Self-administered hypnosis alleviates hot flashes

A self-administered hypnosis intervention helps reduce hot flashes and, in turn, improve the quality of life of postmenopausal women, as shown in a study.

The study included 250 women (mean age 55.9 years, 24.8 percent had a history of breast cancer) who had a minimum of 4 daily or 28 weekly hot flashes at baseline. These participants were randomly assigned to undergo either a 6-week self-administered hypnosis condition (n=126) or a self-administered sham white noise condition (sham; n=124).

The hypnosis intervention consisted of an educational material detailing the use of hypnosis for the treatment of hot flashes. Participants were asked to listen to daily 20-minute audio-recorded hypnosis sessions, which included hypnotic relaxation induction and mental imagery for coolness. On the other hand, the sham hypnosis intervention involved participants listening to white noise audio recordings.

The change in hot flash score from baseline to 6 weeks, with a 12-week follow-up, was assessed as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included hot flash activity interference, measured using the Hot Flash Related Daily Interference Scale (HFRDIS; lower scores indicate less interference from hot flashes on participants’ daily activities, enjoyment, or quality of life), and perception of benefit, measured using the Subject Global Impression of Change.

At week 6, hot flash scores decreased by 53.4 percent from baseline in the hypnosis group (from 88.7 to 41.3) vs 40.9 percent in the sham group (from 94.6 to 55.9; p=0.04 for between-group comparison). Furthermore, participants in the intervention vs the sham group reported a significantly greater reduction in daily interference from hot flashes (percent change in mean HFRDIS score from baseline to week 6, 49.3 percent vs 37.4 percent) as well as a significantly greater improvement in their perception of their quality of life (90.3 percent vs 64.3 percent).

The findings point to self-administered hypnosis as an efficacious nonpharmacologic option for managing hot flashes in postmenopausal women.