The Gut &
the Mind
Exploring the relationship between the gut, the nervous system, emotions and the way we experience our bodies.
For many people with IBS, the symptoms are very real — and yet the relationship between the gut and the brain can be difficult to understand.
IBS is a complex condition involving the digestive system, the nervous system and the way the brain processes signals coming from the gut. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea or changes in bowel habits.
This does not mean that IBS is “all in your head”. Quite the opposite. It means that the gut and brain are constantly communicating with one another, and that this communication can influence how symptoms are experienced.
A conversation that never stops
Your digestive system is not simply a tube processing food. It is closely connected with the nervous system and is continuously sending and receiving information.
The Gut
The digestive system contains its own extensive nervous system and continuously sends information to the brain about what is happening inside the body.
The Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system helps regulate digestion, movement and many other functions that happen largely outside conscious control.
The Brain
The brain interprets signals from the body. Attention, expectation, stress and emotional states can all influence how internal sensations are experienced.
IBS is more than a digestive problem
IBS is often described as a disorder of gut-brain interaction. This reflects the fact that symptoms can involve both what is happening in the digestive system and how the nervous system processes and regulates those signals.
Stress does not mean that symptoms are imaginary. Instead, changes in stress and nervous-system activity may influence gut function and the intensity with which sensations are perceived.
Understanding this relationship can open another way of working with IBS — one that does not replace appropriate medical care, dietary approaches or other treatments, but can complement them.
Working with the gut-brain connection
Gut-directed hypnotherapy uses hypnosis and therapeutic suggestion with a focus on the relationship between the digestive system and the nervous system.
Rather than trying to force the body to change, the approach can involve learning to shift attention, reduce threat responses, develop a greater sense of safety and change the way internal sensations are experienced.
Research suggests that gut-directed hypnotherapy can help some people with IBS symptoms and quality of life. The American College of Gastroenterology has also recommended gut-directed psychotherapies, including gut-directed hypnotherapy, as an option for global IBS symptoms, although the recommendation is conditional and the quality of evidence has been rated very low.
A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 studies involving 1,158 people with IBS found that gut-directed hypnotherapy improved global IBS symptoms and pain compared with comparator treatments.
This is promising, but it is not a claim that hypnotherapy cures IBS. IBS is individual, and different approaches work for different people.
Evidence: NCCIH; American College of Gastroenterology guideline; 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis.
This is not “all in your head”
The symptoms are real
Abdominal pain, urgency, bloating and altered bowel habits are genuine physical experiences. Recognising the gut-brain connection does not make those symptoms psychological or imaginary.
The system is connected
The digestive system and nervous system continually communicate. Working with this communication is one possible way of helping people change their relationship with symptoms and their body’s responses to them.
What might we explore?
Awareness
Exploring patterns between symptoms, attention, stress, emotions and everyday experiences.
Regulation
Developing ways of shifting from states of tension and vigilance towards greater calm and a sense of safety.
Hypnosis
Using focused attention, imagination and therapeutic suggestion to explore new ways of experiencing the body.
Hypnotherapy is not a replacement for medical care
IBS symptoms can overlap with other gastrointestinal conditions. Appropriate medical assessment is important, particularly when symptoms are new, changing or concerning.
Hypnotherapy can be considered as one part of a broader approach to wellbeing and symptom management. It does not replace diagnosis, medication, dietary advice or treatment from your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional.
If you already have a healthcare team, hypnotherapy can sit alongside the care you are receiving rather than competing with it.
Why the gut-brain connection interests me
The relationship between consciousness, the nervous system and the body has interested me for many years.
My long-standing interest in meditation, awareness and the relationship between mind and body naturally led me towards hypnotherapy.
As I continue my professional training in Ericksonian hypnotherapy, I am developing a particular interest in the gut-brain connection, IBS and the role that the nervous system may play in the experience of persistent symptoms.
This is an area I am continuing to study carefully, with an emphasis on evidence-based practice and on understanding the individual rather than simply treating a diagnosis.
“The body is constantly communicating.— Alco Biesheuvel
Sometimes the first step is learning to listen.”