If you have been living with IBS for a while, you have probably already changed what you eat, tracked what sets it off, and had the tests that rule other things out. You may have been told it is stress, or that you will need to manage it.
Gut-directed hypnotherapy is a different approach, and it is not a fringe one. It works with the constant two-way conversation between your brain and your gut – the same conversation that makes your stomach drop when you get bad news. In IBS that signalling becomes oversensitive. Gut-directed hypnotherapy is designed to settle it.
It is recommended in the UK’s NICE clinical guidelines, endorsed by the American Gastroenterological Association, and has more than thirty years of published research behind it.
We see clients in person at our clinic in Pialba, and people travel to us from Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Bundaberg and across the Wide Bay region. Sessions are also available online anywhere in Australia.
What the research actually shows
We would rather show you the evidence than make promises.
The approach was developed by Professor Peter Whorwell at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester. An audit of 1,000 of his patients – most of whom had not responded to conventional medical treatment – found that 76% responded to gut-directed hypnotherapy, with benefits still present more than five years later.
Professor Olafur Palsson at the University of North Carolina developed a shorter protocol and reported a 71% response rate.
Closer to home, researchers at Monash University found gut-directed hypnotherapy produced improvements comparable to the low FODMAP diet.
Those are findings from published studies, not a prediction about you. Individual results vary, and some people respond faster than others. But the evidence base is real, and it is stronger than most people expect when they first hear the word hypnotherapy.
Is this right for you?
This program is for people who already have a diagnosis of IBS from their doctor.
That matters. IBS is diagnosed by ruling other conditions out, so a proper medical assessment comes first – always. If you have symptoms that have not been investigated, please see your GP before booking. We would rather turn work away than have someone use hypnotherapy in place of a diagnosis they still need.
If you have that diagnosis and you are still struggling, this may help. You don’t need a referral from your doctor to book in. We just recommend you’ve had your symptoms checked by your GP first so we know we’re on the right track together.
Symptoms it works on
The research shows the broadest improvements in:
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Bloating and distension
- Urgency, and the anxiety of not knowing where the nearest toilet is
- Irregular bowel habits, both diarrhoea and constipation
- The hypervigilance and worry that feed the gut-brain cycle
Many clients also notice things they were not expecting: better sleep, lower general stress, and more confidence around food and social situations. For a lot of people that last one matters most. IBS shrinks your life in ways that are hard to explain to someone who has not had it.
The program
Six sessions over approximately three months.
How it runs
Your first session runs for two hours. Follow-up sessions are 90 minutes each, spaced fortnightly.
Each session has three parts:
- We review your daily symptom log together, so we can see what is shifting and what is not.
- The gut-directed hypnotherapy itself, using therapeutic scripts tailored to different aspects of digestive function.
- Emotional processing work addressing the stress or past experiences that may be feeding your symptoms. This is the part that sets our program apart from a standard script-based approach, and it is why the program is overseen by a registered clinical counsellor.
The part that happens at home
At every session you receive a professionally recorded audio to listen to daily between appointments.
This is not an optional extra. It is where a great deal of the work happens, and the research supports that: a study of Palsson’s home-audio approach found participants were twice as likely to see their symptoms halve compared with a control group.
The recordings are included at every session, at no extra cost.
We will be direct with you about this – clients who skip the daily home practice consistently get weaker results. If you cannot commit to listening most days, this is worth delaying until you can.
Who you will be working with
Melissa Brydon - Clinical Hypnotherapist
Melissa delivers the IBS program and this is her area of expertise. She holds an Advanced Diploma of Clinical Hypnotherapy and is a Master NLP Practitioner. Her own experience with chronic pain and chronic fatigue shaped how she works – she has a genuine appreciation for the connection between mind and body, and for what it is like to be told a condition is something you will simply have to live with.
Kelly Mackie - Program design and clinical oversight
Kelly developed the program and oversees its delivery. She is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a Master of Counselling (with Distinction), PACFA Registered Clinical (32636), ACA Level 4, an accredited EMDR therapist, and holds a Diploma of Clinical Hypnosis. She is a professional member of the Australian Hypnotherapists Association.
Where we see clients
Our clinic is at Pialba in Hervey Bay, and we see clients in person from across the region. Maryborough is around a thirty minute drive, and we regularly see people who travel from Bundaberg and the wider Wide Bay area.
If that trip is too far to make fortnightly, sessions are also available online by telehealth, anywhere in Australia.
Gut-directed hypnotherapy works well online. You are in your own home, which many people find easier, and the home audio component is identical either way. For people outside Hervey Bay, online is often the more practical option, and it does not weaken the work.
What this is not
We would rather be straight with you before you book than have you disappointed after.
Hypnotherapy is not a cure for IBS. It is a symptom management approach, and we say that to every client at the outset.
It works alongside your medical care, not instead of it. Keep seeing your GP. Keep taking anything you have been prescribed unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
Results vary between individuals. Most people see meaningful improvement, but some respond more quickly than others, and a small number need additional sessions beyond the six.
It requires your participation. The daily home listening is essential, not optional.
And it is not a substitute for dietary advice. If you need support with food, an accredited practising dietitian is the right person, and we are happy to work alongside one.
For GPs, gastroenterologists and dietitians
We welcome referrals and are happy to provide information about the program, including the evidence base and what a course of treatment involves.
Gut-directed hypnotherapy is recommended in NICE guidance for patients who have not responded to pharmacological treatment, and is endorsed by the American Gastroenterological Association as a second-line option. If you have patients in Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Bundaberg or the wider Wide Bay region for whom it may be appropriate, please get in touch.
Contact Kelly Mackie on 0410 573 650 or [email protected].
Common questions
Will I be unconscious or out of control?
No. Hypnosis, or hypnotherapy, is a focused and relaxed state – closer to being absorbed in a book or a long drive than to anything you have seen on television. You are aware throughout, you can speak, and you can stop at any point.
How soon might I notice a difference?
It varies. Some people notice changes in the first few weeks; for others it builds gradually across the three months. The daily home listening is the biggest factor in how quickly things shift.
Do I need a referral?
No, you can book directly. You do need an existing IBS diagnosis from a doctor.
What if I have tried hypnotherapy before and it did not help?
Gut-directed hypnotherapy is quite specific – it uses scripts developed for digestive function rather than general relaxation. A general hypnosis session is not the same thing.
Can I do this if I am also following a low FODMAP diet?
Yes. They work on different mechanisms and there is no conflict. The Monash research compared them; it did not find them mutually exclusive.
Booking an obligation-free enquiry
If you are not sure whether this is right for you, ask. An obligation-free enquiry costs nothing, there is no pressure, and you will get a real reply from a therapist rather than a sales pitch.
Or call or text 0410 573 650.
Better Day Hypnotherapy and Counselling
6/156 Boat Harbour Drive, Pialba QLD 4655
Better Day Hypnotherapy can help
Contact Us
Kelly Mackie- M.Counselling, DCHyp, Adv Cert. EMDR, MACA, MAHA, MEMDRAA
MONDAY TO FRIDAY 10AM- 5:30PM
6/156 Boat Harbour Drive, Pialba, 4655
Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Bundaberg and Surrounds