Mindfulness Meditation
for GI Disorders

It’s easier to understand mindfulness by first pointing to its opposite – mindlessness. 

Mindlessness shows up in these ways:

  • caught up in your head 

  • attention is scattered

  • feeling disconnected from your body

  • going through the motions

  • lots of doing, very little just being

If you resonate with this list then you’re in good company. We all know what it’s like to spend so much time lost in thought daydreaming, planning or worrying. Mindlessness is a type of mental stuckness that we don’t tend to see because we’re so used to it. It’s so common for all of us to go through life led by a busy mind, lost in thoughts.

If you resonate with this list then you’re in good company.  We all know what it’s like to spend so much time lost in thought daydreaming, planning or worrying.  Mindlessness is a type of mental stuckness that we don’t tend to see because we’re so used to it.  It’s so common for all of us to go through life led by a busy mind, lost in thoughts.

Mindfulness isn’t a fad and it’ll continue to be a part of modern, evidenced-based psychology because it is an effective tool. and it’ll continue to be a part of modern, evidenced-based psychology because it is an effective tool.

How Does Mindfulness Help for GI Disorders?

The current state of the science shows that mindfulness training significantly helps people with GI disorders. Here are three likely reasons how building mindful awareness skills leads to improvements in GI conditions.

1 | The Relaxation Response
One primary element that all three of the evidence-based brain-gut behavioral therapies have in common is that they activate the body’s “relaxation response”.  This is unquestionably important for anyone with a GI disorder.  In short, when the relaxation response in the body gets activated, the vagus nerve then triggers the “rest and digest” response.  The name alone should tip you off to how important this is.

Mindfulness meditation is an effective way to build the skill of downregulating the nervous system and paving the way for healing and regulation to happen.

2 | Emotional Regulation
While stress doesn’t cause GI disorders, it is fuel for the fire.  In addition, the classic unhealthy ways of dealing with stress that many people often turn to like emotional eating and alcohol are particularly bad coping habits for someone with a GI disorder.

When the busy mind is driving, we’re much more likely to react to stress than to be able to respond to it.  Mindfulness meditation helps to break this cycle and can help you build stress resilience.

“You can't stop the waves,

but you can learn to surf.”

3 | Self-Awareness
Finally, mindfulness used in many types of therapy focused on a range of issues including anxiety, depression and trauma. One of the reasons why is because it supports people to build self-awareness. When you’re aware of your personal stress signature you’re able to see, anticipate and understand the triggers and self-defeating patterns that are personal to you.

Since you can’t change something you’re not aware of, this is a significant tool that often leads to positive change for many.


“It is not that mindfulness is the answer to all of life’s problems.

Rather it is that life’s problems can be seen more clearly through the lens of a clear mind.” 

~Jon Kabat Zinn

What’s the Evidence? | Current Research

The first studies of the effectiveness of mindfulness began in the late 1970s.  Since then research on mindfulness has exploded with data showing significant improvements across a range of medical and mental health struggles.  This includes cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, anxiety disorders and chronic digestive disorders.

For Functional Disorders
(aka Disorders of the Gut-Brain Interaction)

Like the other gut-brain behavioral therapies, most research has been focused on IBS. In these studies, participation in mindfulness training has been shown to significantly decrease GI symptoms.. In addition, a significant number of study participants also benefitted from less hypervigilance to uncomfortable sensations in the abdomen, less anxious & catastrophic thinking when symptoms were being experienced and an overall increase in quality of life.

For IBD

The studies that do exist for mindfulness applied to people with IBD show positive improvements for people with active disease as well as those in remission. Similar to the large amount of research into other health conditions, it has been found that people with IBD benefit from significant improvements in anxiety, depression and quality of life that persist after the training ends. There’s also some evidence that suggests it can help reduce inflammation.

If you’d like to read some research articles jump to the bottom of this page.

Mindfulness Resources

  • The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program is the gold standard.  Nearly all the research that shows mindfulness is effective is based on this program.  

    It’s important to keep in mind that, just like a medication, the dose is important.  A quarter of a Tylenol might not make a dent in a headache but a full dose might be a huge help.  The same is true for meditation, if you are interested in using this tool with the hopes of it being a significant help for you with your GI disorder, you need a big enough dose.  

    Because of this, the 8-week MBSR course is by far the go to option to consider first.  

    Where to Find a MBSR Course

    The top three training centers of MBSR teachers are the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Brown University, and the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness.  

    Here is a directory of certified teachers from these institutions.    


    Note: 

    You can find the MBSR course offered for free online here.  This is not a live group but instead is a study at your own pace type deal.  Free is great but I would NOT recommend going this route.   

    Mindfulness is conceptually simple but often not easy to learn.  Most people report that being part of a group of people with others asking questions and sharing their progress and stuck points is a big part of the learning process.

  • There are lots of apps to choose from to learn mindfulness.  They are an awesome resource for many to get a feel for mindfulness in a convenient and inexpensive way.  However, there are some major downsides to them as well.  

    As noted above, mindfulness can be a tricky tool to learn.  A downside of using an app is that you are doing it alone without the help of an experienced guide.  The apps do their best but the guidance they provide can only be general and not specific to you or to applying mindfulness to living with a GI disorder.

    If you do want to give an app a try here are some of the best ones available:

  • The UCLA Health Mindfulness Education Center is a reputable center to learn mindfulness from respected teachers. 

    There are many classes to choose from.  This class is a good place to start - Free Weekly Meditation Class with Diana Winston and Guests

Additional Resources

If you’d like to read a book or two, here are some good options to explore mindfulness as well:

Selected Research Papers