I have been posting this on other bb's, including my own, it is a lot of information but will post it here.
Stress and anxiety and worry and fear and all kinds of other things come into play in IBS, because of what's called the brain gut axis. This as I said is a lot of info, some very complex. It may take a while to read and learn some of these things.
know there is often talk on this discussion forum, on all the possible causes of IBS and little attension is payed to the suffering and emotional states of people with IBS and the fears and worries of what could it be and many other issues and how that really effects our symptoms.
But it would be good to think of another aspect of IBS which is very important, while they find the cause/causes for IBS and the suffering that people have now.
Changing your thoughts in IBS
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FYI
It is well known in IBS stress and anxiety can play a major role in triggering symptoms and contribute to making pain worse and effecting the colon. I would like this thread to be about such issues and psycophysiolgoical workings of the brain gut axis and psycophysiological arousal and distress, anxiety, antisipatory anxiety, and negative reaction to symptoms, and how calming the Mind and body often makes a significant difference in symptoms. I know for myself and many others, that the symptoms themselves are enough to contribute to negative thought processes and more anxiety and worry and anger and a whole array of negative thought processes. The longer a person has IBS, the deeper these thought processes can become imbedded in our thinking and in our mental states and the more a person suffers from the vicous cycle of IBS.
This is not to say IBS "is all in the head" it is not, it is a very real physical problem and that is well known by most nowadays hopefully.
First and this is bascially a form of CBT, this is on going to the dentist, but lets apply it to IBS and we can use our imagniantions and subsitute IBS for going to the dentist and how these negative thought processes effect the gut and gut function, which is also very well known now.
SO
The key to being relatively calm in the dentist's chair begins well
before the actual visit. I say relatively calm because if you're
suffering from dental phobia and have been for a while, it's unlikely
that you will feel "perfectly" comfortable your first or second visit.
Each of us must take an active part in overcoming our fears. People
don't get over their fear of heights for instance, in an flash. It takes
practice - practice changing your thoughts. Long before the
dreaded event you must take charge of your thinking. If you
consciously make an effort at being more calm, you will be more
calm.
Let's create a mental picture. You're sitting at your desk and glance
at the calendar. You notice your dental appointment is only two
weeks from today. Immediately your mind kicks into overdrive. "I
know it's going to be terrible. What if I get nauseous while I'm in the
chair? What if the anesthetic doesn't take hold quickly enough? I
know it's going to hurt. I'm grateful I found a new dentist who
advertises gentle procedures, but can I trust him to be gentle with
my mouth? Oh I remember that awful antiseptic stench from when I
was a youngster. I wonder if they've found anyway to correct that?"
As you think about the upcoming visit, your body begins responding
to your fear thoughts. Physical sensations can range from mild to
severe depending on how vivid a scene you've painted in your mind,
and how long you engage in the working up process. Your
shoulders and neck may feel tense. Your jaw may start to hurt
because you've got it got your teeth clamped together so tightly.
You may find yourself short of breath or a headache may be
looming on the horizon. Your stomach may be churning and your
insides trembling.
Actually these body signals can be viewed as good instead of bad.
They are a sure sign that you are thinking fear and a signal for you
to take action. You see the body doesn't know the difference
between an imagined experience and a real one. How can that be
you say! If you doubt my words, think about a frightful dream you
experienced, one where someone or something was chasing you.
You awaken from the dream feeling as though your heart is
pounding out of your chest, perhaps even perspiring. Your body
was reacting to an imagined fear, thoughts you were having in a
dream state. The character in your dream was not reality, yet your
body responded as if he were genuine.
Each and every time you catch yourself anxious about your
upcoming appointment, stop and W.A.I.T. Stop and ask yourself:
What Am I Thinking? Rather than letting your thoughts control you,
take the time to control your thoughts. Consciously toss out the
unhealthy fear thoughts and replace them with healthy secure and
realistic thoughts.
Using the picture we created earlier, here are a few ways to
reprogram what's going on in your mind. The original thoughts are in
italic, followed by the replacement thought(s).
Your dental appointment is only two weeks from today
You can view that fact insecurely, the appointment is only
two weeks away, or securely - the appointment is still two
weeks away.
I know it's going to be terrible
You really don't know how uncomfortable it's going to be.
The anticipation is always worse than the actual event.
What if I get nauseous while I'm in the chair?
Feeling nauseous is uncomfortable, but doesn't necessarily
mean that anything worse is going to happen. Feeling
nauseous is distressing, but it is not dangerous. Feelings
and sensations will rise, fall and run their course if we
don't attach danger to them. Take away the fear (danger)
and your stomach will quiet down on it's own accord.
What if the anesthetic doesn't take hold quickly enough?
If you feel the first poke of a dental instrument, speak up.
