Sophie said the fissure was her turning point.
“I thought, ‘I can't do this anymore. Something’s got to give.’
“I returned home after recovering in rehab, and I knew the fissure was healing. I was given a drug that got rid of the nerve pain that I could feel in my ascending colon, and it was great for my anxiety too. But it didn’t help with the motility side of things, and I was still in constant pain.
“When I went back to my doctor, she wanted to operate and cut into my internal sphincter, which is higher and a muscle you can’t control. She wanted to just nick it a little to give it more room.
“I thought that sounded like a really bad idea. And that's when I knew I had to find something else.”
Discovering hypnotherapy for IBS
Sophie was at a desperate point when she found Nerva and began gut-directed hypnotherapy for the first time.
“At this stage, I was willing to do anything.
“I first came across Nerva on Instagram. I read that it was connected to Monash University and included information and guidance on FODMAPs. I could see it was the real thing.
“I completed the hypnotherapy program right the way through, and it started working for me towards the end.
“Every time I do the Nerva program it gets better and better for me. I also do the breathing techniques I learned all the time.
“Now, I’m fine. And this has been an issue for me for 40 years. That’s a long time!”
Taming flare-ups
Sophie said she has the occasional IBS-related flare-up if she’s away from home or out of her usual routine.
“I think your anxiety rises a bit when you go out of town, and you’re eating different foods. Or maybe you’re sitting down or standing up more than you usually do. Even if it’s excitement, my body might not know the difference.
“I’ll try to stop and think about what I’ve learned from Nerva. It takes me a few days to get over a flare-up and feel better, but I can usually breathe my way out of it.”
Sophie said she knew early on in her journey the role her mental health played with her gut and understood the importance of putting strategies like these in place.
“I figured out when I was younger that how I felt at certain points in time was connected to how my stomach was feeling. I noticed that when I was tightly wound or anxious, it was hard to step back, see the bigger picture, and address what was happening.”
A pain-free life
Sophie happily reports that her pain has now diminished so drastically she barely feels it.
“If I had to rate my pain out of 10, I’d say it’s maybe 0.5? I wouldn’t even call it pain. I rarely get flare-ups now, which is when my pain would go up to about a six out of 10.
“Since I completed the Nerva program, I can't overemphasize enough that I feel like I have a new lease on life. I'm just so happy. I had come to realize how pain had become part of my psyche.”
Sophie is also happy to share that her diet is now free from limitations, and anxiety.
“I can eat whatever I want. Though every time I eat some cheese, I still think to myself, ‘This isn’t going to end well.’ But then I don’t end up having a problem with it. I can’t believe that. Cheese is great! Cherries are also abundant where I live, and I can eat as many as I want. Before I could handle maybe two, and it would inevitably lead to a lot of pain.”
IBS? What IBS?
Sophie said one of the most important things Nerva taught her was where to direct her focus.
“The program teaches you not to focus on your autonomic nervous system; it just needs to do its job.
“But honestly, there are so many women my age where all we talk about is our stomachs! It’s so common.
“And when the pandemic started, it just made everyone anxious, and then I’d hear about that all the time too. It made me think, no wonder so many people are now gluten intolerant or can’t drink milk anymore. It feels like we all carry so much stress in our stomachs, and we tend to go all-in focusing on that.
“However, I never talk about my gut anymore, my brain doesn’t go there. It isn’t so deeply attached to the thoughts I used to have about it all the time. I’d wake up thinking about it. I’d think about my stomach every time I ate, mostly worrying about how it was going to end horribly for me. I can’t say enough how great it has been not to have that as my focus anymore.”
Taking control of IBS
“Now, being able to do whatever I want, I would rate the quality of my life as 10 out of 10, which is just amazing. Not to brag or anything, but my life really is the best it’s ever been. Maybe I should score it nine out of 10? Actually, no. I’m giving myself a solid 10, I deserve it!”
Sophie said taking control of her health is what changed the game.
“For anyone else going through something similar, know that solving this issue is so empowering.”
*Name changed
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