5 Drug-Free Techniques for Reducing Gut Distress
by Dr. Mark Weisberg
Most of us experience stomach-aches or digestive distress sometimes. We know that people who have frequent chronic stomach aches, bloating, cramping, or other gut problems may actually have a nervous system that is hyper-sensitized and out of balance.
Here are 5 quick techniques to use that can help calm an agitated nervous system, quell your gut distress and lead to a calmer belly.
5 Tips for Gut Distress
Gut Distress Tip #1
Take a walk. Walk outside for as little as 10 minutes. As you do so, breathe moderately deeply. Focus your attention on how closely you can use your senses.
For example, how many visual details can you notice? (Such as the colors of the trees, the sky, the houses, clouds, etc). Then notice sounds, smells, etc.
Gut Distress Tip #2
Gentle self-touch. Lay down comfortably. Place your hand flat on your abdomen and imagine that as you exhale you are breathing away stress and discomfort from your stomach and abdomen right through your hand. You can do this for as little as 5 minutes and still experience relief.
Gut Distress Tip #3
Sensory Focus Breath: Sit down comfortably, breathe normally. Focus first on the physical sensation of your breath at your abdomen (e.g., feeling your belly rise and fall with each breath). Do this for 1 minute. Then, in a similar way, focus on sensations of breathing in your chest. Then, same thing, this time at the tip of your nostrils. Pick one of these areas that seem easiest to focus on, (for example, your chest), and simply take 5 minutes to just breathe normally and focus only on the physical sensation of breathing in your chest.
Gut Distress Tip #4
Imagery Breath: Imagine that as you inhale, you are bringing in a white light entering through the top of your head. As you exhale, picture that the white light is flowing gently down through your body, and any discomfort is escaping through the soles of your feet with the exhalation. Do this for 5 minutes.
Gut Distress Tip #5
Welcome the sensation: Find the area of discomfort in your abdomen. Rather than “trying to relax” or “force the sensation to go away”, experiment with just sitting with that ache or bloating, just like you were going to “pull up a chair and sit right next to it” for the next few minutes.
During this time, remind yourself that you are going to let the sensation be there just the way it is, without trying to change it in any way. You’ll be surprised how much the sensation may start to diminish or change in a helpful way.
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About the Author
Mark B. Weisberg, PhD, ABPP is a clinical health psychologist and co-author of the new book TRUST YOUR GUT (Conari Press). He is a Community Adjunct Professor in the Center for Spirituality and Healing, University of Minnesota, and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. For the past 25 years he has specialized in helping patients heal from chronic pain. Dr. Weisberg’s passion is building bridges between traditional and newer integrative ways of understanding illness and healing. His is devoted to translating and integrating the language of neuroscience, psychodynamics, group/system processes and creation of deep, long-lasting healing and change. www.drmarkweisberg.com
