Only two more weeks to go of my gut-directed hypnotherapy sessions for IBS. This week's been an interesting one, with both highs and lows. Very appropriate considering the theme we're focusing on this week features a swing.
In this week 5 review of the Nerva IBS app (affiliate link), I give you an honest look at my symptoms and triggers during a flare-up and discuss finding balance when living life with IBS.
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:
If you're not familiar with hypnotherapy for IBS or the Nerva app, which conveniently delivers the therapy right to your smartphone, then you'll want to check out the other posts in this series;
- Introduction to gut-directed hypnotherapy for IBS
- Week 1 review
- Week 2 review
- Week 3 review
- Week 4 review
Getting Into the Swing of it
I'm suspended, weightless. Ancient oak beams creak above me. The thick rope on which my faith hangs quietly squeaks its protest as I move slowly back and forth. I'm swinging over a pool of still water in 30-degree heat and I can't think of a better place to be listening to this session.
With this place in mind, I purposely coincided my schedule so that I would be here, in this very spot, when I reached week 5 of the Nerva app. Having been here before, I knew the cocoon-like hammock chair that awaited me would make the ideal therapist's couch upon which to continue my gut-directed hypnotherapy sessions.
The theme of a calming swing conjures up nostalgic memories of a childhood well spent. It creates a sense of playfulness and freedom that's, unfortunately, lacking in my typical day-to-day life. For many people (myself excluded) this visualisation will take you back to those carefree days before your IBS symptoms began. Imagine a beautiful green park and a Covid lockdown-free playground. With each gentle sway, you guide yourself deeper and deeper into relaxation. Here you're encouraged to put aside your cares for a little while.
I consider myself the type of person that's easily lulled by repetitive movement. Despite a strong tendency to motion sickness, car journeys, trains, hammocks and swings all have the power to rock me swiftly to sleep. Thankfully the omnipotent, assertive presence of the narrator, and a mild sense of vertigo, keep me just the right side of alertness. I'm able to experience and benefit from the full session without nodding off.
Of course, you don't need to try to mimic the theme with your location. The app does a great job of transporting you into the scene. It's designed to be listened to wherever you're able to relax and feel comfortable. However, for these reviews, I thought that changing the setting would make things a bit more interesting for you to follow along, so here we are.
The Highs and Lows
During this week of the program, I was actually on a little staycation with family. We rented a beautiful farmhouse on the Somerset/Devon border. We had a week of pool parties, games nights and family time planned. To keep the dog happy we also had plenty of socially distanced hikes thrown in.
I'm sure many of you can relate to the fact that routine tends to go out of the window on holidays. Food, late-night snacking and alcohol is all overindulged, whilst water intake, bedtimes and FODMAP moderation seem to go to pot. This means that I'll be well and truly feeling my age and my IBS before the end of the week.
Unfortunately, this holiday was no exception and I experienced one of the worst flare-up weeks I've had in ages. I'd been so thrilled with the progress I'm seeing from my Nerva sessions that I threw caution to the wind. I did as I pleased, without a thought for the consequences on my mood and gut. Knowing that this is likely all self-inflicted tends to make me feel worse. Guilt and regrets piled on top of hangovers and troublesome toilet trips is a miserable combination.
I felt really sad that my stomach flared up badly at this stage of the program. Despite each session advising me that setbacks are possible, it's hard not to feel frustrated. I tried not to take to heart the sense that all the good work I'd achieved so far has been undone. Although I kept up with my detailed food diary all week I can't see one definite reason for my symptoms. I think it's more a case of all the ways my eating and habits changed. One at a time they'd be pretty manageable but stacking them together resulted in a big old mess.
Possible triggers for me this week include:
- Alcohol. I don't drink much anymore, mostly due to the fact that I tend to feel pretty shitty afterwards. Even a small amount of alcohol can cause me a hangover that lasts for days. This week I drank 1-3 units of alcohol most evenings.
- Coffee. Even though I quit drinking coffee years ago I do still miss it. I like to indulge in a cup on holidays and special occasions, often in place of dessert. I was drinking strong, ground decaf most days, sometimes twice a day. On one of our days out, I had a 'proper coffee' in place of lunch (due to a lack of vegan options).
- Sugar. One of the main reasons I gave up coffee is because I can't drink it unless it's really sweet. Each coffee I have contains 2 large sugars. Whilst I've not given up sugar completely, I haven't added extra table sugar to anything for quite some time.
- Fizzy pop. Full sugar Coke and flavoured tonic water several times this week. Only usually something I have once a month or so.
- Wheat. I ate quite a lot of wheat this week, which is not that unusual for me. Some days I ate it at every meal in the form of bread products, pasta and couscous. These are all things that I've re-introduced since my low FODMAP elimination. I tolerate them in fairly high amounts but it's possible that in combination with other triggers, they don't sit well.
- Snacking. Both between meals and after tea, especially when drinking alcohol. At home, it's very rare that I eat anything from about 7 pm until breakfast the next day. This week I ate crisps and cookies most evenings.
- Late nights and broken sleep. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm usually in bed by 9 pm and asleep before 10 pm. Although we were only an hour or so later than this we were still up as usual by 6 am most mornings. Plus on the days my tummy was bad I had a few restless nights of sleep.
- Excitement/mild anxiety. We had a lovely week, with days out, pool parties and some moderately strenuous hikes. My body honestly doesn't seem to be able to tell the difference between good and bad stressors.
Interestingly, although we were all eating and drinking differently, everyone except my husband (who is known for his iron constitution) ended up with a dodgy belly. This includes my 3-year-old niece, who definitely wasn't over-indulging in alcohol! Whilst none of us felt truly awful (as would be the case with a tummy bug or food poisoning), we just felt randomly a bit off. It could be that either the tap water or the swimming pool water had a hand in it. These were the only things we all had in common on a daily basis.
The main positive I took from this week is that although my tummy didn't behave as I would have liked, It didn't seem to stop me from enjoying my holiday. This is quite a big win for me. Often when my gut is playing up, my energy and inclination to do anything other than wallow in my self-pity tends to kick in.
This week I feel that the positive reinforcements from the sessions helped me to keep my flare-up in perspective. Despite not feeling my best I was skinny dipping in the pool before sunrise most days. We enjoyed some decent hikes with the dog, off the beaten track with public toilets not always easily available. I stayed positive and present, continuing to interact and connect with my loved ones without withdrawing into my usual ball of immobile misery. Go me!
Finding Balance
This week's experience does raise the question as to the reasonable limits of gut-directed hypnotherapy. Obviously, if I'm stuffing my pie hole with all kinds of rubbish that I don't usually eat then I've learned to expect flare-ups. The changes to my habits this week would have undoubtedly led to an increase in symptoms. This then takes me away from the comfortable baseline I've been used to since completing the low FODMAP diet.
However, one of the main selling points of the program is that you don't need to modify your current eating habits to see improvements. Whilst it's scientifically proven to be as effective as a low FODMAP diet, without the need for restrictive eating, no promises are made as to the effects of you suddenly increasing your IBS triggers as I did or possibly contracting a tummy bug.
I find this interesting as many people I've spoken to have found such relief from the sessions that they've been able to re-introduce foods back into their diet that they'd previously stopped eating. I don't know if this happened after completing the full program or gradually throughout. Either way, it shows that the program does allow for changes in diet and is effective at supporting an increase in potentially triggering foods. Unfortunately, this wasn't my experience.
Although some of the wording from the sessions can make you feel a bit invincible,
'Abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating and wind are no longer a problem for you. Any issues that you once had with your bowels are now a thing of the past. Your bowel now works easily and effortlessly, you are in control. Any sensations that would have been uncomfortable before are not uncomfortable in the same way anymore. As you continue to become less and less sensitive to all discomfort until nothing can irritate or upset you anymore'.
As wonderful as this sounds, for most people I think common sense still needs to be applied. Managing realistic expectations can help to avoid disappointment and comparison.
My (far from scientific) conclusion from this week tells me that the program was working nicely until I had a drastic change in daily habits and an increase in my IBS triggers. I can't swear to it but I'm pretty sure that without these changes I would have continued to keep my gut in check and my symptoms to a minimum as I have for the past 4 weeks. What this means for people wanting to re-introduce trigger foods, based on my experience, I honestly can't say.
All this tells me what I already know deep down. Which is however you decide to tackle your IBS you still need to take a degree of responsibility for yourself. This might sound harsh, and as though it defeats the point of the program, but after decades of suffering I've resigned myself to the fact that there is no magic cure that allows me to eat, drink and do as I please whilst still feeling the benefits of remission. In my experience, keeping my lifestyle choices balanced goes a big way towards controlling how I feel most days.
I'm looking forward to getting back on track next week. Once I've settled down into my usual habits and routine I'm hoping to pick up where I left off and go out on a high. Next week will be the final week of the program so I hope you'll stick around to see how it turns out. As always, please pop any questions about this week's session or my experiences so far in the comments box below and I'll answer them as best I can.
Meet you by the swings.
Nerva Audio Clip
Listen to a short clip from session 5 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 be helpful for you for this session. These are just a starting point and are an expression of what comes to my mind as I listen to calming swing. You are encouraged throughout the sessions to explore and visualise whatever you like, in your own unique way.
Photo source via Unsplash
Credits: 1: Ryan Hafey, 2: Abhishek Donda, 3: Ali Shivali, 4: Crystal Kay, 5: Danielle MacInnes, 6: Etienne Delorieux, 7: Ettore Caputo, 8: Jasper Garratt, 9: David Gavi, 10: Annie Spratt, 11: Gayatri Malholtra, 12: Mohamed Nohassi, 13: Jon Eckert, 14: Siora Photography.
