Living with seasonal low mood can feel strangely predictable and yet still catch you off guard. The clocks go back, the evenings close in, you are barely seeing daylight around work or school runs and bit by bit everything starts to feel heavier.
You might notice yourself withdrawing, sleeping more, losing interest in things you normally enjoy or feeling tearful for no obvious reason. Hypnotherapy for SAD is about helping your system respond differently to that shift instead of getting dragged under by it every year.
For some people it shows up as the classic winter blues, a nagging sense of flatness and irritability that creeps in as the days get shorter.
For others it turns into something much stronger, often described as seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder, where motivation drops away, concentration is difficult and even small tasks feel like wading through mud. You might find yourself thinking that it is just the season and that you should be able to snap out of it, while at the same time feeling as if something bigger has taken hold.
This page is here to explain how we approach hypnotherapy for SAD at The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy and how it can sit alongside other forms of support such as GP care, talking therapies and light based treatments. You do not have to have a perfect label or a formal diagnosis before you get in touch. What matters is how seasonal low mood is affecting your life and whether you would like that to change.
On this page
When Winter Blues Become Seasonal Depression
Disliking dark evenings is normal. Many people feel a bit more tired, crave comfort food or would rather curl up on the sofa than go out in the rain. With seasonal depression it goes further than that. The low mood is deeper, lasts longer and starts to interfere with everyday life.
You may notice that each autumn your energy drops sharply, your sleep pattern changes and it becomes harder to concentrate at work or enjoy time with people you care about. Simple jobs such as cooking, replying to messages or keeping on top of the house can feel overwhelming. Some people describe feeling emotionally numb, as if colour has drained out of life, others feel tearful, anxious or guilty without quite knowing why.
One of the clues that you are dealing with seasonal affective disorder rather than a passing phase is the pattern over time. If you look back and realise that your worst patches tend to appear in late autumn and winter and then lift again as the light returns, it is a strong sign that your mind and body are reacting to seasonal changes in a particular way. Hypnotherapy for SAD works with that pattern instead of treating your low mood as if it has come out of nowhere.
Why Seasonal Low Mood Gets A Grip
Medical explanations for seasonal affective disorder often focus on light levels, body clock rhythms and brain chemistry. Those are important and it is wise to talk with your GP about them, however they are not the whole story. Human beings are creatures of habit. Once your system has gone through a couple of bad winters, it starts to predict the next one in advance.
By late summer you may already be bracing for the darker months. Thoughts like here we go again, I always crash in winter or I know I will not cope when the days get shorter can quietly prime your nervous system to expect the worst. Your brain begins to scan for tiredness, heaviness and difficulty and naturally it finds them. That is how brains work.
Behaviour also plays a part. When you feel low you naturally go out less, move less, socialise less and shrink your world to make it more manageable. That is understandable, but over time it feeds the problem. Less activity means fewer chances for your brain to experience anything uplifting, so hypnotherapy for SAD often includes gently shifting the habits that keep you stuck as well as the mood itself.
There is also the quiet story you tell yourself about winter. If part of you has decided that this season is always awful, that you always lose yourself until spring, your subconscious treats that as a kind of script. One of the aims of hypnotherapy for SAD is to help you loosen that script and write a different one, without pretending that winter is tropical and perfect.
How Hypnotherapy For SAD Can Help
Hypnotherapy gives us a way of working with the deeper patterns behind seasonal low mood, not just the surface symptoms. Rather than simply telling you to cheer up until spring, we help your subconscious mind rehearse a steadier, kinder response to the darker months.
In practice that usually means using guided imagery, relaxed focus and clear explanation to help your brain update its expectations. We might invite you to picture the year as a cycle, noticing where your energy tends to dip and where it naturally rises again, then imagine stepping through winter in a more resourced way. Hypnotherapy for SAD is used to help your nervous system learn that shorter days do not have to automatically mean sinking mood.
Because the subconscious responds well to metaphor and story, we often work with images that fit your life. For one person that might be seeing themselves as a runner pacing a longer race rather than sprinting then collapsing. For another it might be a house where the lights slowly come on in different rooms, even when it is dark outside, instead of everything going dim at once. The image itself is less important than the emotional learning your brain quietly takes from it.
Alongside that deeper work we build very practical strategies, so hypnotherapy for SAD is not just about feeling calmer in the chair. We might help you create small, realistic winter habits that keep you moving and connected, rehearse saying yes to supportive invitations instead of automatically withdrawing, or practise handling the difficult patches in a kinder way rather than criticising yourself for not coping.
What Sessions Are Like
People sometimes worry that hypnotherapy will involve losing control or being made to do things. That is not how we work. In reality, hypnotherapy for SAD often feels like a calm, focused conversation with periods where you sit comfortably, close your eyes if you wish and follow gentle suggestions or stories.
At The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy we begin by listening carefully to your experience. We will look at when your seasonal depression tends to start, how it affects your life and what you are hoping will be different next time the darker months roll around. We will also ask about any current treatment, such as medication, light therapy or counselling, so that hypnotherapy sits alongside it safely.