Tell the doctor it hurts. If you begin to feel pain while the
drilling's going on, hold up your hand as a signal to the
doc. You may not be able to speak clearly with the
position you're mouth is in, but you can make some kind of
sound, Grunt if you need to.- but do show some sign that
you're feeling pain. Remember your pain receptors are in
your body. Even though the dentists fingers are in your
mouth, he has no clue of what you're feeling unless you let
him know. Do not suffer in silence. And if you're concerned
about sounding a bit odd, don't. Dentists, assistants and
hygienists are used to hearing us
"talk with our mouths full."
I know it's going to hurt
The replacement thought here is simply: I don't know if it's
going to hurt - because you really don't know! None of us
can predict the future.
I'm grateful I found a new dentist who advertises gentle
procedures, but can I trust him to be gentle with my mouth?
Realistically there is no guarantee. But in all probability the
man or woman is more compassionate and caring than the
dentists of long ago.
Oh I remember that awful antiseptic stench from when I was a
youngster. I wonder if they've found anyway to correct that?
Most probably they have. New technology dentistry now
includes pleasant flavors for the things they place in our
mouths. If the flavors have improved, so have the scents.
Everything on the patient end of dentistry Is more
user-friendly these days.
And all those physical sensations you experience two weeks before
your appointment are the direct result of your fear thoughts - they
too are distressing, but they are not dangerous.
Practice in reprogramming thoughts has two beneficial effects. It
calms down the anticipatory fear you have before your visit, and
makes it easier to calm yourself down at the office. It's much easier
to recall secure and realistic thoughts if you've taken the time to use
them before. You can have them at your fingertips or the tip of your
tongue, ready to use while you're in the chair.
Another excellent method for stopping racing thoughts is objectivity
- the process of thinking of something measurable and verifiable.
This is a great technique to use, when you're stuck "in the chair."
Think about your automobile and picture every detail - interior and
exterior colors, number of doors, the shape of the door handles, all
the indicators on the dashboard, the type of fabric on the seats.
The list is endless. If you don't own an automobile, think of a
specific room in your home. Think about the size of the room -
length, width, height of the ceiling, how the furniture is placed, the
colors, lamps and all other accessories. It's a fact that we can only
have a single thought in a single instant. Describing in your mind
(thinking about) an object or objects that are familiar to you doesn't
give the mind a chance to harbor racing, upsetting thoughts. Fear
thoughts are persistent and they will try to sneak back in. When
they do, simply bring your attention (your thoughts) back to
describing your chosen object or place.
When you have a fear of dentists you really have the choice of two
discomforts -the actual discomfort you may feel during the
appointment (notice I said "may" have), or you have the discomfort
of not going and having the needed work done and beating yourself
up for giving into your fear. The dialogue goes like this: I'm such a
coward. But I can't help it. I'm scared. But I can't admit it to
anyone.
Every act of self-control produces a sense of self-respect. Along
with the relief you feel for having the dental procedure behind you
instead of staring you in the face, I guarantee you that when you
face your fear you will gain a realistic sense of self-pride. This next
step is important whether you do it immediately after you leave the
office or later on in the day - take time to give yourself a mental pat
on the back. You deserve it! No one else needs to be aware of it. It
was your effort that got you through. It's your victory and you can
be proud of it.
Whether your fear is dentists or tax audits, driving or diving, the
above tactics will work at reducing anxiety. If your anxiety has
grown into a full blown phobia, it's merely going to take more of
your effort. The key as with any life skill is do put to use what
you've learned. Changing thoughts is the first step in taking back
control of your life.
Print this article and carry it with you for easy reference. Memorize
and use the phrase "distressing but not dangerous." Do whatever it
takes to help you be an active participant in reprogramming your
mind.
It's true - Change your thoughts and change your life.
1998 Rose VanSickle
Author - Peace of Body, Peace of Mind
Does the above ring true for anyone, in going on long car rides for example or "where is the bathroom for example, or even anger in consitpation that you can't go or anxiety that you can go, which can contirbute to not going, or anxiety with d, which can contribute to d. ect. Or worry and anxiety the doctors have missed something which is causing your IBS Ect..
No problem Nancy, I can only but try to help explain some of the gut brain intereactions that are known to trigger symptoms. This is a very important part of IBS and IBS research and things they already know and understand about the disorder. I will keep posting more on it here, in the hopes it will help some understand the physical systems that the digestive system is connected too.
This is the actual the stress system and how it works and on a side not it is connected to fighting pathogens and threats to the digestive system.
Stress System Malfunction Could Lead to Serious, Life Threatening Disease
NOTE: IBS is not a serious life threatening disease that is just the name of the article with the information in it.
"The Stress Circuit
The HPA axis is a feedback loop by which signals from the brain trigger the release of hormones needed to respond to stress. Because of its function, the HPA axis is also sometimes called the "stress circuit."
