IBS & chronic pain support, shaped around you.
Living with ongoing symptoms can affect far more than your body. I offer thoughtful, solution focused hypnotherapy and optional NLP-informed exercises to explore the worry, exhaustion and everyday pressures that can come with IBS or persistent pain — alongside appropriate medical care.
A conversation about what matters to you. No promises to cure or remove symptoms.
Symptoms are real. So is their impact on everyday life.
An unpredictable bowel flare-up, persistent discomfort, disrupted sleep or uncertainty about tomorrow can influence where you go, what you plan and how you feel about yourself.
For some people, there is also the additional effort of explaining a condition that others cannot see. You may find yourself planning journeys around facilities, cancelling activities or trying to balance rest with everything else expected of you.
My work creates space to talk about those pressures without implying the symptoms are imaginary or caused by your attitude. Together we can explore practical responses, confidence and relaxation, while medical decisions remain with your healthcare professionals.
Living with IBS or persistent pain can change the shape of a day.
The symptoms and their causes are not the same. What may be shared is the extra mental load that accompanies them.
When uncertainty becomes part of the routine.
IBS can involve abdominal discomfort, bloating and changes in bowel habits. Planning travel, meals or social activities may become more complicated, especially when symptoms are unpredictable.
We may explore anticipation, the worry about being far from home, and ways of responding to difficult days — not claim to cure or medically control bowel symptoms.
If you suspect IBS but have not been assessed, start with your GP.
When discomfort affects more than movement.
Living with pain can influence sleep, concentration, motivation, relationships and the energy available for ordinary tasks. You may feel frustrated with the distance between what you want to do and what feels possible.
Sessions can focus on emotional wellbeing, realistic expectations, relaxation and coping around daily activities, without suggesting that pain is psychological or that hypnosis treats its underlying cause.
Medical assessment and appropriate pain care remain essential.
Hypnotherapy and NLP-informed techniques, explained clearly.
Your sessions should fit your circumstances, not a fixed script. I'll explain each approach and its limits, and you'll decide what feels right.
Solution Focused Hypnotherapy
We begin with conversation about your goals, strengths and what would make daily life easier to navigate. Hypnosis may be used as a voluntary period of focused attention, relaxation and imagery. I do not promise a change in medical symptoms.
NLP-informed exercises
Optional techniques such as reframing, anchoring and future pacing can offer a structured way to explore anxious predictions, self-talk and responses to challenging situations. NLP has limited clinical evidence for treating IBS or pain and is not presented as a medical treatment.
Practical coping conversations
We can explore preparation for appointments, manageable routines, rest, communication and realistic thinking. CBT-informed ideas may feature in the conversation, but this is not advertised as a specialist CBT or ACT pain-management programme.
Psychological support is not an explanation for the pain.
A difficult symptom is not a personal failure. Nor does the influence of stress on the body mean that the condition is imagined or your responsibility.
The purpose of this work is to consider your response to difficult situations, not to dismiss the physical experiences you are having.
IBS guidance
NICE includes hypnotherapy among psychological interventions to consider for IBS that remains troublesome despite treatment. This does not mean every hypnosis approach is equivalent to specialist gut-directed protocols.
Pain guidance
NICE chronic primary pain guidance emphasises person-centred assessment and appropriately delivered ACT or CBT. This page does not claim that hypnosis or NLP replaces either, or that they treat the cause of chronic pain.
The practical parts of life that symptoms can affect.
These are examples, not a checklist you must work through. Your priorities may be quite different.
Anticipation and worry
Exploring the thoughts that arrive before a journey, meeting, meal or event, and identifying responses that feel less consuming.
Confidence outside home
Talking about what makes unfamiliar situations difficult, and how you would like to approach plans without pushing beyond what is appropriate.
Rest and sleep routines
Considering relaxation and practical ways to wind down when symptoms or worry make it harder to switch off.
Self-talk and frustration
Finding a more balanced way to speak to yourself, especially when a difficult day changes what you are able to do.
Planning around setbacks
Developing flexible plans that allow for the possibility of a flare-up, without making every decision about the worst-case scenario.
Feeling heard
Making room for how your symptoms affect relationships, responsibilities and identity, while identifying the support you need from others.
