IBS is a syndrome. That means it is a complex of different things. A mix of symptoms, a mix of possible precipitating factors and a range of maintaining factors too. But when your doctor is telling you that your problem is IBS, he is also telling you that there is no physical damage to your gut. So that is good news.

Because it is a syndrome, the symptoms are very varied. You can have constipation or diahorrea or both. You can have a bloated belly or not. Your belly might be tender. Getting rid of these symptoms is a key goal.

Symptoms like these come from problems in the transportation system. When things travel slowly, we get bloating and constipations. When things whizz through too fast, we get diahorrea.

Jean Jacques Rousseau, a famous French philosopher said his secret for happiness was a good bank account, a good cook and a good digestion.
Those of us who have suffered with IBS will agree that a poor digestion is a source of misery.

While we may not be able to remember what caused IBS in the first place, we can look at things that maintain it. We might avoid fruit and veg because we think they will give us the runs. Or we might at the same time be trying to diet, so we skip meals during the day. The impact of things like this could be to keep the symptoms driving us to despair. And the despair triggers stress and anxiety, both of which are known to make IBS worse.

When you come for IBS therapy, we will look at a whole range of things that might be involved. When you are dealing with a  complex syndrome, there will not be one single solution. Complex problems require complex solutions. But they don`t have to be hard to achieve.

Research conducted by Edward Blanchard of the Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders, State University of New York at Albany, found significantly more anxiety disorders among  people seeking treatment for irritable bowel syndrome than among comparable age and sex samples of treatment seeking patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. So he has developed a programme to deal with these emotional and psychological factors as a way to treat the IBS.

His programe, the Albany Multicomponent Behavioral Therapy Program for IBS, employs techniques drawn from a cognitive behavioural therapy, so that you deal with any unhelpful thinking patterns and responses to situations.

In Britain, Professor Peter Whorwell, at South Manchester University Hospital, has also found this and has developed a psychological programme using hypnotherapy. He has found that the gut is very responsive to suggestions of relaxation and coolness, such that the gut rhythms change for the better. His team enjoy considerable success.

As a cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist, I draw from both these protocols. And they work well. Fast, effective and safe.

Hypnosis is successful in the treatment of refractory IBS - that is, where the symptoms have not been resolved with other treatments. Hypnosis is an attractive option for many IBS sufferers with chronic and severe symptoms for a number of reasons.

First, it has a track record of success. Published scientific studies show success rates of over 80%.

Second, it is non-invasive. No surgery, no physical poking about. No drugs.

Third, it uses the power of your own mind, and after the treatment, you retain the skills you learned.

A fourth and very interesting result is that other problems, like migraine, end up treated - a beneficial side effect. improvement in IBS symptoms.

And fifth, the improvements last. According to research, individuals who improve from hypnosis treatment for IBS can generally look forward to years of reduced bowel symptoms.