IBS and The Crow

It started during lockdown 2020. I would be standing at the kitchen window, my hands in soapy water, looking out at the tree in my neighbour's garden. There were two crows: one large and sleek, and the other scrawny, scruffy and awkward, and I was fascinated by the interaction between them. Sleek crow would jump to a higher branch; Scruffy would follow then squawk in its face. Sleek crow would jump to another branch, Scruffy would be moments behind, demanding, annoying, pestering until the other would give up and fly away. Scruffy would sit by itself for a while, its head jerking, its feathers fluffing out at right angles, making its racket before it would finally take off to seek out and bother its companion.

Seeing the pair over many days, I started to give them a narrative. Sleek crow was Mother Crow, relentlessly badgered by her offspring. Having just binge-watched the series Vikings on Amazon, I called the scruffy crow after the character Floki, for its awkwardness and neediness, and I felt sorry for the poor mother with such a demanding child. So, I started to leave food out for her, so she could shove some food down his gullet, so he would give her some peace.

Two years later and I'm still feeding them, and Floki has turned his demanding attention from her to me. He likes his toast warm in the mornings and he is fond of a peanut or two when I'm walking the dogs. He hangs around the garden, hovers by windows to check if I'm in and occasionally leaves me black feathers to add to my collection. I think I'm stuck with him now, but I find the feeling of being watched by him strangely comforting. And I know I'm not the only one who struck up this kind of relationship with nature during those strange months of isolation.

How is all this connected to IBS? Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a common condition that affects the digestive system causing symptoms like stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhea and constipation. These tend to come and go and can last for days or months at a time. It's usually a lifelong problem and can be frustrating to live with, having a big impact on everyday life. In this, I am not comparing Floki to the symptoms of IBS! If anything, he helps me in my management of it.

I have suffered from IBS for a number of years now, the physical manifestation of a build up of stressful events and situations. The mind and body connection is well establised: along with the brain and the Central Nervous System that is used to communicate with the rest of the body, we have a 'secondary brain' called the Enteric Nervous System that is responsible for regulating the digestive process. Both these systems communicate in a two-way process. Sensitive nerves in the gut can trigger changes in the brain and the areas of the brain connected with anxiety can stimulate exaggerated gut responses. In fact, these areas of the brain can be stimulated whether a person is experiencing events or just remembering them. IBS is not a psychological disorder but a physical one that is strongly affected by a person's emotional state, as well as by stress and tension.

I used to manage flare ups with medication, like many others with the disorder, but they were not very effective for me. A stressful life often comes with poor dietary choices which is not going to make asking a pill to make it all go away achievable. I liked eating badly and considered my stressful life just a normal one and it wasn't until lockdown happened that I began to see things from a different perspective.

Life slowed down. The world became smaller. I took time - lots of time - to prepare meals. I spent time, slowly washing dishes, mindfully aware of the feeling of soapy water warming my hands, staring out the window, looking at the crows ...

Management of IBS involves calming the mind to calm the body to achieve a state of homeostasis - of balance. Hypnotherapy can help in a number of ways to manage IBS though its most immediate effect can come from the progressive muscle relaxation to reduce tension in the body. Its treatment could be along the lines of establishing sleep patterns to counteract a chronic stress situation. It could help with the avoidance of certain food types or alcohol that may trigger symptoms. Motivation for exercise, or the strengthening of confidence to change a work situation to one less stressful, are other means in which hypnotherapy could be involved. The process is gradual: daily practice of maintaining equilibrium is important, whether through breathing techniques, mindfulness or meditation.

Anything worth achieving requires commitment, the balance of mind and body, work and home, the making of a strange friendship with a wild crow. Floki eats my toast as I cut out the bread that inflames my gut. He makes me slow my thoughts and be present in the present as I watch him watching me. I like to think I reduced the stress of his poor mother in those awkward years! I know he helped me to reduce mine.