How Clinical Hypnosis Actually Helps with Gut Issues
When most people hear "hypnosis," they picture cruise ship entertainment or someone clucking like a chicken on stage. But clinical hypnosis is a completely different story – and one that's backed by some pretty impressive research, especially for people dealing with gut-brain disorders.
I recently sat down with Dr. Antonia Repollet, a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in exactly this intersection of mental health and chronic medical conditions. She works at GI Psychology, a virtual practice where the entire team focuses on gut-brain disorders like IBS, functional nausea, and IBD. And here's what’s really awesome to note: clinical hypnosis has about 70-80% efficacy for IBS patients, with benefits that can last for years after treatment ends.
Let me say that again – years after treatment ends.
What Clinical Hypnosis Actually Is (Spoiler: It's Not Mind Control)
Before we dive into the how and why, let's clear up what we're actually talking about here. Clinical hypnosis is an evidence-based therapeutic tool that only licensed clinicians can be trained to use. It's not about losing control or being manipulated – you're always aware and in control during the process.
Think about it this way: you've already been in trance states before, even if you've never been formally hypnotized. Ever driven your usual route to work and suddenly realized you missed your exit? That's trance – you were focused and comfortable doing something that felt natural, but your conscious mind was kind of on autopilot. Or maybe you've had those moments at the gym where an hour felt like five minutes because you were so engaged in what you were doing. Same thing.
Clinical hypnosis is essentially guiding you into that deeply relaxed, focused state intentionally, and then using that state to help your mind become more open to positive suggestions and changes.
The Gut-Brain Highway: Why This Works
I don’t actually talk a whole lot about the gut-brain connection on this podcast, because it’s become too much of a wellness buzzword, and I like to keep things grounded and de-mystified. But there’s no denying that the connection is a real, bidirectional communication system. When you're dealing with something like IBS, your nervous system essentially learns to stay in a heightened, protective state because there's ongoing discomfort or pain in your body.
Your brain starts sending threat signals, your body reacts with symptoms, and then those symptoms reinforce your brain's threat detection. It becomes this negative feedback loop where your nervous system has developed what Dr. Repollet calls "muscle memory of symptoms."
Clinical hypnosis helps interrupt that loop. By guiding you into a deeply relaxed state, it signals to your brain that it's safe to downregulate. You're essentially helping your nervous system learn new patterns instead of staying stuck in that hypervigilant protective mode.
Let's Talk Expectations (Because This Isn't a Magic Bullet)
With all the wellness content out there promising that if you just do this one thing perfectly, you'll be completely cured, it's easy to approach hypnosis as another potential holy grail.
But here's the reality check we all need: clinical hypnosis isn't about curing anything. It's about helping you better manage whatever you're struggling with.
For people with functional disorders like IBS, where there's no identifiable structural cause but very real symptoms, hypnosis can be incredibly effective at reducing that visceral hypersensitivity and teaching your body how to regulate pain differently. For people with more structurally complex conditions like Crohn's or ulcerative colitis, hypnosis can still provide significant benefits – reducing flares and improving psychological functioning – but you're working with both functional and structural components.
The point isn't to make all your symptoms disappear forever. It's about creating the conditions in your body where healing, regulation, and symptom relief are most likely to happen.
What Actually Happens in a Session
If you're curious about what clinical hypnosis actually looks like, Dr. Repollet walked me through the process, and it's way more personalized than you might expect.
Before you even do your first hypnosis session, there's a conversation about what feels safe and meaningful to you. Maybe you find the image of the sun and warmth on your skin incredibly calming – that imagery might become part of your personalized script. The goal is to create something that feels easily accessible to your mind because you've been there before.
A typical session follows a general format but gets customized based on how you think and what you respond to. There's an induction phase where you're guided into that trance state – this might be through breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, or even more advanced techniques for people whose minds race (hello, fellow ADHD brains).
One technique that particularly caught my attention is called a "confusion technique," designed specifically for people who struggle with traditional meditation because their thoughts move too fast. The practitioner basically talks really quickly using contradictory gibberish, which overloads your conscious mind and makes it easier to just surrender to the trance state. It's like meeting your brain where it's at instead of forcing it to slow down first.
Self-Hypnosis For Homework
Learning self-hypnosis is a big part of the process. Dr. Repollet typically records sessions so patients can practice at home (with consent, of course), because research shows you need at least five days a week of practice for optimal results.
But the end goal is teaching you how to use self-hypnosis as a coping skill without needing to listen to recordings. It's like meditation with a purpose – you can use it for whatever specific symptoms you're working on, pulling from the imagery and techniques that work best for you.
Even just a few minutes of focused attention can interrupt that stress response loop and signal to your brain that it's safe to downregulate. Dr. Repollet mentioned she sometimes uses self-hypnosis for a couple minutes between patients if she's not feeling well. The beauty is in the flexibility – you have tools that can work whether you have two minutes or twenty.
Addressing the "It's All in Your Head" Concern
This is probably the elephant in the room for a lot of people, especially those who've been told their symptoms are just stress or anxiety. The way Dr. Repollet frames this really resonated with me: our nervous systems have memory. If your body has been through repeated trauma, it's going to trigger protective responses because that's what it's designed to do.
When she works with patients in flare and remission cycles, she explains that even during remission, you're often still responding from a functional standpoint. Your brain has become more tuned into signals that it no longer wants to filter out because of that ongoing trauma to the system.
This isn't about anyone imagining their symptoms. It's about recognizing that your body learns how to regulate pain and send signals through the nervous system. The symptoms are absolutely real, but your nervous system might need some retraining to respond to those symptoms differently.
