Treatment with hypnotherapy reduces the sensory and motor component of the gastrocolonic response in irritable bowel syndrome

American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis,  Jul 2004  by Hammond, D Corydon

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Simren, M., Ringstrom, G., Bjornsson, E. S., & Abrahamsson, H. (2004). Treatment with hypnotherapy reduces the sensory and motor component of the gastrocolonic response in irritable bowel syndrome. Psychosomatic Medicine, 66(2), 233-238. Postprandial symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome are common and relate to an exaggerated motor and sensory component of the gastrocolonic response.

This study investigated whether this response can be affected by hypnotherapy. Subjects were 28 patients with IBS who were refractory to other treatments. They were randomly assigned to receive "gut-directed hypnotherapy" for 1 hour per week for 12 weeks (N = 14) or were provided with supportive therapy (control group; N= 14). Before randomization and after 3 months, all patients underwent a colonie distension trial before and after a 1-hour duodenal lipid infusion. Colonic sensory thresholds and tonic and phasic motor activity were assessed. At the baseline, reduced thresholds after vs. before lipid infusion were seen in both groups for all studied sensations. Posttreatment, the colonic sensitivity before duodenal lipids did not differ between groups. Controls reduced their thresholds after duodenal lipids for gas (22 +/- 1.7 mm Hg vs. 16 +/- 1.6 mm Hg, p .20). It was concluded that hypnotherapy reduces the sensory and motor component of the gastrocolonic response in patients with IBS. These effects may be involved in the clinical efficacy of hypnotherapy in IBS. Address for reprints: Dr. Mangus Simren, Department of Internal Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Goteborg, Sweden. E-mail: magnus.simren@medicine.gu.se.

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