Feasibility and acceptability of gut-directed hypnosis on inflammatory bowel disease: A brief communication

American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis,  Jan 2008  by Wickramasekera, Ian II

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Keefer, L., & Keashavarzian, A. (2007). Feasibility and acceptability of gut-directed hypnosis on inflammatory bowel disease: A brief communication. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 55(4), 457-466. The authors present an initial study of the possible utility of hypnosis to aid patients with inflammatory bowel syndrome.

The authors discuss the previous literature of hypnosis in assisting patients with stress relief, beneficial mood alteration, and symptom relief from irritable bowel syndrome as all providing some reasons to be hopeful that hypnosis could benefit patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. The authors utilized hypnosis with 8 patients with inactive inflammatory bowel diseases to assess for the feasibility and acceptability of hypnosis as a treatment method for these patients. The 8 patients all reported improvements in the quality of their life and no adverse effects were noted among them due to hypnosis. The authors suggest that their findings appear to be sufficient to argue for more research into how hypnosis may benefit patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. This seems like an important initial study given the significant suffering these patients undergo and the general difficulty general medicine has in treating them. Address for reprints: Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Email address: laurie.keefer@nmff.org.

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