We start with a conversation, not an assumption.
There is no fixed number of appointments, and no promise of symptom reduction.
Free consultation
Tell me what has been happening, the care you are already receiving, and what you hope will feel different. We can consider whether this support is appropriate.
Agree a direction
We discuss practical goals and explain which elements of solution focused work, hypnosis or NLP-informed exercises might be worth exploring.
Review together
We revisit whether sessions are useful to you, what you've noticed in day-to-day life and whether another service would be more helpful.
Good support includes knowing when medical care comes first.
If you have persistent bowel symptoms and no IBS diagnosis, please arrange a GP assessment. NHS guidance recommends seeing a GP if IBS-like symptoms last more than four weeks. If you experience unexplained weight loss, rectal bleeding or bloody diarrhoea, or a new abdominal lump, seek urgent medical advice. Severe sudden abdominal pain needs urgent assessment.
For chronic pain, a GP or an appropriate pain team can review the diagnosis, causes and recommended treatment. Please continue prescribed medication and professional treatment unless your healthcare clinician advises otherwise.
This page does not offer dietary diagnosis, a gut-directed medical hypnosis protocol, specialist pain rehabilitation, or a substitute for CBT/ACT treatment where that is recommended.
In Swindon, or online across the UK.
You can discuss which format feels most practical during your free consultation.
In person — Swindon
Best Mind Therapy, Northbourne Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN25 4YE. Visits are by appointment.
Welcoming enquiries from nearby communities including Cirencester, Royal Wootton Bassett, Marlborough, Chippenham and surrounding areas.
View the clinic area on Google Maps ↗Online — UK-wide
Private online appointments are available throughout the UK where appropriate. You'll need a comfortable, private setting and a reliable connection.
Practice hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 am–8:30 pm. Closed weekends.
Contact and appointment information ↗Before you book.
Can hypnotherapy cure IBS or chronic pain?
No. I do not offer or promise a cure for IBS or chronic pain. This service focuses on relaxation, coping strategies, confidence and the emotional pressures of living with symptoms, alongside appropriate medical care. Responses to hypnotherapy vary.
Is IBS caused by stress or anxiety?
No. IBS is a recognised digestive condition, and its symptoms are real. Stress or anxiety may affect some people’s experience of symptoms, but that does not mean IBS is imaginary or that someone is causing it. A GP should assess symptoms and advise on appropriate care.
Do you provide specialist gut-directed hypnotherapy?
My advertised approach is Solution Focused Hypnotherapy with relaxation and imagery, not a claim to provide a specialist, protocol-based gut-directed IBS programme. If a specialist gut-directed service is indicated, we can discuss asking your GP or gastroenterology team about an appropriate referral.
How is NLP used during sessions?
I may suggest optional NLP-informed exercises such as reframing, anchoring or future pacing to explore responses to difficult situations. The clinical evidence for NLP as a treatment for IBS or chronic pain is limited, so I do not present it as a proven medical treatment.
Can I continue seeing my GP or pain team?
Yes. This service is intended to sit alongside, not replace, assessment or treatment from your GP, gastroenterologist, pain team or other relevant professionals. Please continue prescribed treatment unless your healthcare professional advises otherwise.
What if symptoms flare up before an appointment?
You can discuss practical needs and whether in-person or online appointments are suitable. Appointment changes remain subject to the published booking and cancellation terms. Medical concerns, particularly new or severe symptoms, should be discussed with your healthcare team.
How many hypnotherapy sessions will I need?
There is no fixed number of sessions or guaranteed timeframe. The free consultation helps us decide whether this kind of support fits your circumstances. We can agree goals and review whether further appointments are useful.
Are appointments available online?
Yes. I offer appointments in Swindon and online throughout the UK where appropriate. We can discuss privacy, comfort, technology and suitability during your free initial consultation.
We can begin by talking about what you need.
If living with IBS or persistent pain has begun to affect your confidence, routine or peace of mind, you're welcome to arrange a free, no-obligation conversation. We can discuss the limitations of this service and whether it would be a suitable addition to your existing care.
Or call 07359 071210 · No obligation or promised medical result