Who This Works For (And When It Doesn't)
One question that came up is whether certain personality types can't be hypnotized. The short answer? Pretty much everyone can go into trance, but how easily or deeply varies from person to person and even day to day.
Dr. Repollet uses hypnosis with kids as young as six, and their sessions might look totally different – maybe they're running around, it's interactive, and it only lasts a minute or two. But it's still often very effective because kids have naturally imaginative minds.
There are some contraindications, like if someone is in an active psychotic episode, since hypnosis involves using your imagination and it could be difficult to distinguish between real and not real. But for most people dealing with chronic health issues, it's a viable option.
The Bottom Line
Clinical hypnosis isn't going to cure your chronic condition, and anyone promising that is just trying to make money off of you. But as a tool for managing symptoms, building resilience in your nervous system, and creating more ease in your body - which can lead to reduced symptoms - the research is pretty compelling.
What I appreciate about Dr. Repollet's approach is the honesty about what this work can and can't do, combined with genuine excitement about giving people tools that actually help them feel better. In a world where we're often told there's not much to be done for functional disorders, having options that are both evidence-based and empowering feels pretty significant.
If you're dealing with gut issues, chronic pain, or other conditions where the stress response plays a role, it might be worth exploring whether clinical hypnosis could be part of your toolkit. Just remember – it's not about finding the perfect cure. It's about finding what helps you feel more at home in your body.
This blog post is based on an interview with Antonia Repollet, licensed clinical psychologist, on The Chronic Illness Therapist Podcast. For more resources on navigating healthcare challenges, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
Disclaimer: Everything we discuss here is just meant to be general education and information. It's not intended as personal mental health or medical advice. If you have any questions related to your unique circumstances, please contact a licensed therapist or medical professional in your state of residence.
Want to listen to the podcast interview? Listen to Rita’s interview with me, Destiny Davis, on Ep 99: How Clinical Hypnosis Actually Helps with Gut Issues
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Episode transcribed with AI and will contain errors that are not representative of the actual word or meaning of the sentence.
Antonia Repollet
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: [00:00:00] Dr. Antonia Repla is a licensed clinical and certified school psychologist who works with children, teens, and adults. She specializes in the intersection of mental health and chronic medical conditions with a focus on gut brain disorders and how these impact daily life, emotional wellbeing, and school or work performance known for her warm, creative, and collaborative approach.
Dr. Repla helps individuals build resilience, self-trust, and coping skills, while also supporting families in schools to create tailored neurodiversity affirming supports her work, bridges, therapy, advocacy and wellness, ensuring that patients feel empowered both in their bodies and in their environments.
And Antonio was on episode 36 of this podcast before, so this was back in 2023. Um, so go back and listen to that. If you want to hear us talk about school accommodations and your Antonio's work in, in the school. But Antonio, you're doing work now more on the private practice side of things and you're doing a lot of work with clinical [00:01:00] hypnosis and.
GI disorders as well as maybe some others that I'm really excited to look and looking forward to talking about today.
Feel free to share a little bit then about, um, you know, where you're licensed, where you're working, and yeah, how your work has evolved into what it is now.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Sure, sure. So I'm working at a, a private practice, a a fully virtual private practice called GI Psychology. Um, and so all of us are remote. We're kind of dispersed across the country, um, and we're really. Excited about, um, being licensed in every state amongst all of us. Of course, individually, we, we don't have those every, uh, 50 licenses, so to speak, but amongst all of us, we can see patients across the country, which is really great because there's so few of us out there that specialize in this, uh, niche. I'm physically located in New Jersey, however, I am licensed in not only New Jersey, but also New York. Florida, Massachusetts, Montana, [00:02:00] Virginia, I feel like I forgot one. Um, ever changing. um, but, um, but yes, those are, those are the, the 3, 4, 5, 6 licenses that I currently have. Um, I am also seeing patients in California as well, um, as I'm seeking licensure there.
And it's, um, it's, uh, one of their laws allows us to, to see patients as we're in licensing process. So. Uh, well. And here at GI Psychology, you know, we really, uh, as our, as the practice's name says, we focus on, um, you know, disorders of the gut brain interaction or DGBI, so things like IBS, functional nausea, things of that nature, um, but also other chronic GI conditions like IBD. and we do also see patients with other non-GI specific health conditions because there's certainly a [00:03:00] big overlap. Um. You know, between other chronic health issues and impact on the GI system. Um, so it's not to say that we're only seeing patients with GI specific conditions. We certainly see patients with other chronic health issues as well amongst other areas like medical trauma. Um, I also, you know, specialize like we had mentioned in, in seeing autistic patients and ADHDers , um, as well OCD, and um, some eating disorder such as ARFID. Um, and so that's a little bit about my, my background and what I'm doing now. Yeah.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah. Can you tell me about the, you know, maybe we can start with, I'm always really interested in Arfid, but I'm gonna try to hold back on going into that specific diagnosis and more. So talk a little bit in about clinical hyp hypnosis and how, how this works, why it's working. You know, let's just demystify it a little bit for people who might feel like it's some mystical thing.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Absolutely. Yeah. [00:04:00] So clinical hypnosis is an evidence-based tool. Um, so the way that I always describe it to, to patients and individuals is, you know, it's certainly not entertainment, hypnosis, right? What we would expect from like, maybe if we've ever been on a. Cruise ship, let's say. And there was a magician performing, and they were hypnotizing some people, that is not what this is. So this is something that only, um, clinicians, uh, licensed clinicians are allowed to seek, um, expertise and training in. So even beyond psychologists, there's a lot of medical providers that also, um, specialize in hypnosis for their patients, um, as well. So, um, it's certainly very much different than what we would imagine Hypnosis two be, or what maybe we thought it was outside of the clinical space.
