IBS · Hypnosis · San Jose & Online
Hypnotherapy for IBS
in San Jose & Online
I've lived with IBS since childhood and understand how it can affect your work, travel, relationships, and everyday life.
Gut-directed hypnotherapy for IBS symptoms, digestive patterns, and gut-brain connection.
Anastasia's story
I know this pattern from the inside
I’ve had IBS since I was six. My childhood was mostly ruled by bathrooms and pain. When I moved to US at sixteen, it got so much worse.
There were nights the pain was so bad I couldn’t lie down. I’d sleep on my knees hunched over the side of the bed because that was the only position that gave any relief. For over a year, I could only eat oatmeal and rice.
That experience eventually led me to study hypnosis, the gut-brain connection, and gut-directed hypnotherapy.
"I have emerged with improvements that far exceed the benefits of all my previous efforts combined."
Verified client · Hypnosis for IBS · San Jose
My experience with IBS
My background
- NGH Certified Consulting Hypnotist, Cert #69925
- ICBCH Board Certified
- 8+ years helping clients with IBS and gut issues
- Personal experience living with IBS since age six
The Real Struggle
Before finding gut-directed hypnotherapy, you’ve probably already been through elimination diets, supplements, testing, medications, and endless online research, all while trying to manage unpredictable symptoms.
Why the ceiling exists
Why everything else has a ceiling
Elimination diets work until they don't. Medication manages symptoms but doesn't touch the pattern. You can know every trigger and still not be able to stop what happens next.
The gut has its own nervous system. A tumultuous life experience, or enough accumulated stress, can wire it to respond as if danger is coming. Once that pattern is set, it runs on autopilot. Knowing your triggers doesn't stop it because the response fires before your conscious mind gets involved.
The approach
The Manchester Protocol for IBS
Over eight years seeing hypnosis clients for IBS. The Manchester Protocol is the framework I return to because it produces results that other approaches don't.
Developed at the University of Manchester by Professor Peter Whorwell, this protocol remains the most extensively researched gut-directed hypnotherapy approach in clinical literature. In clinical trials, it produced significant symptom reduction in the majority of patients — with results that held at five-year follow-up.
- Gut-focused nervous system retraining across 6 or 8 structured sessions
- Precision mapping of your specific gut-brain feedback loop
- Breathwork and polyvagal regulation to interrupt the anticipation cycle
- Guided imagery to recalibrate how your gut and brain communicate
- Self-hypnosis protocol for daily nervous system conditioning
- In person in San Jose or via Zoom
For patterns with an emotional origin
For some people, symptoms become strongly associated with a particular period of stress, fear, pressure, or emotional overwhelm. When that pattern shifts, the body’s response can begin shifting too.”
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Yes. Gut-directed hypnosis is supported by decades of clinical research.
In large trials, over 70% of patients reported meaningful relief from IBS that lasted well beyond their sessions.
The American College of Gastroenterology’s clinical guideline for IBS specifically includes gut-directed psychotherapy (which encompasses hypnosis) as a recommended treatment option for calming the gut–brain connection. Read the ACG Guideline PDF
-
Yes, IBS-D (diarrhea-predominant), IBS-C (constipation-predominant), and mixed types often report substantial improvement in both digestive symptoms and anxiety around flare-ups.
-
Always. Hypnosis isn’t sleep or mind-control. It’s a natural state of focused relaxation.
You stay aware, engaged, and in charge while your hypnotherapist guides your subconscious toward relief.
-
Many clients report calmer digestion, fewer flare-ups, and reduced anxiety about symptoms within the first 3–6 sessions.
-
No. Hypnosis complements your physician’s treatment plan by addressing the gut–brain connection at the root of IBS.
While medication may manage symptoms, hypnosis often reduces the need to rely solely on meds.
-
Yes. Sessions are available both in person in San Jose and securely via Zoom. Busy professionals and parents often appreciate the flexibility and privacy that online sessions provide.
-
It's helpful to confirm with your doctor first that hypnotherapy is the right route for you.
Hypnosis is a safe and drug-free complementary approach, and as such, should only be utilized as an integrated part of your care plan.
If you've addressed everything external and the pattern is still running, that's exactly what the consultation is for.
Reserve gut reset consult