How Can Cognitive Hypnotherapy Help You To Manage The Menopause?
It seems that when it comes to the menopause, no two women experience it exactly the same and when it comes to treatments, there are a variety on offer which suit different women.
Menopause marks the end of your menstrual cycle. It’s defined by not having a period for 12 months. For some, this may come as an abrupt end to menstruation, though for most people they experience symptoms for some time before this happens (perimenopause) and they can continue for years afterwards. Typically, menopause occurs between 45-55 years old, although some women may experience symptoms in their early 40’s or younger.
Symptoms Of Menopause
A number of symptoms may be experienced by women, alongside loss of fertility and a change in menstruation. These include; hot flushes, night sweats, anxiety, low-mood, brain-fog, difficulty focusing, reduced sex drive, skin dryness and weight issues and this in turn can affect women’s confidence and self-esteem. Menopause can also affect the body’s ability to process sugar. Of course, some women sail through their menopause, experiencing only mild symptoms, but for some the impact can be huge, affecting the quality of their day-to-day lives. The impact on the mind and body is not surprising if we look at the change in hormones that occur – the main ones effected include oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Testing for levels though can be difficult as levels rise and fall.
Treatments
There are a number of treatments available to combat the symptoms of menopause. Many choose hormone replacement therapy and research shows early treatment is most effective. There is a choice between bio-identical hormone therapy and body identical hormone therapy, although many women prefer to use complementary treatments such as Evening Primrose Oil, Black Cohosh or Red Clover. In addition, women may find altering their lifestyle can bring real benefits by choosing to exercise frequently and eating foods rich in the hormones that have decreased, as well as looking at ways to deal with the day-to-day build-up of any anxiety or stress.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy – How Can It Help?
I offer cognitive hypnotherapy sessions, which combine cognitive hypnotherapy, NLP techniques and positive psychology to help women manage their menopause symptoms. I provide up to date information on how to manage the menopause, having completed additional training in menopause management. People are often puzzled though as to how cognitive hypnotherapy can help.
Everybody experiences menopause differently, so it is important to tailor each session to the requirements of each individual. Sometimes women come to me with a particular symptom unaware that it could be in fact related to the menopause and it’s a light bulb moment, when they realise. Cognitive hypnotherapy can help to use cooling guided imagery to counteract hot flushes and it can calm your system allowing you to become more relaxed, easing any anxiety or stress. Techniques are taught to women to manage their symptoms and they are encouraged to focus on the differences they would feel in their mind and body if their menopausal symptoms were under control. Using hypnosis, the aim is to move them towards this goal using positive suggestion and I provide an Mp3 to support these changes. The subconscious mind is targeted by positive suggestion and over time, new neural pathways are created, allowing a shift in thought patterns, enabling this new mindset to become automatic as the brain updates.
It can help with a number of related issues such as disordered sleep, by focusing on relaxing the mind and body, using breathing techniques and visualisation under hypnosis. Sleep routines are analysed and adapted to optimise good sleeping habits.
Weight issues related to the menopause can be addressed too, by helping women to become more mindful of their eating patterns and encouraging healthy food choices, so that this becomes more automatic for them. Hypnosis moves them towards being this healthier version of themselves, helping them to feel more motivated to move their body more and encourage a change in lifestyle if appropriate, such as getting out into nature, which research has shown can help to manage low mood and anxiety. Root causes to any negative patterns of thinking and behaving around food are targeted and the meaning behind past experiences can be reframed. Alongside this, positive suggestion is used to encourage a change to healthier habits.
If you would like any help to manage your menopause symptoms. you can find out more at:
