At Peacock Hypnotherapy, we understand that mental health isn’t just in the mind — it lives in the body, too. One of the most powerful connections in your body is the one between your brain and your gut. And when it comes to anxiety, this relationship plays a bigger role than you might think.
Your Gut: The “Second Brain”
Your gut contains its own nervous system — the enteric nervous system — made up of over 100 million neurons. This “second brain” communicates constantly with your actual brain, mainly via the vagus nerve.
Your gut is also home to trillions of microbes (the gut microbiome) that help digest food, regulate your immune system, and produce important brain chemicals — including 90% of your body’s serotonin, the neurotransmitter that stabilises mood.
When your gut is imbalanced, it can affect your brain’s chemistry, trigger inflammation, and lead to stress, irritability, and anxiety.
Anxiety Starts in the Gut?
Many people experience anxiety symptoms like:
• Stomach pain or discomfort
• Nausea or bloating
• Irregular digestion
• A constant “nervous belly” feeling
These gut symptoms often appear before any anxious thoughts. When your gut isn’t functioning well — due to poor diet, stress, illness, or trauma — it can send distress signals to the brain. This can spark a cycle of anxiety, where stress affects the gut, and gut discomfort fuels further stress.
How Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy Can Help
Hypnotherapy works with the subconscious mind, helping you move away from negative thought patterns and into a calm, solution-focused mindset.
But beyond that, hypnotherapy can:
• Calm the nervous system
• Reduce production of stress hormones like cortisol
• Support the body’s rest-and-digest response
• Promote relaxation and gut healing
• Encourage mental clarity and emotional resilience
This allows your gut to function more efficiently and your mind to feel more settled — a win-win for anxiety relief.
Support Your Gut, Calm Your Mind
Simple ways to improve gut health (and support anxiety recovery):
• Eat a fibre-rich diet (fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains)
• Include fermented foods like yoghurt, kefir, or sauerkraut
• Drink plenty of water
• Get quality sleep
• Reduce stress with regular relaxation, mindfulness, and hypnotherapy
Ready to Feel Better From the Inside Out?
At Peacock Hypnotherapy, we offer a calm, confidential space to explore your anxiety and begin your journey back to balance. Whether your symptoms start in the mind or the body, we’ll work with you to create real, sustainable change — from the inside out.
Book your free initial consultation today. Let’s begin your journey to calm.