During the hypnotic part of the session you remain aware of what is happening, you can move, cough or speak, and you can choose not to follow any suggestion that does not feel right. Most people describe it as being deeply relaxed while still in charge. The work is tailored to you, there is no one script for seasonal affective disorder that we use for everyone.
In terms of timing, many clients begin to notice shifts within three or four sessions, particularly in how they anticipate and respond to winter. Some choose to start hypnotherapy for SAD before their difficult season arrives, others come in the middle of a bad spell and work from there. We can talk through what makes most sense for you.
Evidence And Research
Hypnosis and hypnotherapy are not a stand alone NICE recommended treatment for seasonal affective disorder, however wider research on hypnosis for mental health problems suggests that hypnotic interventions can produce small to medium improvements in depression symptoms when integrated with other psychological work. For example, meta analytic work on hypnosis and mental and somatic health outcomes, including depressive symptoms, is summarised in Rosendahl and colleagues, meta analytic evidence on the efficacy of hypnosis and in the depression focused meta analysis by Milling and colleagues, hypnotic interventions for depression symptoms.
At The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy we draw on this wider research base, combining hypnotherapy for SAD with practical behavioural changes and, where appropriate, encouraging clients to access medical and psychological support in line with current guidelines.
In Person In Surrey And Online
We see clients in person at our clinic in Wallington in Surrey, which is within easy reach of Croydon, Sutton and surrounding areas. For many people there is something grounding about having a dedicated space away from home where they can focus on themselves for an hour.
We also offer online hypnotherapy for SAD using secure video, which can be particularly helpful if travel is difficult, if you live further afield or if winter weather itself becomes a barrier to getting to the clinic. Online sessions follow the same structure as in person work. As long as you have a private space, a reasonably stable connection and a comfortable chair, the process can be just as effective.
If you are not sure which option is right for you, we can talk that through together and find a way of working that feels manageable.
When To Seek Further Help
Seasonal depression can range from mild to severe. Hypnotherapy for SAD is often a good fit when you are struggling with low mood, lethargy and loss of interest, but you are still basically safe and functioning. If you are experiencing thoughts about harming yourself, feel you cannot go on, or notice big changes in sleep, appetite or weight, it is important to speak to your GP urgently and let them know exactly how bad things feel.
We are happy to be part of a wider support team. Some clients work with us alongside their GP, medication, light boxes or other therapies. The aim is not to ignore the medical picture, but to add an approach that speaks directly to your emotional habits, beliefs and nervous system responses.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hypnotherapy For Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Seasonal affective disorder is more than feeling a bit fed up with cold weather. It is a pattern of depression that returns at roughly the same time each year, usually in autumn and winter, and affects energy, sleep, appetite, motivation and enjoyment. If your mood, drive and daily life are significantly affected in the darker months, and you feel noticeably better in spring and summer, it is worth talking to a professional about seasonal affective disorder rather than writing it off as a dislike of winter.
Clinical guidance usually suggests treating seasonal affective disorder in a similar way to other depression. That can include talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy, antidepressant medication when appropriate, and lifestyle steps like increasing natural light, activity and social contact. Some people also choose to try bright light therapy using a SAD lamp. Hypnotherapy for SAD can sit alongside these options, helping you work with patterns of thought, imagery and expectation that keep low winter mood going.
Bright light therapy has been studied for seasonal affective disorder for many years. Research suggests that, for some people, sitting in front of a suitable bright light box at the right time of day can reduce SAD symptoms compared with placebo conditions. At the same time, guidelines point out that the evidence is not perfect and that light therapy is not suitable for everyone, for example if you have certain eye problems or take medicines that make you more sensitive to light. It is a tool that can be considered alongside other approaches, ideally after talking with your GP.
Hypnotherapy for SAD is best seen as a complementary psychological approach rather than a replacement for medical care. It can help you work directly with the part of your mind that holds emotional learning about winter, darkness and energy, and can support changes in sleep, routine and self talk that make other treatments more effective. We encourage clients to keep their GP involved, and to think of hypnotherapy as one part of a joined up plan which may also include talking therapy, lifestyle changes, light exposure and, when needed, medication.
There is no single number that suits everyone, because seasonal affective disorder sits on a spectrum and often overlaps with other life stresses. As a rough guide, many people notice useful shifts in how they feel and cope within three to six hypnotherapy sessions for SAD, especially if they are also making changes in routine, light exposure and support. At your first appointment we will talk through your situation and give you a clearer sense of what feels realistic and helpful for you.
Taking The Next Step
If you recognise yourself in this description, you are not alone. Many people find the darker months hard, and a significant number develop patterns that go beyond ordinary winter tiredness. The fact that your low mood seems to follow a seasonal rhythm does not mean you are making it up, and it does not mean you are stuck with it forever.
You are welcome to contact us at The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy to talk through what has been happening and explore whether hypnotherapy for SAD feels like a good fit. We can answer questions, outline a realistic plan and help you decide on in person or online sessions.
If you would like a wider overview of the emotional difficulties we support, you can also visit our main problems we help with page, and our low mood and depression section to see how this page fits into the bigger picture of support.
You do not have to wait until another winter has passed in the same old way. If seasonal low mood and winter blues are starting to shape your life, it may be time to try a different approach.