What we don't know about gut-directed hypnotherapy
Moderate evidence
Blinding, dose, digital equivalence, subtype splits, and Australian cost-effectiveness remain open even with Grade A GDH evidence.
Last reviewed 27 August 2026
Grade A for gut-directed hypnotherapy in IBS does not mean the science is finished. This page lists the gaps we treat as material.
Key evidence
The positive programme is on the hub, and in Flik 2014 plus the Gut psychological-therapies NMA. Beside that:
- Participants cannot be blinded
- Dose (7 versus 12 sessions) is not settled
- Digital GDH is not yet equivalent evidence
- IBS-C is thinner than the pooled sample
- Follow-up past five years is thin
- Australian cost-effectiveness is not established
- Mechanism specificity is unproven; how it works
Limitations
A gap list is only as good as the last search. New RCTs can close items.
What we don't know yet
That is the whole page. The useful part is refusing to invent answers.
This page is informational only. It is not personal medical advice.
Reviewed by
Rebecca SmithDip.Clin.Hyp. Women's Health Specialist
Clinical HypnotherapistWomen's Health Specialist