What is GI psychotherapy (gut-directed psychotherapy)?

GI psychotherapy is specialized psychological care that targets the brain-gut axis — the constant communication between your gut and your nervous system. Using evidence-based methods like gut-directed hypnotherapy, CBT and ACT, it helps reduce visceral hypersensitivity and the gut symptoms driven by that brain-gut connection.

What conditions does the Brain-Gut Health Centre treat?

We treat disorders of brain-gut interaction (DGBI), including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional dyspepsia, GERD and functional heartburn, chronic bloating, functional constipation, and centrally mediated abdominal pain (CAPS).

Do I need a doctor's referral?

No referral is required. We accept both physician referrals and self-referrals. Our care coordinator will be in touch within two business days.

Are appointments virtual?

Yes. All care is delivered by secure telehealth (video or phone) to patients across Manitoba, so you can be seen from home.

Does gut-directed hypnotherapy actually work for IBS?

Gut-directed hypnotherapy is a guideline-recommended therapy for IBS, with more than 70% of patients responding in clinical trials. It is one of several evidence-based gut-directed therapies we use.

Is treatment covered by insurance?

Psychotherapy may be reimbursable under many extended health benefit plans. Care is also covered at no cost for eligible First Nations and Inuit clients through NIHB and for Veterans through VAC. Contact us and we'll help you confirm your coverage.

How do I book an appointment?

Submit a request through our website or call (431) 877-5492. Our care coordinator will reach out within two business days to schedule your assessment.

Home / Articles / Chronic Bloating That Isn't About Food

Beyond the diet

Chronic Bloating That Isn't About Food

You've cut gluten, dairy, FODMAPs — and you still end the day looking six months pregnant. For many people, chronic bloating isn't really a food problem.

Bloating is often a signalling problem

Two things drive much of chronic bloating: a hypersensitive gut that registers normal gas as painful distension, and altered reflexes that push the abdominal wall out (abdomino-phrenic dyssynergia). Both are brain-gut signalling issues — not something you ate.

Why endless food restriction backfires

Cutting more and more foods rarely fixes signalling-driven bloating, and it can shrink your diet, your gut microbiome, and your quality of life while the bloating persists. If elimination diets keep "almost" working, that's a sign the mechanism is elsewhere.

What actually helps

Gut-directed therapies — hypnotherapy, CBT and ACT — reduce the visceral hypersensitivity behind the bloating, and can be paired with targeted breathing/postural techniques for the muscle reflex. Many patients who plateaued on diet alone improve when the brain-gut piece is addressed. It often overlaps with IBS.

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Frequently asked questions

I bloat after eating — isn't that food?

Timing around meals is common even when food isn't the root cause. If broad diet changes haven't resolved it, signalling-driven bloating is likely and is treatable.

Do I have to keep cutting foods?

Often not. Treating the brain-gut mechanism can let many people reintroduce foods and loosen restrictions over time.

Is this treatable virtually?

Yes — we treat functional bloating by secure video across Manitoba, no referral needed.

This article is educational and is not medical advice. For diagnosis and treatment, speak with a qualified clinician.