So I usually like to start with what it is at first 'cause that's important. Um, you know, it is, like I mentioned, a very, very strongly supported evidence-based tool, especially for GI disorders. Um, and one of the reasons we love it so much as mental health [00:05:00] professionals that utilize it with our patients, um, because of course we aren't, you know, prescribing medication ordering. Colonoscopies and scans and things of that nature. We still have this really wonderful tool with about 70 to 80% efficacy, um, specifically for IBS patients, um, to, um, you know, utilize, to help them. things like how to control their pain, how to enhance their digestion, how to enhance relaxation responses in the body. So it's really wonderful to have that treatment here. Um, given it is really, really effective. Um, and there's even research to show for IBS specifically right now, that there, um, not only. improvements, um, thereafter treatment immediately thereafter, treatment and during treatment, but also long-term benefits as well, and that it often can persist for years after treatment. Um, so that is another really great, uh, really wonderful, um, [00:06:00] why we, we practice it and love it so much. Um, you know, another big mechanism, um. Want to help those individuals how to modulate their gut brain access via these relaxation responses in the body that we can enhance, um, and therefore decrease those stress arousal or that visceral hypersensitivity, so to speak. So it's a really, really wonderful tool, um, tool. And there's even some research to show that it's helpful for other disorders as well.
So,
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah. I'm curious, you know, when you say the effects, you know, can occur long, long after treatment, do you tend to do like an, uh, an eight session kind of thing? Or is it, um, is it kind of prescribed that way or is it more, uh, does it change per client to client?
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Sure. Yeah, great question. Um, it definitely varies, um, depending on the client. Um, certainly a lot [00:07:00] of our patients here at GI Psychology, um, do come to us, um, with. another therapist already that they have been seeing more long term that doesn't specialize in either managing chronic health issues or things like clinical hypnosis. Um, so for those folks, oftentimes more often than not, I would say they're really looking for something a little bit more short term around like eight to, you know, 10 sessions or so, or, um, and you know, we are, you know, of course consulting. With their other therapists and updating them throughout that process.
So for some, it's, it's definitely more so, um, short-term therapy that we are providing. We like to be able to provide at least seven sessions of hypnosis, especially with patients that come to us with IBS, which is probably the most common diagnosis that we treat. because we know from that research that I mentioned earlier that that 70 to. Is often, um, found when we have, you know, seven full sessions of [00:08:00] hypnosis, um, for others, right? Even if they do have another therapist as well that doesn't treat these things, um, they sometimes, you know, will wanna stay on longer. Um, and certainly there's no limit to how much hypnosis, you know, we can provide just like any other therapy, right? Um, and so it, it is often, um, specific to that individual, but we do have, I think, a nice mix of short and long term clients here.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: That's great. Um, and then, um, when we start to talk about, kind of calming down the threat response and how that has all of these different modulating effects on our nervous system and it's, you know, it's bidirectional and all of that. Can we talk a little bit more in the nuance about what that does and doesn't mean like for exam example, um, some one person might hear that and I.
You know, take that to mean that stress is the only cause of something and therefore, you know, they just gotta, [00:09:00] they're stressed. Right? And then that's it. So then, you know, some of this somatic work and hypnosis work and sometimes it becomes this like holy grail that people are looking for to cure themselves.
And I'm curious if you. Talk to the nuance on maybe there are certain types of people that you see where this is like, this is the thing and it really gets rid of the problem for them, and then maybe others where that's not the case and what the proper expectations are.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Sure. Yeah. And I, I think too, we do approach, um, you know, treatment with patients, and I don't think this is probably very different than any other therapist, regardless of their background, you know, with, um, you know, that kind of conversation about what therapy is and isn't, right? So it's not to say that we're trying to cure something, so speak right. Better manage whatever it is that they're, you know, struggling with. Right? And so this is really no different than that. Um, [00:10:00] you know, when I, when I talk es especially to my patients that have more functional disorders or conditions like IBS, um, you know, oftentimes there is that concern, understandably, and maybe they've been told this by other providers or what have you, you know, that. Um, you know, certain things that might be going on in their gut is being, you know, their head, so to speak. Right. That idea. Maybe not real or all in their head. The way that I like to approach those conversations is that, well, you know, stress involves real physical processes, right? In our body, anxiety does and everything else, right?
So, um, it's not even just that thought or that emotion specifically, but really, you know, are autonomic nervous system learning that it has to stay in this heightened state, um, because. There is discomfort in the body or sensations in the [00:11:00] body that don't feel good or pain in the body. Um, and so either way, everything is kind of starting here regardless, right?
That's where we're, we're, you know, our brain is sending those signals, um, in terms of pain or discomfort or what have you. and so, you know, our body will then react with those symptoms. And then that, again, those symptoms can then reinforce the brain's threat detection. So. Um, in, in any situation really in treatment, our, our goal really is to help that individual learn how to better manage, um, that pain and that discomfort in the body. Um, certainly for patients that have more medically complex presentations, right? So let's say, um, irritable, or, I'm sorry, inflammatory bowel disease or IBD, so Crohn's or ulcerative colitis. Another, another condition that we, that we commonly treat here. You know, there might be, um, tons of benefits as well to utilizing hypnosis for those patients.