Briefly, in response to a stress, the brain region known as the hypothalamus releases corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). In turn, CRH acts on the pituitary gland, just beneath the brain, triggering the release of another hormone, adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) into the bloodstream. Next, ACTH signals the adrenal glands, which sit atop the kidneys, to release a number of hormonal compounds.
These compounds include epinephrine (formerly known as adrenaline), Norepinephrine (formerly known as noradrenaline) and cortisol. All three hormones enable the body to respond to a threat. Epinephrine increases blood pressure and heart rate, diverts blood to the muscles, and speeds reaction time. Cortisol, also known as glucocorticoid, releases sugar (in the form of glucose) from the body reserves so that this essential fuel can be used to power the muscles and the brain.
Normally, cortisol also exerts a feedback effect to shut down the stress response after the threat has passed, acting upon the hypothalamus and causing it to stop producing CRH.
This stress circuit affects systems throughout the body. The hormones of the HPA axis exert their effect on the autonomic nervous system, which controls such vital functions as heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion.
The HPA axis also communicates with several regions of the brain, including the limbic system, which controls motivation and mood, with the amygdala, which generates fear in response to danger, and with the hippocampus, which plays an important part in memory formation as well as in mood and motivation. In addition, the HPA axis is also connected with brain regions that control body temperature, suppress appetite, and control pain.
Similarly, the HPA axis also interacts with various other glandular systems, among them those producing reproductive hormones, growth hormones, and thyroid hormones. Once activated, the stress response switches off the hormonal systems regulating growth, reproduction, metabolism, and immunity. Short term, the response is helpful, allowing us to divert biochemical resources to dealing with the threat."
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/new/releases/stress.cfm
The stress sytem is also part of all humans fight or flight system.
"What is the "fight or flight response?"
This fundamental physiologic response forms the foundation of modern day stress medicine. The "fight or flight response" is our body's primitive, automatic, inborn response that prepares the body to "fight" or "flee" from perceived attack, harm or threat to our survival.
What happens to us when we are under excessive stress?
When we experience excessive stress—whether from internal worry or external circumstance—a bodily reaction is triggered, called the "fight or flight" response. Originally discovered by the great Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon, this response is hard-wired into our brains and represents a genetic wisdom designed to protect us from bodily harm. This response actually corresponds to an area of our brain called the hypothalamus, which—when stimulated—initiates a sequence of nerve cell firing and chemical release that prepares our body for running or fighting.
What are the signs that our fight or flight response has been stimulated (activated)?
When our fight or flight response is activated, sequences of nerve cell firing occur and chemicals like adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol are released into our bloodstream. These patterns of nerve cell firing and chemical release cause our body to undergo a series of very dramatic changes. Our respiratory rate increases. Blood is shunted away from our digestive tract and directed into our muscles and limbs, which require extra energy and fuel for running and fighting. Our pupils dilate. Our awareness intensifies. Our sight sharpens. Our impulses quicken. Our perception of pain diminishes. Our immune system mobilizes with increased activation. We become prepared—physically and psychologically—for fight or flight. We scan and search our environment, "looking for the enemy."
When our fight or flight system is activated, we tend to perceive everything in our environment as a possible threat to our survival. By its very nature, the fight or flight system bypasses our rational mind—where our more well thought out beliefs exist—and moves us into "attack" mode. This state of alert causes us to perceive almost everything in our world as a possible threat to our survival. As such, we tend to see everyone and everything as a possible enemy. Like airport security during a terrorist threat, we are on the look out for every possible danger. We may overreact to the slightest comment. Our fear is exaggerated. Our thinking is distorted. We see everything through the filter of possible danger. We narrow our focus to those things that can harm us. Fear becomes the lens through which we see the world.
We can begin to see how it is almost impossible to cultivate positive attitudes and beliefs when we are stuck in survival mode. Our heart is not open. Our rational mind is disengaged. Our consciousness is focused on fear, not love. Making clear choices and recognizing the consequences of those choices is unfeasible. We are focused on short-term survival, not the long-term consequences of our beliefs and choices. When we are overwhelmed with excessive stress, our life becomes a series of short-term emergencies. We lose the ability to relax and enjoy the moment. We live from crisis to crisis, with no relief in sight. Burnout is inevitable. This burnout is what usually provides the motivation to change our lives for the better. We are propelled to step back and look at the big picture of our lives—forcing us to examine our beliefs, our values and our goals.
What is our fight or flight system designed to protect us from?
