Week 2 Review of Nerva Hypnotherapy App

Going with the flow is not usually something that IBS sufferers are known for. Frantic bathroom hunting, emergency stops and cheek clenching don't really allow for feelings of flow. So I was a little bit sceptical when I realised that a free-flowing river would be the focus of session 2 of my gut-directed hypnotherapy sessions in the Nerva app. (Affiliate link).

Ad: This post includes references to a gifted service I received in return for my feedback and an honest review. Edit Nov 2021: Some of my latest posts and videos are kindly sponsored by Nerva. Edit May 2024: Nerva has just launched an affiliate program. I may now receive a small affiliate commission on all qualifying purchases through my links. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jump to:

• Setting the Scene
• Fast or Slow?
• Go with the Flow
• And Breathe
• I See Colours
• Audio Clip
• Visual Inspiration Gallery
• 10% Discount Off Nerva App
• Comments

If you're familiar with any kind of guided meditation I'm sure the idea of visualising water won't seem too unusual. Many people are relaxed by the sight and sound of water and it's a pretty safe, if not cliched, setting for promoting relaxation.

As an IBS-D sufferer, one of my main concerns was how the visualisations would accommodate me. As someone that often feels like they could do with plugging, rather than encouraging, the flow, I was curious how this could work. I need not have worried as there was a simple technique for doing just that. My second worry was that it would make me need to pee, but that's a whole other mid-life issue that we won't get into here.

The biggest surprise for me this week was the unexpected 'visitor' that came calling. My period unexpectedly started within a few days of getting into the flow of this week's watery theme.

Just before we drift any further, if you haven't read the introductory post or heard about my first week's experience with gut-directed hypnotherapy for IBS then I recommend you head over there now. It'll give you a better feel for it all before we continue this journey downstream, so to speak.

In this week 2 review of the Nerva hypnotherapy app, we'll talk about going with the flow. I describe the joys of my periods with IBS and dodgy deep breathing. Let's get into it...

Setting the Scene

I came into session two feeling positive and looking forward to experiencing something new. However, I was a little disappointed that the guided visualisation didn't flow as well as in the previous theme. 

I found this theme, and the journey to reach the river, to be a bit forced. We started on the wooden decking of an old abandoned cottage. The focused attention on the steps, down from the cottage is designed to lead the listener deeper into relaxation as you descend. Fair enough, I understand the concept, but I think it could have been executed better. As our setting within the scene expands we see the cottage is in the middle of a park. My non-fiction brain immediately screamed at me that this placement was odd. How many parks do you know with run-down cottages in the middle? Why haven't the council turned it into a rustic tea room, a bird hide or even a posh public toilet? My inquiring mind just wouldn't let it go.

Moving away from the cottage and through the park is where we encounter the river. Once we'd arrived I spent a few minutes pondering why we didn't just start here. Perhaps on a wooden bridge over the river? This would have made much more sense to the overall scene and allowed for the notion of descending deeper with each downward step. Eventually, my over-anxious brain began to relax and it was all plain sailing from then on.

Fast or Slow?

Once I'd gotten over this visual blip I managed to relax fully into the sessions, just as I had previously. The visualisation continues with a gently flowing river, free of obstructions, blockages and the like. I took a deep breath and suppressed a fleeting, urban image, of an upturned, half-submerged shopping trolley. 

The focus of this session is to suggest the flowing river is our digestive system. This conjures up images of continual motion and flow. Although our rivers (digestive systems) should flow gently and uninterrupted, we can each control the speed of this motion. The idea is introduced that we can add or remove rocks, to and from our river, to alter the flow to suit our symptoms.

Those with IBS-C can imagine clearing away debris to allow a strong steady flow to spring forth. Whereas, those with IBS-D may need to strategically place rocks along the way. This helps to create a slower, more meandering journey from point A to B. I liked how this simple metaphor works no matter how your IBS usually presents. It can be tailored to suit you and your changing digestive symptoms.

Go with the Flow

Interestingly, when listening to this session, I encountered a bit more flow than I'd anticipated. My period started early, unexpectedly and with minimal fuss. This might not seem like a big deal. The odds are that it's bound to happen to some of us during a 6-week course of treatment.

As someone with a long, erratic cycle that heavily influences my IBS symptoms, the fact that it turned up 3 weeks earlier than anticipated, with hardly any symptoms, makes it worth a mention.

I know many of you reading this will have suffered the awfulness that is menstrual IBS. Mine usually goes something like this:

• Mild constipation
• Insomnia
• Night sweats
• Headaches and lightheadedness
• Nausea
• Bloating
• Excruciating cramps
• Foul-smelling farts
• Acute diarrhoea
• Debilitating back and pelvic pain
• Heavy blood loss with clots
• Extreme fatigue
• Food cravings
• Emotional and physical wreck

As you can imagine I'm a joy to be around and I'm bringing sexy back in a BIG way. But this month was noticeably different. All of my usual symptoms were either non-existent or greatly reduced from their usual hormonal horror fest. I didn't even associate the mild constipation and insomnia I was experiencing with the start of my period. For me, it was so close to a "normal" cycle length that it never occurred that it was due.

My period cramps, bloating, fatigue, headaches, nausea, lightheadedness and flow were all kept to a manageable minimum. For the first time in as long as I can remember I didn't experience diarrhoea, foul farts, back pain or mood swings.

As someone whose default period position is usually foetal, I shocked both myself and more impressively, my hubby, by throwing myself into 3 high-intensity insanity workouts throughout the week. A phenomenon that's never been seen before at my time of the month.