And I said, might there, there, there are, there is research to [00:12:00] support that as well. Um, that it can reduce flares and even improve, you know, psychological functioning. We still need some more research to kind of piggyback on that, but there is some out there now. Um, however, of course, in more medically complex patients where there is also structurally, uh, structural challenges in their body, um. There, there might be, you know, some, moments where, you know, their symptoms are absolutely going to flare and not flare. Not to say that that doesn't occur in things like IBS, but of course it's gonna look a little differently given that inflammation aspect to, to the condition. Right? So, um, treatment doesn't look that, that different, um, you know, in. Trying to, um, help that individual understand that this is it a chronic condition. there might be some things. You know, tailoring those treatments to, to kind of help them assist in where they are in that moment. [00:13:00] Um, but again, you know, the goal is to learn of what we can do to manage our flares.
Um, that can really help kind of dial down that discomfort, right? So all that to say, again, it's not, it doesn't look different. Um, but of course when there is structural as well as functional components to something. You know, we might need to, to do a little bit more of like an intentional kind of dance, so to speak, around that treatment and around that psychoeducation. Um, because of course we can't cure like inflammation in the body or cure someone's Crohn's disease, let's say with something like clinical hypnosis. And if we could, I'd be the first one signing up for that since I'm an I patient, right? But that's not the case. But we can certainly know how to manage it and really, really, um. Ways that feel good and, and that are specific, that persons needs. Oh.[00:14:00]
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Thank you. Thank you for saying that because you know, I know you're kind of saying like, of course I can't, you know, cure this and if I could like, but. That with, uh, everything that's, um. With everything on social media right now, uh, and everything even around somatic work and anything that's natural and non-pharmacological, um, that is the messaging is that if you do this thing and you do it right, that it will, like, you'll be cured.
And so either you are causing it yourself by like not engaging in these practices or like, or you just, you know, don't know enough yet and that's why you're, you are not okay and somebody else is, and
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Hmm.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: just. I really think it's important for people to, to hear that. What I I'm hearing you say is that this treatment is one, again, it's not a cure, but it helps.
Reduce stress responses in the body. Um, that might even be an over, I'm sure that's an over simplification that maybe [00:15:00] you can expand on, but we're reducing the stress responses, building trust, building safety in our body, which maybe is reducing the extra or the excess symptoms that come along with stress, but not,
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Right.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: yeah.
Maybe you can speak more to that concept.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So, yeah, just to go back a little bit. So with clinical hypnosis being a, a, you know, a therapeutic technique, what we're really doing there is we're helping that patient. we're helping to guide, excuse me, that patient into a deeply relaxed state, right? Which is what we often call trance. Um, and in that deeply relaxed data in trance. Essentially what that means is, is that our minds, um, are then more open to suggestions and then focused on making positive changes. So certainly not like being controlled or being asleep, even they're, you're always very aware and very in control. Um, [00:16:00] but the purpose really is to. Help that individual learn how to better control their hypersensitivities, hypersensitivity, excuse me, that comes from GI distress. Um, if it is obviously a gi specific, uh, specific situation. Um, and so really it's, it's, you know, um. Another powerful kind of regulator, just as some other therapies, other mind, body therapies can be right. Um, and so it's not going to cure any one condition. Um, and especially because conditions that we're talking about right, aren't caused by a single fixable problem to begin with, right? Oftentimes, especially with functional disorders, know, the results of of that condition is. nervous system and hypersensitive signaling and that brain body negative feedback loop, that needs to then learn how to be retrained.
So we're [00:17:00] helping that person's brain essentially shift out of that protection mode. Um, so it's not about curing anything or fixing, it's about really creating. The conditions in the body where healing and regulation and symptom relief can then begin, right? Or are most likely to then begin with this work.
So, really calming that fight or flight response, lowering pain sensitivity and changing how the brain processes those incoming signals of pain, and therefore improving that gut-brain access and communication.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: The other concern I've heard before is that, well, if I do that and I do that all perfectly well, then will I never feel pain that would then alert me to something being wrong.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Hmm. Right? Absolutely. Yeah. The
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: I.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: is going to absolutely still alert you when you really need it to, and actually that statement that you mentioned just now in and of itself is something that we actually reinforce our [00:18:00] hypnosis sessions with patients that when you are in real danger, your brain is still going to respond in the way that we'd like it to.
So we're not. That is not going to change. It's not like we're kind of like numbing everything so we don't feel right.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: I love that.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: would be right. That would, that would certainly not, not feel good. Um, so that is certainly not, uh, going to be the result of this work whatsoever. Um, and that is something that we definitely re reinforce, especially in early, um, sessions of hypnosis as we're just getting started.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah. Amazing. Um, so you, you have kind of touched on a little bit of what a typical session looks like, but could you maybe walk me through, start to finish what a session does look like and what some of the, um, maybe some of the things you would, you would even say, like in the informed consent process that you would want, you want people to know, um, to help them make a decision about whether this is right for them or not.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Sure. Yeah. So, um, certainly a lot of [00:19:00] psychoeducation right on what it is and what it isn't. Um, and, um, you know, to have that agency kind of understand a little bit of what. It actually looks like to be hypnotized or to engage in an exercise where we are kind of putting all of our focus and concentration into imagining the state that we'd like to be in, which is essentially what we're doing in hypnosis. Um, so even beyond that informed consent process, um, we are oftentimes. You know, doing certain things with patients, of course, depending on the age and the, and the, you know, the reason for referral and all of that, but specific exercises that kind of get them a little bit more comfortable with, um, what hypnosis could look like. Um, so this could be, um, something like just kind of. Leading them through a very gentle guided imagery exercise. So not necessarily clinical hypnosis, but giving them a flavor of like some, something that we might integrate into a hypnosis session as kind of like one piece of that [00:20:00] overall hypnosis puzzle, so to speak. Um, another thing that I often talk about with patients is that we've all been in that state of, uh, that, that trance-like state that we are, um. Or, you know, that we're assisting a patient to kind of enter in hypnosis. So we've all been in that type of state before, even if we've never been hypnotized, um, it might look a little bit different and feel a little bit different, of course, because we're really tapping into it and you're being guided by a professional.
