What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and why do we get it?

IBS is a common, long-term condition of the digestive system. It is classified as bouts of constipation and bloating followed by stomach cramps and diarrhoea.

According to the NHS choices website, IBS is thought to affect up to one in five people at some point in their life, and around twice as many women are affected as men.

NHS choices also claim that the condition is usually life-long, but may improve over several years.

 While modern medicine does acknowledge that IBS seems to flare up during times of stress, it does not make clear the specific cause and meaning behind IBS. 
diarrhoea

Why IBS Starts Meta-Health explains how all diseases and illnesses, with the exception of poisoning and accidents, begin with a significant emotional shock. In order for a shock to begin a disease programme, it must be unexpected, dramatic, highly emotional and isolative. In the moment, the individual has no way of mentally dealing with the unexpected event, so the body takes over.

In order to identify the specific shock that causes IBS, it is important to look at the biological function of the colon. The digestive tract’s primary task is to process food, however, it is not just food we’re taking in, we are also taking in information all of the time. As with food, this information needs to be processed, assimilated and utilised or rejected.

If something is totally indigestible, how you eliminate it will depend how far through the digestive tract it has travelled. If you refuse to accept something you may get gastric reflux. However, if you take in the information and try to assimilate it but are unable to let go of the ‘chunk’ of information and the emotion associated with it; that is when IBS symptoms will appear.

In Meta-Health, the root cause of IBS is an indigestible anger: the inability to digest a ‘chunk’ of information and holding onto anger about it.

The Two Phases of IBS (Constipation and Diarrhoea)

All illnesses follow a 2-phase pattern, which is demonstrated more clearly with IBS than it is with some other health issues. The two phases represent the body’s way of dealing with the shock, then rebalancing.

The Stress Phase (Phase 1)

As discussed earlier, the cycle begins with a shock. After the shock we go into the first phase, which is a state of sympathetic stress. This phase is characterised by some general symptoms, such as:

• Stress and tension
• Compulsive thinking
• Sleeplessness
• Reduced appetite
• Cold hands and feet

With IBS, specifically, this is the phase where we experience the constipation. The ‘chunk’ of information is stuck within the system, cells in the colon increase and produce more gastric juices, at the same time we find ourselves obsessing about the problem. This is to try and resolve it and better enable us to digest the chunk.

The Regeneration Phase (Phase 2)

When we resolve the anger, and digest the event/shock, we go into the second phase, a state of parasympathetic regeneration. This phase is characterised by some general symptoms such as:

• Tiredness
• Increased appetite
• Reduced thinking
• Warm hands and feet

This phase is when we experience the diarrhoea. Water builds up in the colon, to enable the elimination of the chunk, which results in diarrhoea. The extra cells which have built up in the first phase are released, so that by the end of the two phases, the body has returned to normal functioning.

Why does IBS become chronic?

Once somebody has experienced a traumatic life event and gone through the dis-ease cycle, a reminder of the original event is enough to re-trigger the IBS. They don’t have to experience another trauma, just have the same feelings.

In the moment of shock, the unconscious mind records everything in the environment in every sense: visual, auditory, kinaesthetic (feeling), olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste). From a survival point of view, recalling all the details means you have an in-built warning system to avoid the situation in future.

For many people, the gustatory sense is a trigger, which is why so many people develop intolerances to wheat, dairy, nuts or other triggers. It is rarely the substance itself, but the body’s reaction to the stimulus that causes the IBS.

What happens once we have pinpointed the cause?

Meta-Health can reveal the root cause, the triggers and the underlying emotional patterns for a specific health issue. Having this awareness can be massively empowering and occasionally will be enough to resolve the health issue, but in most cases, some therapeutic changes will need to be made.

Biological Programme

Resolving the conflict mentally and releasing the negative emotions. If a person is experiencing ongoing symptoms, it is a sign that they haven’t fully let go of the original event or the emotional pattern. There are many techniques, including EFT (a psychological acupressure technique) which helps people to release negative feelings.

Self-healing response

Stimulating the body to heal and raise vitality. This may include nutrition, physical fitness and even treating the symptoms, if necessary. Raising vitality at all levels increases the individual’s ability to deal with triggers and future shocks and stay healthier.

Social Environment

Changing the environment or social behaviours can be particularly important when the social environment is a trigger.