10% Discount Off Nerva App
If you like what you've heard so far and you're keen to try out Nerva for yourself then you'll be pleased to hear I've managed to organise a little discount for you. But just before you go ahead and invest in the app for yourself I think it's only fair to tell you that I've been gifted free, full access to the Nerva app by their community manager.
This access is in return for honest feedback about the product and a review. That's it, no B*S, no funny business, no scripts, no specified number of posts in strategic places. Just an introduction to a potentially life-changing treatment for IBS and an honest account of my experience.
Edit: As of Nov 2021 I have worked on paid sponsored posts like this one in partnership with Nerva. I know some people can feel a bit icky about these things so I just want to tell it like it is.
Please make sure you pay attention to the sales process below BEFORE you use this affiliate link to claim your 10% discount.
- When you click the discount link you'll see a welcome page. You'll then be guided through several multiple-choice pages like the ones you see below. Don't worry it only takes a few minutes, there are multiple-choice questions interspersed with short advice pages. This section is designed to assess your IBS symptoms and see if gut-directed hypnotherapy is right for you. Be as honest as you can. I don't think there are any wrong answers here but I've not purposely tried to test the system. It's possible that, as with a low FODMAP diet, the program may not be suitable for everyone.
2. At the end of the assessment, you'll be shown a summary of your answers and asked to enter your email. This next bit is VERY IMPORTANT. Once you've entered your email address continue to be guided through the flow. Click on the buttons at the bottom of each page, until you reach the sales page. Do not click directly through to the sales page from the email you receive from Nerva. Doing this may take you to the full price sales page. Depending on the current pricing of the app you will be directed to either the 10% discount (which clearly shows the usual price and the discount you've received) or the current sales price, whichever is the lowest. If you're not sure you're seeing the lowest price available please contact Nerva before proceeding with your purchase.
3. This process also works if you've previously signed up for an assessment. You may have given your email and created an account but not gone on to purchase the app. You just need to click the, "I already have a profile" link at the beginning of the workflow. If you completed the Q&A's before then you'll just see the last few screens before being taken to the discounted sales page.
4. Another crucial thing to point out is that the 4-week money-back guarantee is only valid if you purchase through the sales flow I describe. This is done directly from your phone, tablet or pc on the Nerva website and not via the app store. It's possible to download the free 7 day trial of the Nerva app directly from the app store and upgrade to full access within the app without ever having visited the Nerva website. Unfortunately, if you do it this way, you won't get the discount. You also won't be able to claim the money-back guarantee if you decide the program is not right for you. This detail is not specific to using the discount code, it always applies to the sales process. Nerva blames this on the way that in-app purchases are controlled by the app stores. Don't say I didn't warn you.
5. At the moment I haven't been given a cut off date for sharing the discount. I'm only mentioning this because if it's the first time you've heard about the app then you're probably not ready to get your money out just yet. Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing my thoughts, insights, experience and sneak peeks into the app. At this point, I think it's safe to tell you that you can follow along, learn more about the app and not risk missing out on the discount. If this changes I'll update this post and let you know asap pinky promise.
For all the official information about the Nerva app head over to Mindset Health. The team at Mindset Health continue to improve and update the app based on user feedback. This means that changes may occur to the program over time. Some aspects may differ from my experience and may no longer be as described.
Stay tuned over the coming weeks as I delve deeper into the app. I'll update you on my weekly progress and share my thoughts and sneak-peeks into each session of the program.
Michelle xoxo
Sponsored Post Declaration
Ad: This post includes references to a gifted service I received in return for my feedback and an honest review. Edit Nov 2021: Some links to my latest posts and videos are kindly sponsored by Nerva. Qualifying purchases made through my affiliate links may result in me receiving financial compensation. I appreciate your choosing to purchase through my links and support the work that I do in this way.
Sincerest thanks to the team at Nerva for allowing me to share my honest thoughts without attempting to interfere with the content.
Reviews are based on my experience of the app in Sept 2020. The program, sessions, app structure and pricing are subject to change at any time without notice and may not be as described here. Please see the official Nerva website for the most up to date information and pricing.
Sue S says
Thank you so much for your honest description of Nerva’s hypnotherapy programme. I read some of your review before starting.
I’m just starting my second week and have just had a major flare up of my IBS, which coincided with Christmas which is suspect had something to do with it. I found it comforting that you described the lethargy, lack of energy, fatigue and negative feelings that I also experience with a flare up.
I am really enjoying the sessions and hoping that the long term impact will make these bouts of IBS fewer and easier to manage. I shall definitely continue as very little else has made a difference so far. My flare ups are pretty unpredictable and it’s become a little harder as I now have an autoimmune condition that affects my swallow and therefore what I can eat.
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
Hi Sue, thanks so much for sharing your experience. I think it's important that we can acknowledge that when it comes to IBS our symptoms are not linear and flare-ups can be unpredictable. Even when a treatment suits us and is working we can experience setbacks and this is what I hoped for my reviews to show. It sounds as though you have realistic expectations of what the program can do for you and I hope once you're over the worst of your flare-up you can continue to see improvements. Thanks so much for getting in touch.