But we've all been in that. before. So I, I talk to patients about that and about how to kind of identify what trance has looked like for them before. So as one example, one, uh, one way that I explain this often is, you know, let's say you're driving through work every day, right? And you've been working there for years.
You've gone the same route, you know, five days a week for years and years and years. You know that route, like the back of your hand, um, smooth sailing, that. All of a sudden you just [00:21:00] missed your exit. Right? And it's not to say that you were, your conscious mind wasn't turned on at all. 'cause of course then you might get in an accident or hurt somebody, right? But you were almost in like a daydreaming like state, right? So focused, really comfortable doing something that feels so natural and organic that you just totally forgot that you were supposed to get off in that exit. So that's an example of trance. Um, another example. This concept a little bit more closely is like really asking a patient, like, what is it that really helps them feel more regulated or maybe even like a form of what they would consider as self-care. Um, so let's say exercise. If, you know, as, as we know if for individuals that really enjoy exercise or specific types of exercise, they might recognize that before they know it, you know, their hour, let's say at the gym is over and it felt like five minutes because they were just really focused and really engaged in that practice.
Again, that, that is a form of trance. So that tends to certainly help individuals feel more [00:22:00] comfortable, um, because it is, it is certainly true that we've all been there before. So.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah. And how do you get into a trance state? What does that look like?
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Yes. Um, so of course there's a ton of different ways, right? Just like any other treatment modality and therapy. There's, you know, all, all the different, there's different types of interventions and different types of techniques and things like that, that you can learn, um, and, and, and utilize and hypnosis. Um, typically there's, um. stages that we might typically follow when we are engaging someone in that hypnotic experience. Um, but even before I jump into that, I always like to share. So one of the things that I really love about my work as a therapist in and out of hypnosis is really getting to know my patients and really, really what's.
Speaks to them and makes them feel comfortable. with hypnosis, I like to have a very intentional conversation before we even do a, a hypnosis session together about what that looks like and what that. [00:23:00] AIS session. If I'm able to utilize something that's really, really safe and meaningful for that individual, um, in and, and cer like write a script essentially surrounding that concept for them, as I'm also talking about the symptoms that they want to improve, it's obviously going to feel more comfortable and safe when they're hypnotized and it's also going to feel a little bit more. Easily accessible for their mind, you know, to go there because they've been there before. Right? And therefore, that practice is going to be even more effective than if it was some general kind of session or script, right? So I always tell patients you'll never have the same session as any other patients I've ever worked with. Even if your symptoms or conditions were so identical, right? Um. So that's a big part of the conversation pre jumping into hypnosis sessions. Once we're doing hypnosis sessions, there's typically a format that we follow. So there are elicitation or inductions. That's kind of the, the first stage [00:24:00] of hypnosis session most often where we're inducing that trance.
And again, there's all different ways we can do that, which is lovely because we can continue to kind of customize it based on things that the patient might respond better to or just prefer. Um, so. Them through a diaphragmatic breathing exercise. Guiding them through a very slow and, and, and gently paced progressive muscle relaxation exercise. we have some advanced techniques that also can be utilized for very specific types of, um, personality types or just. Essentially ways that people tend to kind of think or present. So, you know, for a lot of my patients, understandably, that have medical complications or oftentimes finding themselves really struggling with, You know, racing thoughts and, and rumination. Um, and so it's really hard to kind of quiet that conscious mind down enough to really tap into the unconscious mind and [00:25:00] hypnosis. And so we have some techniques that really speak to almost like overloading the mind, um, and so that they're able to just kind of surrender to that experience and get the benefit that they really want.
So that's kind of our first stage.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Sorry.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah. Yeah. I say that's really fascinating because I feel like, um, I was just talking about this the other day, like a lot of times, especially a lot of folks with a DHD, like our minds are moving so fast and,
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Yeah.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: we like hate meditative anything for the most part, and I. Like it's, you know, learning to calm down and slow down was a huge thing for me and learning how to do that.
But I think we've gotta meet our clients where they're at and like speed up to their speed, and then we can gently bring it down. And I'm wondering, is that what that, is that what you're describing right now?
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Pretty much. Yep. Yeah. And I'm smiling 'cause I, I'm an A DH ADHD or two, so I totally get it. I, [00:26:00] meditation was never really my thing, or at least in more traditional ways, I should say. And you know, as I mentioned before, I see a lot of neurodivergent patients and so this is not uncommon for us to talk about too.
And I think a lot of times, uh. Not even think. A lot of times patients will tell me like, I don't know if it's even gonna work for me because I just can't slow everything down, or I dunno what to do if my thought one thought pops into my head and I lose focus or whatever. So really it's all about just like. whatever happen happens, there's no right or wrong way to do hypnosis. Um, in terms of, you know, the way that someone should respond to it, let's say. Um, and, you know, just being open and the more that we, you know, engage, just like any other therapy, the more I learn from them, the more they learn from me and the more we continue to customize and individualize that process.
