Does IBS Cause Anxiety, Or Does Anxiety Cause IBS?

Does IBS Cause Anxiety, Or Does Anxiety Cause IBS?

Does IBS Cause Anxiety, Or Does Anxiety Cause IBS?Kathryn Dunn
Published on: 11/10/2026

A 2026 study followed tens of thousands of people in both directions. Gut and mood each raised the risk of the other, and sleep sat in the middle of both.

IBSIrritable Bowel Syndromeanxietydepressiongut-brain axissleepgut directed hypnotherapy
Kathryn Dunn
Gut-directed hypnotherapy · York & online

Kathryn Dunn, trading as Mind Your Guts and HypnoGirl. Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist, MFHT.

44 Tennent Road, York YO24 3HF
Phone: 07816 397 390
Email: [email protected]

Gut Feelings is Kathryn’s free weekly email. Get Twelve Minutes of Calm.

Confidence, in life and in rooms

The other half of this practice is HypnoGirl: confidence in your body, in a room full of strangers, at work and out networking. Same person, same approach.

Go to HypnoGirl →

Hypnotherapy is not a substitute for medical care and does not diagnose any condition. This work is relaxation-based and is offered alongside the care you receive from your GP. Gut-directed hypnotherapy is referred to in the UK clinical guidelines for irritable bowel syndrome: the British Society of Gastroenterology guideline gives it a strong recommendation on low-quality evidence, and NICE says referral for psychological interventions, including hypnotherapy, should be considered for people whose IBS has not responded to pharmacological treatment after twelve months and is described as refractory. This is not a promise of personal results. Results vary from person to person and no approach helps everyone. This site is for information only. Please get a diagnosis from your GP and see your GP about any new, changing or persistent symptoms, so that other conditions can be ruled out.

Copyright © 2026 Kathryn Dunn. All rights reserved. · Privacy Policy · Site by Craig Pickles
Member of the Institute of Leadership