When I was becoming a certified hypnotherapist in California, I was required to work with “practice” clients to achieve the requisite 300 hours of supervised therapy hours. During the training period, I often wondered what type of patients I would eventually serve and focus my practice on.
Several instructors said that you will attract and see clients in the beginning of your training that help you discover the best clients given your personal interests, background and talents.
I’m happy to report that’s exactly what happened.
My Clients’ Hot Flashes Reduced by 80%
A friend who agreed to be one of my first practice clients asked me to her release her subconscious money block issues. During our session she began to describe the frustrating, embarrassing and incredibly disruptive experiences she was having with hot flashes and night sweats.
To my surprise during the session she had a hot flash in the chair and I literally had to run to the closet to get a towel to help her dry off from the amount of “sweat” her body produced in just a few minutes. She went on to tell me about the variety and frequency of symptoms she was experiencing. I truly felt for her and wanted to help.
After our ‘sweat’ session my friend was slightly embarrassed and mildly frustrated, but I was fascinated, intrigued and motivated!\
Given there were hundreds of possible uses for hypnosis, especially for medical conditions, I was deeply curious if hypnosis could be used to treat hot flashes. After our session I dug into the research and discovered hypnosis was very effective for treating women with hot flashes.
That night I designed a therapy to help and asked her to come back in for a session or two specifically focused on helping her with her hot flashes.
I don’t think any woman who’s suffering with hot flashes would refuse any offer of help. She quickly agreed and was back in my office later that week. We did our first therapy session for her hot flashes and she added an herb supplementation protocol along with the hypnosis.
I checked with her a week later and she said her symptoms were 75-80% less. She was surprised and delighted with her results. She said, “the few I have now are totally manageable and I hardly ever have them at night so I’m doing great!”
With these results I contacted another friend who had suffered from hot flashes and night sweats for years to see if I could reproduce these results. She gladly came in for two sessions and reported in a very short time she had the same results.
Believe me, I was the one who was thrilled this time!
As a hypnotherapist, treating clients for hot flashes is in its infancy. Yet, I’m confident I’ve stumbled upon an effective treatment for menopause-related hot flashes and night sweats and I’m eager to let the world know of my results.
Hot Flashes and Night Sweats Are Super Common
Up to 80% of women during menopause experience hot flashes (flushes) and night sweats making them the most common symptoms of menopause.
While some women opt for hormone therapy when the symptoms are too much to bear, there are warranted concerns about the associated health risks. This leaves a large percentage of women suffering daily from the massive inconvenience and frustrating effects of hot flashes. In addition to herbs and supplements, many women search for alternative, natural treatments including hypnosis and acupuncture for relief.
As Margery Gass, MD, Executive Director of the North American Menopause Society, says, “There is certainly a need for non-pharmacologic treatments for hot flashes and night sweats.”
Women Today Still In Search of an Alternative To Hormone Replacement During Menopause
I’m happy to report that hypnotherapy reduced hot flashes by as much as 74% in a study conducted by researchers at Baylor University’s Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory and funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Menopause researcher, Gary R. Elkins, PhD., says that only hormone therapy is more effective for treating the most common symptoms of menopause. Hypnosis is a natural, non-chemical and non-hormone therapy, which most women can’t or don’t want to do, and they’re finding it is a safer way to treat their symptoms.
Studies Show Hypnosis is an Effective Treatment for Hot Flashes During Menopause
Hypnosis, as a treatment for hot flashes, is growing in popularity, but I wouldn’t say it is widely adopted. Acupuncture, another effective treatment for hot flashes and night sweats, is more widely recognized and has been recommended by the medical community (and media) for some time.
Dr. Elkins of Baylor University has published several studies showing that hypnosis is an effective alternative to hormone replacement treatments. Dr. Elkins and his team originally studied women who had breast cancer to determine if hypnosis could be effective for hot flash symptom relief (because they couldn’t turn to hormone replacement therapies due to risks). Once Dr. Elkin’s team published their results that it was effective with this sub-segment of women, they then completed a study of [general] postmenopausal women who had at least seven hot flashes a day. Both studies found it was quite effective.
In summary: patients reported hot flashes were both less frequent and less intense. Yay!
Dr. Elkin’s research shows, of postmenopausal women who had hypnotherapy after 12-weeks:
- Women in the hypnosis group reported 74% fewer hot flashes on average, compared with 17% fewer among the other women.
- The skin sensors showed a 57% reduction in hot flashes among the hypnosis group, compared to a 10% reduction in the non-hypnosis group.
- The women treated with hypnosis were far less likely than the other women to report that their hot flashes interfered with their daily lives and sleep.
If you’re suffering with hot flashes and night sweats caused by menopause it could really serve you to experience hypnosis.
My mission is to see that anyone who works with menopausal women, at least in the San Luis Obispo, CA area, know and recommend hypnosis as one of their top therapies to treat hot flashes. My doors are open and I’m making my schedule available for women suffering from hot flashes around the world since hypnosis can be done both in person and remotely (with Skype or ZOOM).
Basics of What to Expect in Hypnotherapy Sessions for Hot Flashes
While every client is unique, I’ll provide a general preview of what you can expect from my hypnotherapy treatment plan for hot flashes.
During the sessions I will often use suggestions for mental imagery designed to minimize the intensity of the hot flashes, such as imagining a cool place or somehow cooling the body. There are several techniques I teach clients in our sessions to help them maximize the benefits of a mind/body connection including working with the parts of the body that are reading the estrogen levels and hormonal signals incorrectly. I’ll often offer to make clients a customized self-hypnosis audio (mp3) they can listen to each day to reinforce the session work deeper with their subconscious mind.
Additionally, if a client does not already have a good nutritional and supplementation protocol, I’ll refer them to a nutritional and/or herbal specialist to teach them the best foods for hormone-balancing and supplementation for their particular needs.
Some of the often recommended vitamins and supplements for menopausal women experiencing hot flashes include:
- Vitamin D
- Omega-3’s
- B Vitamins
- Magnesium
- Amino Acids
- Zinc
- Iron
- Selenium
- Ashwagandha (for stress management)
- Soflavones
- Black cohosh
- Dong Quai
- Vitex Berry
- Red Clover
- And others
For most of my clients, I also like to help the client better understand their personal “hot buttons” or triggers for their symptoms. The hot flash trigger journal is often eye opening for many women.
While the exact root cause of the hot flash is unique to the individual, clients are taught general strategies for stress management, emotional mastery and, when needed, targeted hypnosis sessions work to help them avoid toxic and trigger foods in their diet or environmental toxins that seem to cause their internal temps to rise.
Hypnosis is also one of the most powerful ways to create healthier lifestyle habits that help reduce menopausal symptoms including stress reduction, better sleep, and hot flashes.
A Special Combination Acupuncture & Hypnosis Series in San Luis Obispo at The Zen Den for 2020
Starting in February of 2020 I’ll be teaming up with a local acupuncturist and friend, Michelle Hamilton of The Zen Den, to offer a great new combination therapy 3-part weekly series.
Program Title: Hot Flashes, Cool Women
What: The Hormone and Drug-Free Program to Dramatically Reduce Hot Flashes, Improve Sleep, and Ease Stress During Menopause
Dates: Sundays, February 23rd, March 1 & 8th, 2020
Times: 2-4pm
Where: Zen Den, 1349 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, CA
Price: $80/session, or all 3 for $225 (Save $15)
It’s highly recommended to book all 3 for maximum results!
For more information about the sessions, how to enroll and what’s included, visit my programs and events.