Our fight or flight response is designed to protect us from the proverbial saber tooth tigers that once lurked in the woods and fields around us, threatening our physical survival. At times when our actual physical survival is threatened, there is no greater response to have on our side. When activated, the fight or flight response causes a surge of adrenaline and other stress hormones to pump through our body. This surge is the force responsible for mothers lifting cars off their trapped children and for firemen heroically running into blazing houses to save endangered victims. The surge of adrenaline imbues us with heroism and courage at times when we are called upon to protect and defend the lives and values we cherish.
What are the saber tooth tigers of today and why are they so dangerous?
When we face very real dangers to our physical survival, the fight or flight response is invaluable. Today, however, most of the saber tooth tigers we encounter are not a threat to our physical survival. Today's saber tooth tigers consist of rush hour traffic, missing a deadline, bouncing a check or having an argument with our boss or spouse. Nonetheless, these modern day, saber tooth tigers trigger the activation of our fight or flight system as if our physical survival was threatened. On a daily basis, toxic stress hormones flow into our bodies for events that pose no real threat to our physical survival.
Once it has been triggered, what is the natural conclusion of our fight or flight response?
By its very design, the fight or flight response leads us to fight or to flee—both creating immense amounts of muscle movement and physical exertion. This physical activity effectively metabolizes the stress hormones released as a result of the activation of our fight or flight response. Once the fighting is over, and the threat—which triggered the response—has been eliminated, our body and mind return to a state of calm.
Has the fight or flight response become counterproductive?
In most cases today, once our fight or flight response is activated, we cannot flee. We cannot fight. We cannot physically run from our perceived threats. When we are faced with modern day, saber tooth tigers, we have to sit in our office and "control ourselves." We have to sit in traffic and "deal with it." We have to wait until the bank opens to "handle" the bounced check. In short, many of the major stresses today trigger the full activation of our fight or flight response, causing us to become aggressive, hypervigilant and over-reactive. This aggressiveness, over-reactivity and hypervigilance cause us to act or respond in ways that are actually counter-productive to our survival. Consider road rage in Los Angeles and other major cities.
It is counterproductive to punch out the boss (the fight response) when s/he activates our fight or flight response. (Even though it might bring temporary relief to our tension!) It is counterproductive to run away from the boss (the flight response) when s/he activates our fight or flight response. This all leads to a difficult situation in which our automatic, predictable and unconscious fight or flight response causes behavior that can actually be self-defeating and work against our emotional, psychological and spiritual survival.
Is there a cumulative danger from over-activation of our fight or flight response?
Yes. The evidence is overwhelming that there is a cumulative buildup of stress hormones. If not properly metabolized over time, excessive stress can lead to disorders of our autonomic nervous system (causing headache, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure and the like) and disorders of our hormonal and immune systems (creating susceptibility to infection, chronic fatigue, depression, and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and allergies.)
To protect ourselves today, we must consciously pay attention to the signals of fight or flight
To protect ourselves in a world of psychological—rather than physical—danger, we must consciously pay attention to unique signals telling us whether we are actually in fight or flight. Some of us may experience these signals as physical symptoms like tension in our muscles, headache, upset stomach, racing heartbeat, deep sighing or shallow breathing. Others may experience them as emotional or psychological symptoms such as anxiety, poor concentration, depression, hopelessness, frustration, anger, sadness or fear.
Excess stress does not always show up as the "feeling" of being stressed. Many stresses go directly into our physical body and may only be recognized by the physical symptoms we manifest. Two excellent examples of stress induced conditions are "eye twitching" and "teeth-grinding." Conversely, we may "feel" lots of emotional stress in our emotional body and have very few physical symptoms or signs in our body.
By recognizing the symptoms and signs of being in fight or flight, we can begin to take steps to handle the stress overload. There are benefits to being in fight or flight—even when the threat is only psychological rather than physical. For example, in times of emotional jeopardy, the fight or flight response can sharpen our mental acuity, thereby helping us deal decisively with issues, moving us to action. But it can also make us hypervigilant and over-reactive during times when a state of calm awareness is more productive. By learning to recognize the signals of fight or flight activation, we can avoid reacting excessively to events and fears that are not life threatening. In so doing, we can play "emotional judo" with our fight or flight response, "using" its energy to help us rather than harm us. We can borrow the beneficial effects (heightened awareness, mental acuity and the ability to tolerate excess pain) in order to change our emotional environment and deal productively with our fears, thoughts and potential dangers. "
http://www.mindbodymed.com/EducationCenter/fight.html
and when we talk about this keep this definition in mind. and also this article. But also keep in mind IBS is a physical problem, this is not "IBS is all in the head or psycobabble, but how all humans systems operate and the effects, as either a contributer to getting IBS in PI IBS studies or as a major trigger to IBSers, down to emotions, anxiety stress, worry, fear, pain, and the above mentioned feelings. But also later in ways work on these very real coordinated biological, behavioral, and psychological responses. "
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My website on IBS is www.ibshealth.com
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