Control Abdominal Pain

Dr. Olafur Palsson, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina, developed a protocol for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, a disorder often accompanied by abdominal pain.

Hypnotic practitioners often use vivid imagery when making hypnotic suggestions.

"Visualizing your stomach and your intestines, and visualizing a strong, protective coating being applied inside your intestines," explains Palsson. "And this special protective coating only allows pleasant sensations through, and keeps all uncomfortable sensations out. Then it is suggested that this protective coating grows stronger and thicker and more protective day by day."

In recent years, however, experts have begun to understand more about the connections between the brain and the gut, a relationship that is reflected in popular expressions like "a gut-wrenching experience" or "having butterflies in your stomach."

The gastrointestinal tract is awash in nerve cells and neurotransmitters. About 95 percent of the body's neurotransmitter serotonin is in the intestinal tract. Stress, nervousness, fear and other emotions often play out their own drama in the gut.

The problem appears to be a mismatch in signaling between the brain and the gut, said Dr. Lonnie Zeltzer, director of the Pediatric Pain Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. "If you have ongoing pain, you can develop abnormal pain pathways, so that the volume of pain signaling is being turned up and up,"

People with recurrent abdominal pain were 79 percent more likely to have an anxiety disorder than those in a control group. The pain can cause more worrying, leading to a vicious cycle.

As an understanding of the brain-gut connection grows, some centers have begun to use techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation training, massage therapy and other alternative approaches as a first line of treatment.