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Hypnosis and Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for the Management of Gastrointestinal Disorders

  • Large Intestine (R Chokshi, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Gastroenterology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

To review the nature, current evidence of efficacy, recent developments, and future prospects for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and gut-directed hypnotherapy, the two best established psychological interventions for managing gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.

Recent Findings

New large randomized controlled trials are showing that cost-effective therapy delivery formats (telephone-based, Internet-based, fewer therapist sessions, or group therapy) are effective for treating GI disorders.

Summary

CBT and hypnotherapy can produce substantial improvement in the digestive tract symptoms, psychological well-being, and quality of life of GI patients. However, they have long been hampered by limited scalability and significant cost, and only been sufficiently tested for a few GI health problems. Through adoption of more cost-effective therapy formats and teletherapy, and by expanding the scope of efficacy testing to additional GI treatment targets, these interventions have the potential to become widely available options for improving clinical outcomes for patients with hard-to-treat GI disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, P.O. Box 9126, Chapel Hill, NC, 27515, USA

    Olafur S. Palsson

  2. Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

    Sarah Ballou

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  1. Olafur S. Palsson
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Correspondence to Olafur S. Palsson.

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Palsson, O.S., Ballou, S. Hypnosis and Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for the Management of Gastrointestinal Disorders. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 22, 31 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-020-00769-z

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