Hi Susie,
Very insightful comments!
You are correct in that hypnotherapy will not take care of lactose intolerance, etc. though I do believe there are studies of this modality helping some physical conditions, but it is not the norm.
And while hypnotherapy is very helpful, Michael never ever has called his program a cure. This is not to say that the program has not helped a great number of IBS sufferers to entirely walk away from IBS symptoms, but it is rare to say any one treatment in any medical arena is a cure each and every time for each and every person.
In-person therapy is helpful to those individuals who have co-morbid conditions in addition to IBS that may perhaps interfere with progress. A recorded protocol, as excellent as it is, cannot be expected to deal with a person's medical or emotional issues and life situations across the board. We know that the program has helped individuals deal with other factors, other health concerns, stressors, etc. in addition to the IBS, but it is not developed to do so.
If a person has anger issues, or a life environment that has constant ongoing abuse issues, other medical conditions, etc. a personal therapist can address these things after doing a personal initial consultation. Not necessarily to cure, but to help the person address or deal with the issues at hand in conjunction with other medical or health care professionals if appropriate.
Michael does this with his patients - so in view of taking all things into consideration, we have to be realistic and not set people up for failure. Certainly the positive outcomes are in the majority, and it is good to have positive expectations and be encouraged by this, but we know there has to be realistic balance too.
Of course we have no way of knowing the background of each person who decides to order the program, but with the personal support, we find this out sometimes and advise accordingly.
It is good to share what works for you, and everyone usually adapts to their own best way forward while listening to the program.
The sessions are meant to be listened to without worry of active thought or participation from your thinking mind - it is not a necessity for success, but no worries if this works best for you.
For most folks, just go with it as it comes and dont push the imagery. As a new listener back in 2000, I did this - I would replay the imagery over until I got it 'right' and I delayed my progress doing this! So dont think it through too much. But again, if this works for you, then go for it!
Each listener needs to do what is best for them - This is what works for you to be actively involved as you have seen it work in the past - but everyone has a right to come to the program fresh - so in that regard, it is best not to discuss the particulars of method and the session content! I am speaking from experience here, believe me!! LOL And not just my own, but what Michael has found with hundreds of patients over the years! (Since 1991)
Thank you for your encouraging comments - again - I have to say that the program works the best when sufferers try their best to not read or write or research about IBS while doing the program, though again, from personal experience, I know this is really hard to do! I used to 'live' on another IBS BB back in 2000, 2001 while doing the program, and posting every little bit of progress or not, and thus not only ruined it for myself ( in terms of time needed to get better) as well as coloring perceptions for others earlier in the program.
Self-talk in the positive is great! Super suggestion - and is really helpful when an attack comes on - you can say, I got through this before, in a little while this will be over and I can get on with my day - I will be better soon. Rather than, oh no, here it comes again, why do I have this, how long is this going to be, etc. That used to spiral me down so bad - learning the positive thought pattern got me out of attacks a lot quicker, and once I did the program, the positive thoughts would come automatically, removing the attack entirely!
One other point to re-affirm that Heather mentioned, and that is the fact that those on the message boards are those who still need them, so consequently, those with the success stories arent here to encourage and share, and what is shared is all the failures, the problems, the questions, and when read over and over almost every day, this further serves to reinforce the IBS condition, and is very counter-productive to what the hypnotherapy protocol is doing. Not that it won't still do its thing - but it takes much longer with more attacks than if you were not reading, etc. One of those catch-22's because I know how it is to come here for support... and even in looking at various threads and the number of views - there sometimes seems to be more views on topics where people are suffering or micromanaging than those posts with neutral or even encouraging topics. Just a little observation, though I could be wrong! LOL 
thank you for your introspective thoughts... 
All the best in your journey to feeling better! 
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My Journey and Success with the IBS Audio Program Hypnotherapy Program: www.helpforibs.com/messageboards/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=hypnotherapy&Number=224850
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