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Stomach pain in children is diagnosed as Functional Abdominal Pain (FAP) when the pain is chronic and no other symptoms can be found.  Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is when people have a sensitive intestine resulting in cramps or spasms caused by food and sometimes stress.

Hypnotherapy sessions have been shown to help adults suffering from IBS, however, recent research has shown that hypnosis can help children who suffer from either IBS or FAP.  This study tested 53 children from the age of 8 to 18, 31 of whom were diagnosed with FAP and 22 with IBS.

These children were placed into two separate groups, one of which had six hypnosis sessions over three months and the other group had six therapy sessions and the usual medical care.  Every child kept a weekly diary before during and after the therapy up to 12 months afterwards.

The hypnotherapy group showed a higher pain decrease than the control group at the one year follow up session.  The study concluded that the hypnotherapy did result in an improved pain intensity and frequency, with the one year follow up showing 85 per cent of the hypnosis group had successful treatment compared with 25 per cent of the children from the control group.