Have you ever struggled with digestive issues? Are you a runner who suffers with IBS? Are you constantly feeling tired, and struggle to focus? Do you feel sluggish and bloated?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I have the answers here for you!
“Your gut and emotions are a two-way street. They both impact each other. Addressing the state of your Gut, is not just about the food you eat!”
Did you know that emotions can be experienced within your gut?
This gut-brain is connected to our “big brain” via a network of nerve pathways and the two nervous systems share many of the same neurotransmitters to facilitate communication. In fact, 95 percent of serotonin is found in the gut! This bidirectional pathway is referred to as the brain-gut axis, and involves moment-to-moment communication to control digestion.
Emotions and your gut
The brain-gut axis also explains how you can feel stress and emotions in the gut. Most people have experienced butterflies before a first date or diarrhoea before public speaking. These “gut feelings” are the result of stress being communicated to the gut via these bidirectional nerve pathways. For me I experienced high levels of stress, and trauma in my past, which little did I know was being stored in my gut.
It’s not the food causing your IBS!
I always thought my poor digestion, and severe bloating was down to the food I was eating. I admit the intense exercise didn’t help my gut at all, because this causes more damage to the intestinal lining of the gut, which increases permeability (leakiness). Some individuals are very sensitive to stress, especially myself, and this gut sensitivity is thought to play an important role in functional gastrointestinal diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Experts refer to this as “visceral hypersensitivity,” meaning that the nerves of the gut are overly sensitive and firing in response to normal digestion.
How I used my mind to heal my own gut
GI diseases are a great example of the positive effects of mind-body interventions on health. Because of the brain-gut axis, we can use psychological treatments to directly influence digestion. Gut derived hypnotherapy helped to heal my gut, by releasing past trauma and stressful events. Hypnotherapy seems to have a quieting effect on the gut, and has been shown to directly influence gut motility, gut secretions, and pain sensitivity.