10 Ways Talk Therapy Can Help Crohn's and Colitis

The first thoughts one may have concerning Crohn's disease or colitis treatment might not include talk therapy, but it can help! Here are ten ways talk therapy can help treat Crohn's and colitis:

• Our mental health as well as emotions are known to be interlinked with our overall physical health, which not all of us may realize. Chronic cases of inflammation in the intestines may cause the individual to experience altered emotions, and so medical conditions such as Crohn’s and colitis tend to induce a rewiring in the brain, which includes changes in the connections between nerve signals.
• The brain has a special way of speaking to the gut, and so, when our emotions are not regulated or when we are stressed out, it can lead to the development of chronic inflammation in the gut. There is a negative alteration of the healthy relationship between the brain and the gut due to stress.
• Talk therapy leads to an improvement in depression. When there is an improvement in one’s mental state, their quality of life increases as well, providing the individual with a greater ability to fight against the symptoms of the disease. At times, bowel conditions can lead to depression, and conversely, depression can increase the symptoms of one’s bowel issues.
• It is important to reduce and eliminate stress. An overdose of stress has a tendency to break down the natural barriers of the body, thereby impairing the immune system. Stress is also said to have some amount of influence on the bacteria that live in the gut. Talk therapy can have a significant, positive impact on one’s stress levels and thus on one’s physical health as well.
• Similar to stress and depression, anxiety is also linked to the gut. Many individuals fighting this disease are known to experience anxiety as well, since they often have to find a restroom to use. Because anxiety is known to be linked with the disease’s activity over time, an increase in anxiety can also increase the symptoms of bowel disease. Talk therapy can help reduce anxiety, which in turn can reduce the symptoms of bowel disease.
• Talk therapy is also known to teach individuals how to make themselves aware of when they are engaging in unhelpful thinking patterns and how to alter them. This can help to fight off anxiety, depression, and stress.
• Participating in talk therapy is also known to help those who experience symptom flare-ups. Use of antidepressants as prescribed by the doctor can have a positive impact on one’s bowel condition, and talk therapy has been observed to provide a few of the same benefits as these antidepressants.
• Engaging in talk therapy and using medications are known to bring about a huge improvement in those suffering from IBS, and those going through cognitive behavioral therapy as well have especially seen a significant improvement in their symptoms.
• Talk therapy helps drastically to bring down any pain in the abdomen since, many a times, one may feel nauseous or the need to vomit when they are sad or depressed.
• Reducing stress is also linked with a decrease in the frequency of diarrhea, and those who take part in talk therapy have experienced this dramatic change.