Mental Health, Menopause & Reiki: Finding Balance During the Transition

October marks World Menopause Awareness Month, a time to shine a light on an experience that affects half the population yet remains shrouded in silence and misunderstanding. While hot flashes and night sweats often dominate the conversation around menopause, there’s another dimension that deserves equal attention: mental health.

The Hidden Impact: Menopause and Mental Wellbeing

Menopause is far more than a physical transition. The hormonal shifts that occur during perimenopause and menopause can profoundly affect your emotional and psychological wellbeing. Oestrogen and progesterone don’t just regulate your reproductive system, they also influence neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin and dopamine, which play crucial roles in mood regulation.

Many women experience:

- Anxiety and panic attacks that seem to come out of nowhere

- Depression or persistent low mood, even without a history of mental health challenges

- Brain fog that makes it hard to concentrate or remember things

- Mood swings that feel unpredictable and overwhelming

- Sleep disturbances that compound emotional difficulties

- A sense of losing yourself or not recognising who you’ve become

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, please know: you’re not losing your mind, you’re not weak, and you’re certainly not alone.

Why Mental Health in Menopause Needs More Attention

Despite affecting approximately 4 million women who enter menopause each year in the UK alone, the mental health aspects of this transition are often dismissed, minimised, or misdiagnosed. Women report feeling unheard by healthcare providers, unsupported by their communities, and uncertain about where to turn for help.

The stigma surrounding menopause means many women suffer in silence, attributing their symptoms to stress, ageing, or personal failings rather than recognising them as a natural part of hormonal change that deserves proper support and treatment.

A Holistic Approach to Menopause Support

While hormone replacement therapy (HRT), antidepressants, and lifestyle modifications like exercise and nutrition can all play important roles in managing menopausal symptoms, many women are seeking complementary approaches that address their wellbeing on multiple levels.

This is where practices like Reiki come in.

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique that promotes relaxation and stress reduction through gentle touch or hands hovering just above the body. Practitioners work with the body’s natural energy flow to encourage balance and healing. While Reiki is not a substitute for medical treatment, many people find it to be a valuable complement to conventional care.

How Reiki Can Support Mental Health During Menopause

1. Deep Relaxation and Stress Relief

Menopause can feel like your body and mind are in constant overdrive. Reiki sessions offer a rare opportunity to completely relax. During a session, many women report feeling a profound sense of calm wash over them — sometimes for the first time in months or years. This deep relaxation can help reset your nervous system, which may be stuck in fight-or-flight mode due to hormonal fluctuations.

2. Emotional Release and Processing

The menopausal transition often brings up unexpected emotions. Reiki creates a safe, nurturing space where you can simply be with whatever you’re feeling without judgment. Many women find that emotions they’ve been holding onto—whether grief, anger, sadness, or fear—naturally surface and release during or after sessions.

3. Improved Sleep Quality

When anxiety and racing thoughts keep you awake at night (on top of night sweats), the cumulative effect on your mental health can be devastating. Regular Reiki sessions may help calm your mind and improve sleep patterns, giving your body and brain the rest they desperately need.

4. Reconnection with Your Body

Menopause can make you feel disconnected from or even betrayed by your body. Reiki offers a gentle way to rebuild that relationship. The practice encourages you to tune into your body’s sensations and needs with compassion rather than frustration.

5. Grounding and Centeredness

When everything feels uncertain and out of control, Reiki can help you feel more grounded and centred. Many women describe feeling more “like themselves” after sessions — more present, more balanced, more capable of handling whatever comes their way.

6. Support for the Nervous System

Reiki may help activate your parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and digest” mode that counters stress responses. This can be particularly beneficial during menopause when hormonal changes can leave your nervous system feeling dysregulated.

What to Expect from a Reiki Session

If you’re new to Reiki, you might wonder what actually happens during a session. Typically, you’ll lie fully clothed on a massage table in a quiet, comfortable space. The practitioner will place their hands gently on or just above various areas of your body, usually starting at your head and moving down to your feet.

Sessions generally last 60 to 90 minutes. You might feel warmth, tingling, or simply deep relaxation. Some people drift into a meditative state or even fall asleep. There’s no wrong way to experience Reiki, whatever happens is exactly what you need in that moment.

Integrating Reiki into Your Menopause Wellness Plan

Reiki works best as part of a comprehensive approach to menopause wellness. Consider combining Reiki with:

- Regular medical care and monitoring

- Therapy or counselling for mental health support

- Movement practices like yoga, walking, or swimming

- Nutritional support tailored to menopausal needs

- Community connection with other women going through similar experiences

- Adequate sleep and rest

- Stress management techniques like meditation or breathwork

Your Menopause, Your Journey

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to navigating menopause. What works beautifully for one woman might not resonate with another, and that’s perfectly okay. The key is to remain open, curious, and compassionate with yourself as you explore what helps you feel most balanced and supported.

Reiki is simply one tool in the toolkit, a gentle, non-invasive practice that many women find brings them comfort, clarity, and calm during a turbulent time.

Breaking the Silence

This World Menopause Awareness Month, let’s commit to talking more openly about the full spectrum of menopausal experiences, including the mental and emotional challenges that so many women face. The more we share our stories, the more we normalise this natural life transition, and the easier it becomes for women to seek and receive the support they deserve.

If you’re struggling with the mental health aspects of menopause, please reach out. Talk to your healthcare provider, connect with a therapist who understands hormonal transitions, explore complementary practices like Reiki, and know that support is available. You don’t have to navigate this journey alone.

Menopause is not an ending, it’s a transition into a new chapter. With the right support, it can be a time of profound growth, self-discovery, and empowerment.