Self-Administered Hypnosis vs Sham Hypnosis for Hot Flashes

Does a self-administered clinical hypnosis intervention effectively reduce hot flashes compared with a sham hypnosis?In this randomized clinical trial of 250 postmenopausal women, the hypnosis group experienced a significantly greater reduction in hot flash scores (frequency × severity) compared with the control group at week 6 (53.4% vs 40.9%). The intervention group reported a significantly greater reduction in daily interference from hot flashes (49.3% vs 37.4%) from baseline to week 6 and greater perceived benefits (90.3% vs 64.3%) compared with the sham hypnosis group.This study suggests that self-administered clinical hypnosis is an effective treatment option for reducing hot flash frequency and severity by over 50%.

Corresponding Author: Gary Elkins, PhD, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, 801 Washington Ave, Waco, TX 76710 (gary_elkins@baylor.edu).

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