Is This Right For You?
This is for you if ...
• Your IBS symptoms worsen with anxiety, stress, anticipation, pressure, or fear around your gut
• You can identify a period when your IBS symptoms, fear of symptoms, or anxiety around your gut became significantly worse, even if you've had IBS for many years
• You are motivated to regain control over your life rather than continuing to plan everything around your bowel symptoms
• You want a focused, structured approach aimed at reducing symptoms, not open ended talking therapy
• You are willing to commit to the process, including around 30 minutes per day of home practice during the programme, even when life is busy
• You are open to changing the patterns that may currently be keeping the IBS/anxiety cycle going, including reassurance seeking, symptom monitoring, avoidance, overplanning, or “what if” thinking
• You understand that progress often involves learning to tolerate some uncertainty and discomfort rather than trying to eliminate all anxiety before living your life
• You are looking for support and guidance, but are willing to take an active role in your own recovery rather than hoping to be “fixed” by someone else
• You have been medically assessed and your symptoms have already been investigated appropriately by a doctor
This is not right for you if ...
• You have not been medically assessed or formally diagnosed with IBS
• Anxiety has been a significant feature of your life since childhood or early teens and affects multiple areas of daily life beyond your IBS. Because this is a focused 5-session programme, it is generally most effective for people whose anxiety is closely linked to their IBS rather than those needing broader, longer-term support for lifelong anxiety patterns.
• Your symptoms are primarily being driven by something other than the gut-brain connection, for example SIBO, BAM, inflammatory bowel disease, endometriosis, coeliac disease, significant constipation, or clear food intolerance issues. While reducing anxiety can often improve how the gut functions and responds, these conditions usually require additional medical or dietary support as well.
• You are unable to commit to around 30 minutes of daily home practice during the programme
• You are looking for a quick fix or want someone else to “fix” the problem without actively engaging in the process yourself
• You are seeking reassurance or a guarantee that you will never experience anxiety, urgency, diarrhoea, bloating, or flare ups again
• Severe health anxiety, OCD type patterns, panic disorder, or broader mental health difficulties are currently having a significant impact on your life. These need specialist support, and an IBS-focused programme like this one is unlikely to be the right starting point until those are better managed.
• You are not currently in a place where you feel ready to make meaningful changes to the habits, behaviours, and responses that may be keeping the IBS anxiety cycle going
• You are unwilling to gradually face situations, sensations, foods, travel, or uncertainty that currently trigger anxiety around your IBS
Page last updated: 04/06/26