But, but yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about. One of the techniques, um, is called a confusion technique, which basically looks like the practitioner. really, really quickly and using a bunch of gibberish. So like [00:27:00] none of none of what we're saying makes any sense at all. And so it's really hard to follow because before, as we're trying to figure out the thing I just said, I'm already saying something else that also contradicts what I just said.
So it's, it's this like very fast paced kind of overload. Um, and that just makes it so much easier to just get into that trance-like state. So that way for the remainder of the session. We're getting, you know, to a place that feels a little bit more useful. And it's not to say that we have to be in like a super, super deep trance every time for it to be effective either.
That's not even necessarily the goal, but just to, you know, certainly assist in that, uh, making that process. More meaningful and helpful for that individual. So that is one of those techniques that I often find useful for, for neuro diversion folks. And it's added benefit. It's just fun for me because I get to talk really fast, like I tend to do as a New Jersey native.
So it's fun for all.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yes.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: but yeah.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: That's, that's a really important point. Yeah, that was one of my [00:28:00] questions too, which kind of, I think answers it. But the, you know, the question was gonna be, I. Are there certain personality types or ways of thinking or something that, that prevents this work from happening? That the stage hypnosis kind of trope is that if you don't believe in it, it doesn't work.
Or like some people are just not transferable and it's like a, so I'm curious how that then translates into clinical non stage hypnosis.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Yeah. Yeah. Um, you know, I think it, it's funny, I often answer questions like this, something that one of my, one of the psychologists that, Trained me in clinical hypnosis said in the, in our training, which was, you know, pretty much every answer to a question that someone has about clinical hypnosis is, it depends, which is so true.
But I think that's also true for a lot of things in psychology, right? It's a lot of gray, not a lot of black and white. Everyone can go into trance. And again, we've all been in trance before. Um, and I utilize [00:29:00] this, you know, form of therapy with children as well, you know, so it's not to say that I, I only use it with adults either, right?
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: it really depends on like how easily or how deeply that person might enter trance. And it's not, again, it's of course it's never linear because we're different single day, we have
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Mm.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: going, vary depending on session. Everyone can and is able to go into trans for sure. Um, you know, really if the patient is, let's say, gosh, in like an active psychotic episode or something like that, of course something like this is very much contraindicated because we are essentially. Helping that individual use their imagination and tapping into that. Um, and so it can be very difficult to kind of discern between real and, and not real. So there are certainly some conditions where using hypnosis would be contraindicated, of course. but other than those like very small kind of specific situations, um, everyone can re [00:30:00] certainly get in, get into trans, and can certainly respond well and you know. It doesn't necessarily have to look like what we might imagine. It should look right. So of speak to that a little bit more, when I am using clinical hypnosis with pediatric patients, especially those that are very young, like as young as six, you know, more often than not, they're not. I. Sitting, sitting in front of me, you know, still with their eyes closed and not moving for X amount of minutes while I speak.
Right. They might be running around. They, it's, it's definitely an interactive process. Um, it might only be a minute or two, and it's still often very, very effective, even if it doesn't look like what we would imagine, right? Kind of like the, um, or whatever that might be. Um, and so there's a lot of like misunderstandings of what it.
Uh, what it looks like or feels like. Um, and we can all for the most [00:31:00] be
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: And what is your, either your theory, if we don't know for sure, or what is the reason why, you know, a couple of minutes of this helps, it eases like what's really happening inside.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: yeah. Um, for young kids. Um.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: I.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: bit, a big part of hypnosis is tapping into your imagination and just being open to whatever comes to mind. Young children, right, tend to have really big imaginations. I can very easily imagine something as soon as they think of it. So they tend to be the most easily, I should say, uh, and I use quotes because it's, you know, it's very specific to the person.
It's really not about being easily hypnotized or not hypnotized more easily because. Their kids, and that's just, they're, they're, you know, they have very imaginative minds, right? But even for adults, there's, there's times when we do very brief hypnosis [00:32:00] sessions for whatever reason. Um, sometimes I even do my own hypnosis, like for a couple minutes in between patients.
You know, if I'm not feeling well or whatever, I'd like to use it for. So even a few minutes of hypnosis, or even just like focused attention interrupt that stress response loop, that negative feedback loop therefore is then going to kind of signal to the brain that it is safe to downregulate. Um, just like even pausing for a second, right?
And just like focusing on your breathing and noticing how it feels to just like slow down for a second, that can feel great.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: doesn't have to be. 20 to 40 minutes, whatever, of a session for it to be useful. If anything, it's really wonderful to be able to provide more variety for that patient in terms of, the, the duration of their session.
So they have a lot to choose from depending on, um, you know, how much time they have or what it's that they're used utilizing it for outside of session.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah. And are you, do you [00:33:00] also do regular talk therapy? Is this It's a part of talk therapy. Yeah.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Yeah, definitely. Absolutely. Yeah. This is just one modality. I mean, I would say all of us at GI Psychology are. Trained heavily in clinical hypnosis because of its of effectiveness of course, and then condition specific cognitive behavioral therapy. So those are two things that we're all, all of us are trained in.
Then of course, just like any other group practice, we all have our own individual like specialties as, as well, and other things that we treat and, and utilize. Um, and so, you know, clinical hypnosis is often a, a, a form or is. You know, all of my patients' treatment plans at some point or another, um, even for folks that come to me with no gi or even medical, um, concerns, just because it can be really effective for other things too, and they're interested in giving it a shot. but it's certainly not the only piece to the puzzle right off in times, you know, a combination is, is. Wonderful as well. Um, sometimes we even alter between [00:34:00] doing a hypnosis session and then the next session we might do more like traditional talk therapy so we can process things in another way. Um, and hypnosis sessions can also be interactive too, as I mentioned before, even for adults.
