Self-hypnosis for menopause: the options compared

If you've started looking into self-hypnosis for menopause, you'll know there's a lot out there. Famous names, apps, free videos, therapists, and small makers like us. It's hard to tell what's what.

This guide sets out the main options side by side, as fairly as we can. We've checked each one on its own website or app listing, and left out anything we couldn't check.

One thing to say first: Softer Mind is one of the options on this list, and we've put it last. Softer Mind isn't connected with any of the creators mentioned.

What self-hypnosis is, and what it isn't

Self-hypnosis is a way of guiding yourself into a calm, focused state. You're not asleep and nobody is controlling you. You can hear everything, and you can open your eyes at any time. Most people say it feels like being deeply relaxed while still aware.

A recording does the guiding for you, so all you have to do is listen. Most follow the same shape: settle the body, go deeper, spend time on one idea or picture, then come back up or drift off.

It isn't magic, it isn't mind control, and it isn't a medical treatment. It doesn't replace your GP, HRT or any other care. Think of it as a calm habit you can add to the rest of your life, not instead of anything.

What the research says about hypnosis and hot flushes

Most of the research on hypnosis in menopause has looked at hot flushes (hot flashes) and night sweats. Much of it comes from one US team, led by Dr Gary Elkins at Baylor University.

• In a 2013 trial in the journal Menopause, 187 women after menopause had five weekly sessions with a therapist, plus a recording to practise with at home. A comparison group had the same number of sessions without hypnosis. The hypnosis group reported fewer and milder hot flushes.
• A 2025 trial in JAMA Network Open tested 250 women who listened to a 20-minute hypnosis recording each day for six weeks. The comparison group listened to white noise that had been labelled as hypnosis. Both groups also had meetings and weekly phone calls with the research team.

The 2025 result is worth reading carefully. The hypnosis group did better on the main measure at six weeks. But the white noise group improved a lot too. That suggests a calm daily listening habit, expectation and the support of taking part all play a part, not just the hypnosis itself.

There are limits. The studies are fairly small, mostly from one team, and most of the women taking part were White and highly educated. And each trial tested the researchers' own programme. None of it tells you whether any particular recording you can buy, including ours, will help you.

We've written about the research in more detail in hypnotherapy for menopause: what the research says.

What the NHS and NICE say

In the UK, doctors follow NICE's menopause guideline (NG23). It says doctors should offer HRT for hot flushes and night sweats. It also says doctors should consider menopause-specific CBT for hot flushes and night sweats, for sleep problems linked to them, and for low mood that comes with them.

The NHS menopause treatment page covers HRT, CBT and other medicines your doctor may suggest.

NICE's guideline doesn't mention hypnosis or hypnotherapy. So it isn't something your GP is likely to suggest. In the US, the Menopause Society's 2023 statement did include clinical hypnosis as an option for hot flushes, along with CBT. But it didn't recommend relaxation, mindfulness or paced breathing for hot flushes. Healio's summary lists what was and wasn't recommended.

If your symptoms are getting in the way of your life, please talk to your GP first. You can read more in CBT for menopause and menopause without HRT.

The main options

Prices are as shown on each maker's own site or app listing when we checked in October 2026. They may have changed.

Well-known self-hypnosis creators

These are the big names in self-hypnosis audio. None of them is made for menopause, but many women use their general sleep and relaxation sessions.

• Paul McKenna. A UK hypnotist known for his books with hypnosis audio. His official site offers an app with a seven-day free trial, covering topics such as sleep, anxiety and confidence. We didn't find a menopause title.
• Glenn Harrold. A UK hypnotherapist with a large catalogue of MP3 downloads on his own site. Best-selling downloads were listed at £8.95, and there's a free sleep MP3 if you sign up by email. A search of his site for menopause found nothing.
• Andrew Johnson. A long-standing meditation and relaxation teacher. His Relax with AJ app is £2.99 on the UK App Store, and many of his sessions are on Insight Timer, a meditation app with a large free library. We didn't see any menopause titles.
• Michael Sealey and Jason Stephenson. Two of the best-known free options on YouTube. Michael Sealey's channel has long sleep hypnosis and guided relaxation videos. Jason Stephenson makes guided sleep meditations and relaxation music, and says his channels have millions of subscribers. Both are free to watch on YouTube. Neither is made for menopause.

