Gut-directed hypnotherapy is a psychological treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It uses deep relaxation and focused imagery to calm the way your gut and brain talk to each other, which is often where IBS symptoms such as pain, bloating and urgency come from.
At Healthflex it is offered by Liz Toft, a Gastro Allergy Specialist Dietitian who completed the British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis course in gut-directed hypnotherapy in 2026. Very few dietitians in the UK are trained in it, so you get someone who understands both the food side and the gut and brain side of IBS in the same room.
Hypnotherapy starts with a dietetic assessment. Your first appointment is a full dietitian consultation, so Liz can understand your symptoms and agree with you whether gut-directed hypnotherapy is the right next step. Hypnotherapy sessions follow from there.
Clinics run on the first Monday of every month, from 4pm to 8pm, at the clinic in Haslemere, starting on Monday 7 December. You can refer yourself. Call reception on 01428 642577 to arrange an appointment.
More information
Why the gut and brain matter in IBS
Your digestive system and your brain are in constant contact through the nervous system. In IBS that communication becomes oversensitive, so normal amounts of gas or movement in the gut can be felt as pain, and stress can quickly turn into cramping, bloating or a dash to the toilet. This is why IBS is now described as a disorder of gut and brain interaction. It does not mean the symptoms are imagined. They are real, and so is the mechanism behind them.
How it works at Healthflex
Every course starts with a dietetic assessment. In your initial consultation Liz will take a full history of your symptoms, diet and anything you have already tried, and talk you through the options. For some people dietary changes come first, for others hypnotherapy, and for many a combination works best. If you agree that gut-directed hypnotherapy is right for you, the sessions follow on from that appointment.
What happens in a session
Liz will guide you into a deeply relaxed, focused state. You stay aware and in control throughout, and it is nothing like stage hypnosis. While you are relaxed she uses suggestions and imagery aimed at your digestion, for example picturing a calm, steady flow through the gut. Courses run over several weeks, and you will be given recordings to practise with at home between sessions, because regular practice is a large part of how it works.
What the evidence says
The British Society of Gastroenterology recommends gut-directed hypnotherapy for people with IBS whose symptoms have not settled with first line treatment, and NICE guidance includes hypnotherapy as an option for IBS that has not responded to other approaches. In a 2016 Monash University trial, gut-directed hypnotherapy improved overall gut symptoms by a similar amount to the low FODMAP diet.
Before you book
Gut-directed hypnotherapy is for people with diagnosed IBS. If you have had symptoms for more than six months and have not seen your GP, please see them first. The NHS explains how IBS is diagnosed.
If you are looking for hypnotherapy for stress, anxiety or stopping smoking rather than IBS, see our hypnotherapy page.
Fees
Your initial dietetic assessment, of up to sixty minutes, is £140. Follow up sessions, including hypnotherapy sessions, of up to forty five minutes are £110.
