Self-administered hypnosis may ward off hot flashes
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- Reviewed by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Menopausal women often try a variety of measures to keep hot flashes at bay. Self-administered hypnosis can be one of those tools, effectively reducing hot flash frequency and intensity, according to a study published in the November 2025 issue of JAMA Network Open.
Researchers divided 250 postmenopausal women (average age 56) - all of whom reported having at least four hot flashes a day - into two equal groups. Every day for six weeks, the first group listened to a 20-minute hypnosis recording that included prompts to relax and imagine feeling cool. Over the same duration, the second group listened daily to 20-minute white noise recordings labeled as hypnosis. All participants tracked the frequency and severity of their hot flashes.
Afterward, the hypnosis group showed a 53% drop in a measure that combined hot flash frequency and severity, while the white noise group experienced a 41% reduction. In addition, far more women using hypnosis (90% vs. 64%) said they felt they benefited from the treatment. With 80% of women reporting hot flashes during the menopause transition and beyond, self-administered hypnosis appears to be a safe and accessible nondrug option, the study authors said.
Image: © miodrag ignjatovic/Getty Images
About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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