I had light cramping and bloating that was easily managed with a heat pack. My overall flow was light to moderate as opposed to heavy. Whilst my carb monster cravings were usual for me, I didn't experience any FODMAP flare-ups from eating ALL THE BREAD!

I was so shocked at the difference from my usual periods that I unashamedly spoke to the folks at Nerva about this. They haven't received any other reports of this and don't have any research to support the fact that the program could have influenced my cycle to such an extent. A coincidence then? Well, officially it would appear so.

Let's be clear, I don't want you to rush out and buy the app expecting miracles to your monthlies. I can only tell you about my honest experience and the noticeable improvement in my period this time around and leave it at that.

Edit 2nd Dec 2020: I've just experienced my third period since starting the Nerva program and I'm convinced it still works wonders. My cycle length, PMT, pain, bloating, cramps, flow and mood have all been significantly improved. All 3 of my last periods have sneaked up on me. My usually awful PMT warning symptoms have been absent before the start of each bleed.

Please let me know, either via private email or in the comments below what your experience of this has been. I really think it's something that needs to be thoroughly investigated in relation to gut-directed hypnotherapy.

And Breathe

The only other major difference to this week's program is the addition of a deep breathing exercise. This adds about 5 minutes to the treatment time, taking the total to around 25 minutes. However, this breathing exercise is separate from the main session and could be done at another time of day if preferred.

If you're new to deep breathing then you may find the visual prompt helpful. With each measured breath, a ball inflates and deflates to help you keep pace. I've been box breathing for a while so unfortunately, I found this exercise a bit irritating.

Nerva has decided to use a 3 part, rather than a traditional 4 part breath. I fully understand why they have made this decision. The part they've missed out, the pause after the out-breath is typically the hardest part for people to master. It also has some contraindications for people with asthma and respiratory or blood pressure issues. 

The compromise for anyone used to practising the full 4 part breath, is it can be hard to get into the habit of inhaling immediately after the exhale. It feels rushed and a little bit disorientating until you get used to it. If you decide to revert to a 4 part breath, the visual cue doesn't sync with the movement of your chest. This can be a little jarring and cause a bit of mild performance anxiety. 

I also think that for anyone very new to the practice of deep breathing, a 5-second breath can be a fraction too long. This means that rather than relax you, it can do the opposite. It's easy to strain and tense as you overreach for the ends of the breath.

All in all, it's not a big deal. By the end of the week, I had taken to doing my usual 4 part breath. I simply closed my eyes and ignored the app. The main issue with this is that unlike the main session, which continues to play when your phone goes to sleep, the countdown on the breathing exercise pauses if your screen turns off. It's a minor irritation but it means that you need to remember to keep your finger on the screen throughout. Otherwise, you lose your place in the 5-minute countdown and don't know when your time is up.

For the majority of people new to deep breathing, this exercise will work perfectly fine as is. I'd personally like the countdown to continue functioning if the screen goes to sleep. I'd also like to see the introduction of a gentle, audible sound at the end of 5 minutes, to mark the end of the session. This would be helpful for those people who prefer to practise deep breathing of any kind with their eyes closed.

If you'd like to experience 4 part box breathing for yourself then I have a lovely little audio download available for my subscribers. To access it you need to sign up to the mailing list and follow the directions in the welcome email.

I See Colours

The only other interesting experience I had this week was that I saw moving shapes and colours behind my eyes during two different sessions. The best way to describe it would be as though I was looking into a 1960s lava lamp. Every few seconds an orb would emerge, shift, pulse and collide with another and another. The colours change each time from purple to pink to orange to green. It was quite a soothing sensation and not as disorientating as it probably sounds.

On these particular days, I'd decided to do the breathing exercise after the main session. This meant I didn't immediately associate the pulsing shapes that I visualised with the movement of the ball from the breathing exercise. I'm guessing it was tucked away in my subconscious mind from the previous sessions and that's what brought it up.

I'm not sure if seeing colours is a usual phenomenon during hypnotherapy. It hadn't happened to me before and I thought you might find it either interesting or weird. I'd love to hear in the comments below if you experience anything like this. 

So there we have it, I can't believe that week two is already complete. I'm amazed at how quickly the sessions are going and how easily I'm managing to fit them into my day. Remember to pop back next week as I'll be halfway through the Nerva program. Hopefully, I'll be able to give you a better idea of how well it's worked so far.

Until then my friend, just keep breathing.

Air hugs, Michelle xoxo

Audio Clip

Listen to a short clip from session 2 to get a feel for the Nerva IBS program.

Please note: You will not be hypnotised by listening to this brief clip. This audio has been abridged to give you a general feel for the narrator, tone and pace of what to expect from the Nerva app.

Visual Inspiration Gallery

To help get you in the mood and stimulate your creativity I've gathered together some images that might help you to visualise this session. These are just a starting point and are an expression of what comes to my mind as I listen to mind-gut medicine. You are encouraged throughout the sessions to explore and visualise whatever you like, in your own unique way.

Photo source via Unsplash

Credits: 1: Livia Bühler, 2: Chris Abney, 3: Viktor Talashuk, 4: Tim Bogdanov, 5: Vidar Kristiansen, 6: Niklas Veenhuis, 7: Nauris Pūķis, 8: Kevin Schmid, 9: Arjan Wilmsen, 10: Sead Dedić, 11: Deniz Altindas, 12: Luca Bravo.