An IBS Hypnotherapy Referral: What the First Assessment Is For

If you have been referred for hypnotherapy for IBS, the appointment name may leave you with questions you have not asked aloud. You might want to know what will happen, what the practitioner needs to understand and what you will be expected to do afterward. Bring those questions to the assessment.

Discuss suitability before proceeding

The NHS¹ advises telling a therapist about medical conditions, medicines and other treatments. It says hypnotherapy may not be safe for people with schizophrenia or a history of psychosis, or epilepsy. Discuss these concerns with your doctor and practitioner before proceeding. Do not change prescribed medicines yourself.¹

Ask how your own health history will be considered. If you are unsure which service should answer a question, contact the referring team and ask it to clarify who is responsible.

The first visit can be an assessment

UCLH’s clinic information describes a first session in which a hypnosis practitioner carries out an assessment. Further individual sessions may be offered if appropriate. This is one service’s example, rather than a schedule that every IBS referral follows.²

Before the appointment, write down the part of life you want the practitioner to understand. You can describe the difficulty in your own words, whether it affects work, leaving home or eating with others. Ask what information the service would like you to bring.

If the referral explanation felt incomplete, say so. You can ask, “What are you proposing for me, and what would we be trying to improve?” Request an explanation before agreeing to a plan you do not yet understand.

Ask how any practice will be taught

UCLH describes teaching self-hypnosis during its course of therapy. Ask your practitioner what practice is proposed for you, how it will be taught and how to raise questions about it. This article does not provide a home hypnosis technique.²

Have the practitioner go through instructions that are unclear. If something about the proposed practice worries you, explain that concern during the discussion. Request the instructions you are taught in a form you can refer to later.

Know how progress will be discussed

UCLH describes sending a progress letter to the referring practitioner or GP at the end of its sessions. Ask your own service how progress will be reviewed and communicated to the clinician managing your IBS.²

Keep the plan and contact details together. At a review, bring what you understood and the questions that remain unanswered.

Bloated by Dinner includes a Test It list and visit script for organizing appointment questions.