I help people with mood swings and irregular changes of temperament with hypnotherapy. As a clinical naturopath (ANPA) I look at the possible physical changes you may be going through and what needs to change.
As a psychotherapist, hypnotherapist (AHA, ASCH) and registered mental health professional (PACFA), we also review the way you are thinking. Have you got yourself into a funk about something that disturbs you or frightens you?
You may even qualify for some Health fund rebates.
Clinically I like to take a holistic approach because we are both our physical selves and how we think. There is no separation between the two and yes with the right help you can change fast.
Who gets mood swing?
To be honest we all get mood swings sometimes no matter who we are. Your body and hormonal system are designed to act and react quickly to changing situations.
Robinson et al (2019) looked at the differences in beliefs about moods between people with and without bipolar disorder. They found that people who exhibited bipolar symptoms of excessive mood changes had belief that they had less control.
We have to look, however, at the way mental health classification is structured. It rarely takes into account environmental factors like upbringing, family dynamics, education, financial prospects and social influences.
Life changes fast and sometimes brutally, you may become frightening, depressive and if it happens several times we can get into a pattern of thinking that all life is like that. The power game in mental health can give us labels without looking at the big picture.
What physical changes cause moods?
Alsaad et al (2025) looked how women who are maybe ovulating, menstruating, pregnant, post post-partum or menopausal will experience mood changes. That’s perfectly natural but sometimes those mood changes can seem overwhelming and out of control.
At times men can find that they are unable to handle the emotional effects of their heighten or suboptimal testosterone levels. When testosterone is excessively high it can cause anxiety and make you feel tense and angry. When is too low it may affect your sexual performance, which can be upsetting and you get depressed.
Adolescence is also a very stressful time for many teenagers. Suddenly your body changes. You now have all these hormones surging around your body leading you to behave in ways you do not yet understand.
In your later years you may lose some control of your ability to regulate your moods. Illness can be depressing and the loss of control of your body and life circumstances can make you very anxious, sometimes short tempered.
Do mood changes mean I have a mental illness?
The short answer is no, even though there are mental illnesses that have sudden moods changes as a feature, like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.
Even with these physical disorders, psychological training can help you have better control over your emotions. The problem is that most treatments do not involve this mental training, which can actually makes a huge difference to the quality of your life.
Nandarathana et (2025) look at mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in regulating cognition and emotion of patients with depression. This same kind of therapy can also be applied to anxiety.
Most people who experience mood disorders do not yet have the cognitive ability to self-regulate their thoughts, emotions and behaviors.
My clinical to mood approach disorders
I always look at what has happened to you physically to begin with. That will include your physical and mental history taking and possiblly order blood tests.
I also want to review the way you live your life. Do you have a life that supports good mood control or is there chaos and disorder that would lead anyone to have uncontrollable mood changes.
Do you know how to physically look after yourself, eat well, exercise and breathe properly. People with sever mood changes always have a lack of control of their breathing.
Łysiak (2019) noted the relationship between inner speech and pathological trait. What you say insider your mind about you and others leads to your emotional state. So, to control your mood you have to change the conversation you are having with yourself.
Hypnotherapy for mood disorders
As I said earlier, I first of all screen you for any physical problems that may be causing the moods changes. I will even work with some of your clinicians.
It is possible to reprogram your mind quickly with hypnotherapy. This is because hypnosis helps us bypass your resistance in your conscious mind and speak directly to your unconscious mind.
That unconscious mind is much bigger than your conscious mind and basically the boss of you that drives your automatic thought and behaviours.
Khazraee et al (2023) show us that there is strong evidence that that emotion regulation and mindfulness are two mechanisms that underlie depression. Hypnotherapy has the ability to change your thoughts quickly.
The added benefit of course is that hypnosis is very relaxing and comfortable way to make those changes fast and long-lasting.
Dr Tracie O’Keefe DCH, BHSc, ND is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist, Counsellor, PACFA Registered Mental Health Professional and Clinical Naturopath. She has many decades experience in both natural physical medicine and mental health.
You can visit her in the clinic in Sydney or connect be zoom from anywhere in the world by phoning 0403 398808.
References
AlSaad, R., El Rayess, F., & Thomas, R. (2026). Predicting mood swings in women of reproductive age using machine learning on metabolic, menstrual, and lifestyle indicators. Frontiers in Global Women’s Health, 6, Article 1700324. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgwh.2025.1700324
Khazraee, H., Bakhtiari, M., Kianimoghadam, A. S., & Ghorbanikhah, E. (2023). The effectiveness of mindful hypnotherapy on difficulties in emotion regulation, mindfulness, and mental health in patients with major depressive disorder. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 12, Article 365. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_1473_22
Łysiak, M. (2019). Inner dialogical communication and pathological personality traits. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 1663. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01663
Nandarathana, N., Ranjan, J. K., & Sinha, M. (2025). The efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in regulating cognition and emotion of patients with depression: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 21, Article 100929. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2025.100929
Robinson, H., Jones, S., Fanshawe, T., & Lobban, F. (2019). Differences in beliefs about mood between people with and without bipolar disorder. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 26(6), 684–694. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2391
