Clementine is a free to download hypnotherapy app, designed “for women, by women”, to help you sleep and boost your confidence. It was rated one of the ‘seven apps every woman should own’ by The Guardian, so I thought, why not give it a try?
The app itself is very aesthetically pleasing, with adorable designs, drawings, and colour palettes, and it’s very easy to navigate. In the premium version (£8.99 a month of £49.99 per year), the app offers message mantras, morning and daytime audio sessions, sleep sessions and courses – not to mention the amount of personalisation! You can customise whether you want to see swear words, and how many daytime mantras and notifications you want to receive within different themes; anything from loving yourself and feeling sexy, to saving your money and even interview prep. With the free version of the app, users are entitled to the morning sessions, message mantras, and three of the daytime pick-me-ups.
I used the one-week free trial of all the features to see what it’s like, how well it works and to be able to give a final review. Although my mental health has been pretty decent lately, my sleep hasn’t. Besides, we could all do with a little confidence boost once in a while!
Every day, I started with a motivating morning mantra session, which incorporated manifestations and relaxation. It gave me the extra little boost I needed to get through the day. It felt a bit strange at first, talking to myself, but you just have to roll with it, especially because it helps you face the day ahead.
I also did at least one pick-me-up audio session every afternoon when I felt myself starting to lack motivation or energy. Again, they were very relaxing, and some core aspects were repeated throughout the different sessions (reinforcing the hypnotherapy part of the app) and getting certain messages ingrained into your mind
Finally, every night I followed a sleep session – the most crucial part of the app for me – which helped me relax and focus on falling asleep. I usually have trouble with waking up multiple times in the night, but these audio sessions ensured I had a deep sleep every time and woke up feeling calm and refreshed.
I was honestly shocked at how well the app worked. Before trying it, I speculated the effectiveness of it and how it would work – I thought it would be something like the speeches Molly listens to in ‘Booksmart’. After the first day I saw positive results, especially in my sleeping pattern. Even though my sleep was where I saw the most impact, the other sessions still helped me gain a little confidence and remember to relax, taking the day in my stride.
The only downside to Clementine is the amount of content offered to those unwilling or unable to pay for the premium version. As a student who doesn’t even pay for Spotify premium or Amazon Prime, I can’t see myself paying for the premium version, despite how beneficial it seemed. Apps like Clementine, charging people in need, begs the question of ‘does our mental health come at a cost?’. In a world where mental health charities and the NHS are in desperate need of funding, why are more companies and brands capitalising off peoples’ need for support, and why is this of greater emphasis when it comes to women?
Clementine is beneficial, but only for those who are willing to and can afford it: if you can, I would highly recommend, it’s just unfortunate that our mental wellbeing comes at a price.
Words By: Emily Williams
Edited By: Dasha Pitts-Yushchenko