Online, Gut-directed Hypnotherapy for Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

January 9, 2026 updated by: Magnus Simrén, Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Adult IBS patients with symptoms refractory to standard medical treatment will receive online nurse-administered, gut-directed hypnotherapy in groups. The primary outcome measure was change in gastro-intestinal symptom severity. Secondary outcomes are GI-specific anxiety, general anxiety and depression, quality of life, and extracolonic symptom severity. Usability of the digital platform as well as patient treatment satisfaction will also be assessed.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

IBS patients with symptoms refractory to standard treatment and who were referred to a specialist unit for hypnotherapy, will be included in the study consecutively. The patients will receive gut-directed hypnotherapy given by a nurse trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy. Effects of treatment will be measured by validated questionnaires at baseline and at various time points during the treatment period, as well as after the completion of the treatment at follow-up 6 months, 1 and 2 years after treatment.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

50

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Sweden
      • Gothenburg, Sweden, 41345
        • Sahlgrenska University Hospital
      • Gothenburg, Sweden, 41345
        • Mag-tarmlab, Sahlgrenska University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • IBS diagnosis

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Organic GI disease

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Other: Nurse-delivered, gut-directed hypnotherapy
Behavioral: Gut-directed hypnotherapy
Gut-directed hypnotherapy for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Gut-directed hypnotherapy (8 sessions), will be given online in a group setting.The hypnosis treatment is administered by a nurse specially trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy. The treatment is based on the North Carolina protocol. Patients will assess gastro-intestinal symptom severity before, during and after treatment, as well as at follow-up.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in gastrointestinal symptom severity measured by the IBS Severity Scoring System questionnaire (IBS-SSS)
Time Frame: Baseline (week 0), during treatment (week 6), at treatment completion (week 12), follow-up (6 months, 1 and 2 years after treatment initiation)
The score is calculated from 5 items: pain severity, pain frequency, abdominal bloating severity, bowel habit dissatisfaction and daily life interference. The score ranges from 0-500. A higher the score signifies more severe symptoms. A symptom score reduction of 50 points or more after treatment compared to the baseline score is considered a response to treatment.
Baseline (week 0), during treatment (week 6), at treatment completion (week 12), follow-up (6 months, 1 and 2 years after treatment initiation)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sahlgrenska University Hospital

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Magnus Simrén, Göteborg University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

October 17, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 30, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

May 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 1, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 1, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

March 7, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

January 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 9, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2022-03997-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Clinical Trials on Gut-directed hypnotherapy

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Mauritius

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe