Sviatlana Starr will provide you with the highest quality of gut-directed hypnotherapy treatment available to help you with functional gut disorders, including : Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), GORD, Dyspepsia, and Gastroparesis.
We provide professional gut-directed hypnotherapy both in English and Russian.
We use not only the latest and most research-supported hypnotherapy techniques but also the latest evidence-based psychotherapies with proven efficacy, with a success rate of 80-90%. We provide treatments for adults and adolescents.
Sviatlana has many years of experience in helping patients with functional gut disorders both at her private practice and at the Functional Gut Disorders Unit of the Alfred Hospital.
Gut-directed hypnotherapy is a type of clinical hypnotherapy which was designed to treat functional gut disorders. To understand how it works, we need to understand the brain-gut connection, in other words ‘brain-gut axis’.
The gut and the brain originate from the same tissue in the embryo. As the embryo
evolves, the brain and the gut get moved in opposite directions while staying
connected via the Vagus nerve.
The brain and the gut constantly communicate with each other by sending each other neurotransmitters via the Vagus nerve.
The brain sends signals to the gut which tell the stomach when to produce acid, when to churn food and when to rest. Movements in the intestines are also helped by similar signals. The gut responds by sending neurotransmitters to the brain, creating different sensations, including hunger, fullness, nausea, and the urge to empty the bowels.
It is important to mention that 95% of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the human body is found in the digestive tract.
It is an essential component of communication between the brain and the gut. It also seems to play a part in the motility, sensitivity, and secretion of fluids. It is also the ‘feel good’ hormone that helps to explain the correlation between anxiety/depression/mood and functional gut problems.
During a session of gut-directed hypnotherapy, the therapist provides suggestions for the control and normalization of gastrointestinal function to the subconscious part of the mind.
Multiple well-controlled studies, including the studies undertaken at Monash University, have shown that gut-directed hypnotherapy is completely safe and improves gastrointestinal symptoms in people with IBS by 70-80%. These improvements are maintained in the long term.
Gut-directed hypnotherapy has been shown to reduce gastrointestinal symptoms by improving motility (i.e. the speed of transit of food through the digestive tract) and reducing sensitivity. It has also been shown to improve psychological functioning by reducing levels of stress, anxiety, and depression and enhancing the overall quality of life.
Another interesting finding from the studies is that gut-directed hypnotherapy is superior to the low FODMAP diet in improving gastrointestinal symptoms.
This combined evidence suggests that gut-directed hypnotherapy is suitable as the primary therapy for people with functional gut disorders.