So there's a lot that we can do with it.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah. And how do you handle patients who've been told that their symptoms are in their head and they're kind of coming in now, um, either like adamantly refusing that that's, you know, to believe that that's true and so therefore maybe also like kind of. Um, skeptical of doing any mental work around it.
And then on the other hand too, like, maybe they just believe that it's all in their head. Like, how do you, how do you work around that particular topic?
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Yeah, it's, it's certainly such a common thing that we, that we discuss for sure. the way that I describe it is, you know, our nervous systems have a memory, you know, in a sense, right? Because if
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: I.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: [00:35:00] has been through something that has been repeatedly dramatic, it. Trigger some type of a protective response because our bodies want to protect us from harm naturally.
That's just the way that we've been conditioned, you know, biologically over time. So this is even why, even for individuals that have flares and then go into patterns of remission or go into, you know, stages of remission and flares, that even when we're in remission at times, we. It's not just about what's going on structurally. It's more so even more importantly, in a lot of ways we're responding from a functional standpoint.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Right. And so for all of us, you know, our pain, I always say again, starts here that's, you know, where our body is learning how to regulate that pain and send it to the or.
Our mind is learning how to regulate that pain and sending those signals to the body. but it's certainly not that anyone is imagining what's [00:36:00] going on, it's that the brain is actually working really hard and is more tuned into signals that it no longer knows how to filter out because of that ongoing trauma to.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah. Yes. I always get a little bit hung up on the, like, on the, on the parts about, um. If, if there's something faulty in the system, if our sense, our nervous system is like, too sensitive or, and I, I think that's where, yeah, I always get a little bit, um, tricked up around it because I think you can find, I find myself going back and forth between like, wait, okay, so it's faulty and therefore like.
This thing is a result of like stress and then therefore that means it can just bring you down a rabbit hole of like what that means about it all. But maybe that's the overthinker in Me too. And if you just do the work, it kind of calms all that down anyway.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Yeah, well, it, but it also speaks to, right, it's like, well, why do we wanna [00:37:00] know and why do we wanna learn and study and all of that? Or in a helping profession, of course. And, you know, it, it, it all, but also even beyond that, just as humans, it helps us feel good when we have answers and
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: in control.
Right? It does not feel good when a lot of uncertainty involved and especially for individuals that are diagnosed with functional conditions, they are so often told that there's really not much to be done. You know, it's, it's, it's just the way your body's responding to stress. And, and that's all we can really tell you, right?
Which is absolutely not the truth. and that's why gastros psychologists like myself and, you know, gut-brain therapists are here, um, because our bodies, you know, do learn these patterns. It's kind of like muscle memory of symptoms and, um, even if like the original trigger might be gone. The nervous system retains that, and we need to help.
Really?
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: And [00:38:00] kind of just one more jump off point from that. Um. If somebody, you know, it's, if something is considered a functional condition, there is no known structural cause. They've done all these tests. Nothing is showing positive. Um, however, however, we do also know that on average, women don't, women in in particular don't get diagnosed for a good seven to 10 years.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Mm-hmm.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: the start of your symptoms. I, I'm still hearing though this technique, you know, again, it, it doesn't dismiss real pain. It doesn't make you think that you're not in pain when you are. It doesn't make, like, I'm hearing that it's, it's not a dangerous technique if you are also dealing with something that has a, a cause that you just don't know what the cause yet.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Absolutely. Yep. Absolutely. Because it's, you know, it's something that we're utilizing really to just help that individual feel better and feel more in control of what's going on in their body. Um, and [00:39:00] so it's, it's, you know, it can be effective, like I mentioned, for a variety of things. And, um, certainly, you know, even for patients with structural conditions, like I mentioned, you know, I. Understandably, they're probably more likely than not going to have symptoms. Right. So a lot of patients with IBD also have IBS, because again, to speak to what I mentioned earlier, over time, you know, your body's learned that it has to fear, let's say every little, you know. Bubbly sensation in the gut, right?
Or whatever that looks like. and so either way, functional symptoms, structural, you know, everything, you know, can be treatable for the most part. Um, you know, with clinical hypnosis, um, you know, it's, it's a really wonderful mind body therapy for that reason. Um.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: and that brain body dysfunction causes very, very real [00:40:00] symptoms.
So no matter the diagnosis or lack thereof, what that individual is experiencing is absolutely real.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah. Awesome. Well, thank you so much. Uh, is there anything we haven't touched on that you want to talk about?
