Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy of Interoceptive Influence in the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Abstract

Based on foreign research, the article describes psychotherapeutic tactics for treating refractory irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which emphasizes that it is a disorder of dysregulation of the «brain-gut» axis under the influence of negative cognitive-affective features of the patient. The range of Personal characteristics of patients with IBS is presented. Afferent and efferent routes of influence of psychological processes in provoking and maintaining IBS in the patient are described. It is shown that dysregulation in the «brain-gut» axis is eliminated by combined therapy, including cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy of interoceptive influence. Differences between the «standard» and interoceptive protocol of cognitive behavioral psychotherapy are shown. Psychotherapeutic targets in the treatment of IBS are identified. An interoceptive model of gastro-specific anxiety is presented for the first time. We describe and demonstrate the effectiveness of face-to-face, remote cognitive-behavioral protocols of the «second wave» of «third wave», CBT of IBS-induced agoraphobia, multimodal СBT protocol.

Keywords

• irritable bowel syndrome
• cognitive behavioral psychotherapy
• abdominal pain
• gastrointestinal specific anxiety
• visceral anxiety