Menopause-specific recordings and apps

• Hypnosis Downloads (Uncommon Knowledge). A large hypnosis download company. It has a hot flush session called "Cool Down Hot Flashes", just over 28 minutes long. It's part of a ten-session menopause bundle that also covers sleep, mood, anxiety and other topics. Single sessions were listed at $18.95 and the bundle at $119, priced in US dollars. It has a refund promise.
• Evia. An app made for hot flushes and menopause, from Mindset Health. Its App Store listing describes a five-week programme of daily sessions of about 20 minutes, plus symptom tracking and reading. It links its programme to Dr Gary Elkins, the researcher behind the trials above. It's free to download, then the hot flushes course was listed at £99 for three months, with a free trial. The listing is careful to say the research was on a similar programme, not on the app itself.
• Sophie Fletcher's Mindful Menopause. A book by a UK clinical hypnotherapist. Penguin offers ten free audio tracks that go with it, including hypnosis for sleep and a track for heat. A good free place to start if you like reading as well as listening.

Big meditation apps

Calm and Headspace are general meditation and sleep apps, not hypnosis apps. They're mainly paid subscriptions. Calm's App Store listing says a free trial may be offered, and Headspace offers a 14-day free trial. They're polished and have huge libraries, but they aren't built around menopause.

Free NHS-linked options

• NHS audio guides. The NHS website has free mental wellbeing audio guides, including ones on sleep problems and anxiety. They're short, practical and not about menopause, but they're a sensible, free first step.
• NHS Talking Therapies. In England you can refer yourself for help with anxiety and depression, including CBT, without seeing your GP first. This isn't hypnosis, but CBT is the talking therapy NICE recommends.

Seeing a hypnotherapist in person

Some women would rather work with a real person, in a room or online. A hypnotherapist can tailor sessions to you, and it's closest to the therapist-led programmes in the earlier trials. It usually costs more than a recording.

In the UK, anyone can call themselves a hypnotherapist, so check they're on a recognised register:

• The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) registers hypnotherapists. Its register is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. You can search the CNHC register by name or postcode.
• The National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) is a not-for-profit professional body with a find a hypnotherapist search.

Ask about their training, their experience with menopause, and how many sessions they suggest. A good hypnotherapist will be happy for you to keep seeing your GP too.

Softer Mind

Softer Mind is a small UK shop, and these are our own recordings. They're relaxation and self-hypnosis recordings made with perimenopause and menopause in mind. There are five, each written around a different part of this stage of life, from hot nights and broken sleep to anxious days and a foggy head. They're narrated by an AI voice, from scripts we wrote ourselves.

They cost £7.99 or £9.99 each, or £29.99 for all five, as an MP3 to download or listen to online. There's a 60-day refund promise. You can see them all in The Calm Change, and there's a free ten-minute recording if you'd like to try the style first.

If a human voice matters to you, one of the other options above will suit you better, and that's completely fine.

How to compare them at a glance

How to choose

• Do you want it made for menopause? General sleep and relaxation sessions can still feel lovely. But if you'd like imagery about heat, night waking or this stage of life, pick a menopause-specific option.
• Do you want structure? If you like a daily plan, an app with a set programme may suit you. If you'd rather dip in when you need it, single recordings are simpler.
• How much do you want to spend? Start free. The NHS guides, YouTube, Insight Timer and the Penguin tracks cost nothing. Pay only once you know you like listening.
• Does the voice matter? You'll hear it a lot, so it needs to feel right. Listen to a sample first. Some people prefer a human voice. Others don't mind, or like a calm AI voice.
• Would you like a real person? If so, a registered hypnotherapist is the best fit.
• Can you listen most days? Most programmes suggest daily listening for a few weeks. The one you'll actually use is better than the "best" one you won't.

Who should be careful

Hypnosis is generally thought to be low risk, but please talk to your GP or mental health team first if you have epilepsy, psychosis or another serious mental health condition. Never listen to any hypnosis or relaxation recording while driving or doing anything that needs your full attention. And if a session ever leaves you upset, stop and take a break.

Where relaxation fits in

A calm daily listening habit can be a gentle thing to add while you work out the rest with your GP. Whichever option you choose, see it as something alongside proper care like HRT, CBT or other treatments, never instead of them. If you'd like to hear our style, our free Ten-Minute Calm Reset is a good place to start. It's a relaxation recording, not a treatment, and it doesn't replace advice from your GP.

Related: perimenopause symptoms, hot flushes, night sweats, menopause anxiety and menopause insomnia.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you're worried about any symptom, please talk to your GP or pharmacist.