A specialist, evidence-based treatment for IBS and functional gut symptoms, in person in central London or online
If you live with IBS, you will know how much of your life it can take over: planning journeys around toilets, turning down invitations, dreading a flare-up before an important day. Many of the people I see have already tried medication, diet changes and the low FODMAP diet. Some of it helped a little; none of it gave them their life back.
Gut-directed hypnotherapy works differently. Rather than targeting the gut alone, it works on the communication between your brain and your gut, which is where much of IBS is driven. It has been researched for more than 40 years and is included in UK clinical guidance for IBS. Gut-directed work is the core of my practice.
Gut-directed hypnotherapy is a structured form of clinical hypnosis designed specifically for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other functional gut disorders. It was developed in Manchester in the 1980s by Professor Peter Whorwell and his team, who showed that hypnosis focused on the gut could substantially reduce IBS symptoms, even in people whose symptoms had not responded to anything else.
It is not stage hypnosis, and you are never asleep or out of control. You remain aware throughout, in a deeply relaxed and focused state, while I guide you through suggestions and imagery aimed at calming your gut and the way your nervous system responds to it.
Your gut and brain are in constant two-way communication through the gut-brain axis, including the vagus nerve and the nervous system that lines the gut itself. In IBS, this communication often becomes oversensitive. Normal digestive sensations are felt as pain or urgency, the gut reacts strongly to stress, and anxiety about symptoms makes the gut more reactive still. Gut-directed hypnotherapy works on this loop in three main ways:
I combine the structure of the Manchester approach with an Ericksonian style, which means the language and imagery are tailored to you and your symptoms rather than read from a script.
Gut-directed hypnotherapy has one of the strongest evidence bases of any psychological treatment for IBS.
In the UK, NICE guidance recommends considering psychological treatments, including hypnotherapy, for people whose IBS has not responded to medication after 12 months, and the British Society of Gastroenterology’s 2021 guidelines include gut-directed hypnotherapy as a treatment option for IBS (Vasant et al., 2021).
For many people, it brings meaningful, lasting relief where other approaches have only partly helped. You can read more in my guide to hypnotherapy for IBS.
Gut-directed hypnotherapy may help if you have:
1. A free 15-minute call. We talk through your symptoms and whether gut-directed hypnotherapy is right for you.
2. A detailed first session. We go through your IBS history, your main symptoms, your triggers and how they affect your daily life. You also experience your first gut-directed hypnosis session, so you know exactly what it feels like.
3. A structured course. Each following session builds on the last, combining deep relaxation, gut-focused suggestion and imagery, and work on any anxiety or avoidance that IBS has created. Sessions are usually weekly.
4. Practice at home. You receive recordings and self-hypnosis techniques to use between sessions. Regular practice is an important part of lasting change, and it means you leave with skills you can use whenever you need them.
Most of my IBS clients complete a course of six to eight sessions. Many notice changes within the first few sessions, while for others the improvement builds steadily over the course. We review your progress as we go, so the course fits your needs. You can find current session fees on my fees page, and I have written more about how many sessions people usually need.
I am Antonios Koletsas, a clinical hypnotherapist and psychologist, and gut-directed hypnotherapy is my specialism.
If you are a clinician, you can find out about referring a patient.
If you have not yet had a diagnosis, please see your GP before starting, so that conditions such as coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease can be ruled out. Seek medical advice promptly if you notice bleeding from your bottom, unexplained weight loss, or a persistent change in bowel habits, particularly if you are over 50. Gut-directed hypnotherapy works alongside your medical care, not instead of it.
For many people, yes. Research over 40 years has found that most people with IBS improve with gut-directed hypnotherapy, and many keep their improvement for years afterwards. It is one of the best-evidenced psychological treatments for IBS.
Most of my IBS clients complete a course of six to eight sessions, usually weekly, with self-hypnosis practice at home between sessions.
No. Your symptoms are real and physical. Gut-directed hypnotherapy works because the gut and brain are physically connected through the nervous system, and changing how that connection works can change how your gut behaves and feels.
Yes. Online sessions via Zoom follow the same structure as in-person sessions, and many of my IBS clients prefer them because they do not have to travel.
No, you can book directly. I do ask that you have seen your GP or a gastroenterologist about your symptoms first, so that other conditions have been ruled out.
Yes. Hypnotherapy works alongside dietary approaches and medication. Please do not stop any prescribed treatment without speaking to your doctor.
I see clients in person at 364 City Road, London EC1V 2PY, about a five-minute walk from Angel station, and online anywhere in the UK and abroad.
If IBS has been shaping your life for too long, you do not have to keep managing it alone. I offer a free, no-obligation 15-minute consultation to talk through your symptoms and whether gut-directed hypnotherapy could help.
Book your free 15-minute call or call 020 7101 3284.
Don't hesitate to contact me and make the next step into your life more prepared, more certain, more optimistic.
Contact me today and let's get started.
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