Hypnotherapy and the menopause: finding ‘you’ again
Photo by Wouter de Jong
Let's talk about menopause.
We can see that there’s far more talk and sharing about the perimenopause and menopause than any of us have experienced before: celebrities, adverts, documentaries
And it can be a really difficult time to navigate. I know.
Its symptoms can make you feel like you're no longer yourself. And no amount of being told that you are standing at the doorway of a bright future makes any difference.
You feel invisible. You no longer brim with self-confidence. You've lost that sparkle you used to have. You're worried about things - little and big - way more than you used to be, fretting about things that didn't used to bother you. You can’t make decisions and can’t remember things you think you need to remember. And you’re not getting an undisturbed night of sleep.
You are so not alone.
Hypnotherapy can help.
Hypnotherapy: helping the symptoms of menopause
Get better sleep
If you're in peri-menopause, you’re no doubt getting a disrupted night of sleep with hot flashes or hot flushes, night sweats, and a racing mind that just won’t quieten. It’s hard to remember how you used to be when you’re awake at 2am yet again and having to kick your legs out from under the duvet. And you know that willing yourself back to sleep just does not work. Hypnotherapy can help improve your sleep patterns, with research showing that self-hypnosis can help to increase sleep duration (Otte et al., 2020). Perhaps you could look into this?
Reduce hot flashes – or hot flushes
A systematic review of research has looked into the effects of psychological interventions on menopausal hot flashes (Samami et al., 2022)
They concluded that hypnotherapy is a “useful method to mitigate menopausal hot flashes” and can help reduce symptoms of vasomotor disorders - mood swings, sleep disturbance, joint pain, night sweats. One study showed that hypnotherapy can be as effective as HRT in managing hot flashes (Elkins et al., 2012).
Hypnotherapy - with its deep relaxation and shift in awareness - can help ease the symptoms.
Feel like you again
I often hear clients going through the perimenopause and menopause say that they just don’t feel like themselves anymore; as if they have lost their way, their confidence, their purpose, their identity. And, couple that with brain fog and disturbed sleep, and it's no wonder the essence of you feels a little shaken.
If you've been feeling invisible, therapy can help you reconnect with yourself and give you the time and space to look at your next steps. All our paths are different and, together, we'll try different tools and techniques to explore and be curious about this and to get you to feeling seen and heard again.
Rediscover your inner calm
Hypnosis works with your unconscious mind and can be used to restore a sense of calm. Deep relaxation allows your mind to quiet those racing thoughts and you might feel more grounded and ready to move forward after just a few sessions.
Find purpose
Midlife and menopause often coincide with other life-changing events such as children leaving home, eldercare, changes in employment or relationships, a seemingly greater sense of health and passing time. It can be a time of very real transition.
Therapy can help you explore all of this in a safe, supportive space. When using hypnosis, your conscious mind gets out of its own way, enabling you to explore new possibilities and rediscover what lights you up.
Sit with the in-between
Transitions are rarely without some stickiness.
While you might have expectations of progress and growth (and where do those expectations come from?), change happens in its own time.
Sit with it and get comfortable with the uncertainty. Be curious. Let’s do this together.
A natural approach to wellbeing
What makes therapy and the use of hypnosis effective during menopause is their approach. Instead of just treating individual symptoms, it works with your whole self, and helping to you to tap into your unconscious mind's inner resources and abilities. You can find relief from physical symptoms, regain mental clarity, strengthen your sense of self, and feel comfortable with where you are.
Your next step
This is a time of change - when you can shed old patterns and emerge as your authentic and real self.
It's also a time to sit comfortably with where you are right now, knowing you have space to explore.
If you'd like to find out how therapy might support you, get in touch.
References
Elkins, G.R., Fisher, W.I., Johnson, A.K., Carpenter, J.S. and Keith, T.Z. (2012). Clinical hypnosis in the treatment of postmenopausal hot flashes. Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society, 20(3), p.1. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/gme.0b013e31826ce3ed.
Otte, J.L., Carpenter, J.S., Roberts, L. and Elkins, G.R. (2020). Self-Hypnosis for Sleep Disturbances in Menopausal Women. Journal of Women’s Health, 29(3), pp.461–463. doi:https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2020.8327.
Samami, E., Shahhosseini, Z. and Elyasi, F. (2022). The effects of psychological interventions on menopausal hot flashes: A systematic review. International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine (IJRM), 20(4), pp.255–272. doi:https://doi.org/10.18502/ijrm.v20i4.10898.