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Yeah, I think, um, you know, one of the things that, um, I, I, I guess, uh, I got off on a tangent before, but in terms of kind of that like, uh, standard session of hypnosis, right? So if we're, we're guiding that individual through that. Or that elicitation. What we're then doing is we're really trying to deepen that a little bit further before we then move to, you know, providing like condition and individualized suggestions for that patient's symptoms, um, so that we can kind of help them be in the most relaxed place that they're able to go to, to go in, in that day essentially. Um, before. The specific kind of stuff for that person. So, um, it's [00:41:00] a very tailored and, and intentional way that we're kind of, um, utilizing this practice. Um, and then certainly there's even a stepped process of kind of reorienting them outta trans as well.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Um,
Dr. Antonia Repollet: so yeah, so. It's, we're, we're very intentional about that and unfortunately we do have a lot of different techniques to kind of, in each of those, each of those stages there. Yeah, so
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: great.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: just talking for a quick sec about like a case example. I don't know if that would
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah, let's do.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Sure. so let's say we have a, a, an adult patient. Um, they, they come to treatment with us, um, because they really want help managing their symptoms of IBS. So maybe it's, you know, abdominal pain, bloating, urgency that they know is definitely becoming exacerbated, um, under, under distress. Um. So we're, I'm starting to meet with them. [00:42:00] State and, and so maybe that is, let's say like watching sunsets on a beach. Um, and maybe they've mentioned that they really enjoy like the warmth around them in that moment or that glowing light and the way the sky's kind of changing colors. So that can then be imagery that I would integrate into hypnosis sessions to kind of create that personalized somatic experience. And so we're using hypnosis and we're. Some various techniques that, you know, I kind of touched on before, and I'm inviting them to imagine a sunset glow inside of their body as well to um, this new kind of conditioned response between a sunset and the symptoms. So. We're talking about that sunset glowing now inside the body, just behind the navel, where that [00:43:00] pain is maybe the most pronounced for that individual. and that is then going to mirror that felt sense that they get when they're actually watching a sunset, you know, life or in person, right? Um, and so they're. And that and that comfort. Um, and we're creating now like this inner calm kind of a signal on resilience in the body. And I might say something like an as that glow is like continuing to radiate gently through the abdomen, um, you know, it's encouraging this really calm, um, and effortless, um, digestive response. Confidence and trust grow, that your body is capable of healing and is healing and is on your side. really helping them kind of have that freedom from that urgency, right? And so be utilizing similar techniques throughout. And [00:44:00] ace uh, a point to hypnosis that I know we didn't have a lot of time to talk about is outside of even those hypnosis sessions, what we also teach patients is how to utilize self-hypnosis, which is essentially. A very simple kind of focus technique.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: We can too. We can absolutely go like we have time. If, if you have time.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: sure. Yeah. Um. So with, with hypnosis, another thing that we often suggest to patients, of course we have consent forms for this, and we're not surprising anybody. They're, they're consenting, but typically, you know, it's going to feel the goal is like really nice depending on what that nice feeling is like for that person or what their goal is to, to experience.
But it's gonna feel really nice in a simple way to be hypnotized live in a session. Like most things we need to practice outside of sessions. So one of the things that we suggest before getting into hypnosis is, um, the benefit of actually allowing me to record my voice so that way they have access to our sessions that they can practice from x amount of times throughout the [00:45:00] week.
'cause we know from research that we need at least five days a week of practice ongoing for it to really, really work. Um, and so from that point on, um, you know, somewhere in the process of them getting comfortable with just. Hyp throughout the week as well from listening to the audios. We then start to teach patients what self hypnosis is, which is kind of that next step that we want all of our patients that we're giving hypnosis to, to learn.
Because really what that is, is allowing that individual to become confident in knowing how to utilize hypnosis as a coping resource outside of. Need to listen to headphones or what have you. Right? So self-hypnosis, essentially just like any other coping skill, it's a very simple but focused technique where we are then guiding ourselves into a calm state. So we can kind of help our minds and bodies feel better. So it's kind of like meditation, but it's more like, I think meditation with a purpose.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah,
Dr. Antonia Repollet: so you can use it for whatever symptom you might be already working on, you [00:46:00] know, in, in sessions, um, and whatever imagery you might wanna pull from a session, um, to really shift out of that stress mode and into that more calm state where your, our bodies can then really start to feel more grounded and balanced.
So that's a big part of what we do as.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah. Thank you so much for explaining all of that. I think it gives such a good picture of what people can expect and, and how powerful it can be both inside and outside of the the therapy room.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Yeah, absolutely.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Awesome. Anything else come to mind?
Dr. Antonia Repollet: I don't think so. I'm shocked at how fast this went by. Super fast. Maybe
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah,
Dr. Antonia Repollet: a mild trans
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: yeah.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: We're talking about trans.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: I know, I know. This was so great. Thank you so much. Um, and I'm, I'm excited to share this work with everyone. Um. I actually have been helping kind of promote a, a friend of dietician, friend of mine just wrote a book on co it's called [00:47:00] Comprehensive Nutrition Therapy for Co-Occurring Gastrointestinal Eating Disorders.
Um, yeah, so she, she and a bunch of dieticians in a clinical hypnosis, um, put the book together and yeah, it's really for, for clinicians, so that's a really great resource as well. It's, it's.
Dr. Antonia Repollet: Yeah, I would love it if you could send me that later.
Destiny Davis LPC CRC: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Yes. I'll send that over to you, the link for that. And yeah, um, I'll let you know when this goes live and um, I can stop recording now and.
Listen to Antonia’s interview with me, Destiny Davis, on Ep 99: How Clinical Hypnosis Actually Helps with Gut Issues
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Dr. Antonia Repollet is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Certified School Psychologist specializing in the care of children and adolescents. She is known for her warm, compassionate, and innovative approach, blending clinical expertise with tailored interests to create engaging and supportive therapeutic experiences. With a focus on the mind-body connection, she is especially passionate about helping young people with gastrointestinal conditions thrive academically, emotionally, and personally.
Meet Destiny - The host of The Chronic Illness Therapist Podcast and a licensed mental health therapist in the states of Georgia and Florida. Destiny offers traditional 50-minute therapy sessions as well as therapy intensives and monthly online workshops for the chronic illness community.
Destiny Davis, LPC CRC, is solely responsible for the content of this article. The views expressed herein may or may not necessarily reflect the opinions of Antonia Repollet.