominal swelling and bloating. Yet researchers still do not know what causes the condition and no effective treatment is available for those suffering from most severe symptoms.
Studies at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, show that psychological treatment using hypnosis may offer effective, lasting relief. The studies are part of a thesis which concludes that hypnotherapy should be used in clinical care of patients with severe IBS.
“We have four different studies showing that hypnotherapy helps treat IBS, even when the treatment is not provided by highly specialized hypnotherapy centers. The treatment improves gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life, and patient satisfaction is very high. The method also makes efficient use of health care resources,” says Perjohan Lindfors, doctoral student at Sahlgrenska Academy.
The thesis “Implementation of gut-directed hypnotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome in clinical practice” will be defended on December 5.
Link to thesis: http://hdl.handle.net/2077/30258
FACTS
By entering a state of deep relaxation and receiving individually customized hypnotic suggestions, hypnotherapy teaches patients how to control their symptoms, either by diverting their attention away from them or by focusing on them.
Contact:
Perjohan Lindfors, doctoral student at Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, and senior gastroenterologist at Sabbatsberg Hospital
+46 (0)70-496 98 14
perjohan-lindfors@tele2.se
Primary supervisor: Professor Magnus Simrén, magnus.simren@medicine.gu.se, +46 (0)31-342 80 68
Press Officer
Krister Svahn
Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg
46766-18 38 69
4631-786 3869
krister.svahn@sahlgrenska.gu.se
The Sahlgrenska Academy is the faculty of health sciences at the University of Gothenburg. Education and research are conducted within the fields of pharmacy, medicine, odontology and health care sciences. About 4,000 undergraduate students and 1,200 postgraduate students are enrolled at Sahlgrenska Academy. Around 1,400 people work at the Sahlgrenska Academy. 850 of them are researchers and/or teachers. 2009 Sahlgrenska Academy had a turnover of 2,100 million SEK.
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