Have you heard of the Nerva app? Maybe you’ve seen the ads popping up while scrolling Instagram? I did. And I clicked on it. And I read about it and thought about it and one day, after a frustrating week of tummy troubles, I took the free 2-week-trial plunge. Here is my Nerva Hypnotherapy for IBS and Gut Relief review.
The Nerva App is an app designed to use hypnotherapy as a healing tool for IBS symptoms. The types of symptoms Nerva can help with are bowel movements, reflux, abdominal pain, gas, and nausea, among others. Finding medications that will work for these types of symptoms that come and go sporadically, is nearly impossible. When you realize that the chances of any number of IBS medications working are very low while the chances of hypnotherapy working are in the 80% range, it seems like a no-brainer. Also, Nerva was designed by a Psychophysiologist who is also a Gut-Directed Hypnotherapist, Dr. Simone Peters. Also, on the medical board is Dr. Michael Yapko, a clinical psychologist and hypnotherapy expert.
Why I Tried Nerva
I think Nerva caught my eye because the ad said you may be able to stop eating a restricted diet after using their app. When I look at all the foods I’ve removed from my diet, it’s staggering. I have stopped eating black pepper, garlic, ginger, and so many more foods because I tested as sensitive to them on my MRT test. (Read more here.) I have been more than diligent at keeping these foods out of my diet and yet I haven’t seen the improvement I would like. I now know, thanks to further testing, that I also have Lyme Disease which can further disrupt digestive functioning. I am not at the treatment part for Lyme Disease, so I figured I could try Nerva for a couple of weeks and see if it would help improve regularity and consistency – my 2 biggest complaints.
I believe in hypnotherapy. I used HypnoBabies for my third birth and the nurse exclaimed that she’d never seen a more relaxed laboring mother, ever! (Birth story here.) I would listen to the recordings in bed at night, drifting off to the suggestions and words as they imprinted on my brain. I definitely stayed relaxed during birth, so much so that I really just wanted to go to sleep instead of actually work to get my baby out! So I was already a believer, clearly. Because of this, I decided to give Nerva a try.
I have tracked my digestion for the last seven months. When I looked back at my habit trackers, I was surprised how long I’ve been tracking. I must have started to see how eliminating foods was helping and then I just kept doing it, frustrated by the inconsistency. You may have different goals than mine, but the most important thing digestively, for me, is daily movement. Motility became a huge issue as I worked to heal from SIBO. Keeping my bowels moving regularly is key to preventing a recurrence of SIBO. This was going well, according to my charts, but a discouraging cycle began that reminded me of the days before I was diagnosed with SIBO. The cycle would be regular, less regular, then nonexistent followed by urgent, loose, and painful. I basically always knew that if I didn’t have a bowel movement one day, the next day was going to be painful. Add to this the typical emotional and psychological triggers: anxiety, stress, nerves and I was at a loss.
Nerva is an expert at understanding the gut-brain connection and using that knowledge to help people heal. I jumped into my 2-week free trial and committed to the sessions every day. Here’s what I experienced:
What to Expect from Nerva
Every day there is a reading assignment. It’s pretty short; about the length of a short article and very easy to read. I knew a lot already and basically skimmed.
After reading, there is a “short, 15-minute hypnotherapy session”. They’re actually 18-19 minutes long. I hate to be a stickler, but for someone who struggles with sitting still, there is a big difference between “15 minutes a day” and a reading assignment plus a 19-minute hypnotherapy session. That’s 20+ minutes! This bothered me for awhile. I try to carve out time for everything I find important: exercise, food prep, daily devotionals, reading, writing, etc., and when I add one more thing, I have to know it’s doable so that I don’t set myself up for failure.
Also, the woman with the British (?) accent who conducts the hypnotherapy is very soothing, but sometimes I wished I could choose different voices, just to shake it up a little. Sometimes, her voice would drop out at the end of words so “face” would sound like “fay” or “reflux” would sound like “refluh”. My brain kind of trips over things like this and focuses on them instead of the session.
Okay, enough of my nit-picking. My review of Nerva is that is completely worth trying because I definitely have seen results, so much so that I signed up for a year. I will say it’s annoying that there’s only a 1-year plan and not a 3-month plan or a 6-month plan. I hate paying so much money ($149) up front for something I may not need for an entire year, but that’s the model. (I happened to see a Black Friday 40% off ad for Nerva on Instagram, so I wrote the company and they honored that for me, refunding me 40% of what I paid. That is honorable and I appreciated the refund greatly!)
I had more “perfect” days in the one week than I had in the 7 months I tracked my digestion prior to using Nerva. That’s probably more than I’ve had in the almost 4 years since I have had to treat SIBO. Maybe even longer. Honestly, that alone is worth the money.
Should You Do It?
Should you do it? I suggest you look for the ads and try to find a deal like I did to save money, but also that you give the 2-week free trial a chance. It may not be for you and better to find out for free then to wonder, right? I will say, my “perfect” days didn’t actually start until the very end of the free trial, but it encouraged me to keep going. Every time I listen to a session, I know my brain is storing away these carefully crafted messages to reprogram the way my mind and gut communicate and operate.
If you’re going to try Nerva, make sure you commit to it daily. I did my sessions after lunch. Some people prefer mornings and evenings. I stopped laying down because I’d fall asleep – just FYI.
Also, and I’ve said this to clients over the years, it’s hard to know you’re making improvements if you aren’t truly clear on where you stand beforehand. It’s a good idea to make a chart for yourself. Open a Notes file on your phone or grab a notepad or a calendar page printed off. Create your own key for what your days could look like. Here are some ideas: F = Formed, S = Soft, P = Perfect, N = Nothing, D = Diarrhea, L = Loose, C = Cramps, U = Urgent. If you can see clearly what is currently happening with your digestion, you’ll be able to truly see if Nerva has been able to help you. If you struggle with reflux (R = Reflux) or painful gas (G = Gas), you can track those things too. When you take the assessment on the Nerva app or website, you’ll be able to pinpoint the digestion issues that are most important to you and these key words and ideas will be focused on during the hypnotherapy sessions. It’s kind of genius actually!
After about 3 months of consistent Nerva use, my digestion reached a steady state and I had more “P’s” on my tracker than ever in my life (?)! I eventually stopped using it and canceled the renewal when it arrived. I really appreciate what Nerva did for me. I don’t think you should have to pay for a whole year to have longer than 2 weeks. I wish, after paying that much money, I could have access to the recordings in case my brain needs a reminder… but no complaints will change the fact that Nerva pushed my health to the next level and I am so grateful for that.
Also, in doing some research for this blog, I see they have an app for mental health. I’m fan-girling over here a little bit. I’m all about food, health, digestion, and mental health. Maybe I’ll try that one next year! As for you and your gut health goals, I wish there was a referral code I could offer you, but they don’t have that yet… try it out, give it your all, and track those symptoms to get the most out of it.
