You got hurt, and you don't want to take opioids for it
The prescription is in the bag, or already in the drawer. You have seen what those pills do to people, or you have been there yourself, and you would rather get through this another way. This is the part of pain hypnosis with the strongest research behind it.
Where you are
- Surgery is on the calendar. You have told the surgeon you want the smallest amount of opioid medication you can safely get away with, and you want something on your side of the plan.
- You got hurt and the bottle is sitting there. A fall, a crash, a tear. You filled it, or you didn't, and either way you don't want to need it.
- You are in recovery. Opioids are not an option for you, and every doctor you meet needs that explained again. I take that seriously, and I have spent years working in substance use settings, so you will not have to explain it to me.
- You watched someone go down that road. A parent, a partner, a friend. You are not going to be the next one.
What the research says
When reviews separate short-term pain from long-standing pain, hypnosis for acute and procedural pain shows a medium, well-replicated effect compared with standard care: less pain, less anxiety, and in surgical settings a reduced need for pain medication. This is why hypnosis has quietly become part of the standard offering at a number of academic medical centres. If you are recovering from an injury, preparing for surgery, or in the weeks after one, you are in the part of this field with the best data.
How we do it
Before a planned surgery. Two to four sessions in the weeks beforehand. We work on the anticipation, which is a strong predictor of how much pain and medication the recovery involves, and on suggestions for a calm procedure, a comfortable recovery and settled sleep. You go in with a recording made for the hospital stay, for the nights when everything hurts and you are somewhere unfamiliar.
After an injury. Injuries bring two problems. The pain, which hypnotic analgesia handles well. And the fear, which does the longer-term damage: the guarding, the flinch at movements that are now safe, the body that stops trusting the hurt part. Working on both in the first weeks is the most reliable way I know to keep an injury from turning into a chronic pain problem. Sessions are online, so you can do them from the couch you are stuck on.
Sessions are $250 for 60 minutes. You pay one at a time.
Talk to your surgeon or prescriber about the pain plan
Hypnosis sits alongside your medical care. Severe pain that goes untreated has its own risks, and there are non-opioid medical options your doctor can put together with you. Tell them what you are doing and what you want; in my experience most are glad to hear it. Do not refuse or stop prescribed pain control without that conversation, and have every new injury assessed first.
What people notice
- Needing less pain medication, in consultation with their prescriber
- Sleeping through the night sooner, which is when tissue repair happens
- Doing physical therapy properly instead of protectively
- Getting back to normal movement without the flinch that outlasts the injury
Start here
Send a request and I reply within one to two business days with your paperwork and a booking link. Sessions are $250 for 60 minutes, online, worldwide.
Request an appointment (opens the secure SimplePractice appointment request form in a new tab)
Questions about injured, and you don't want opioids
Is it safe to skip opioids after surgery?
That is a medical decision, and it depends on the surgery. Many procedures are now managed with plans that use little or no opioid medication, and your surgeon or anaesthesiologist is the person to design yours. Hypnosis helps alongside whatever plan you two agree on. It does not replace it.
How soon before surgery should I start?
Two to four sessions in the four weeks beforehand is a good shape, ending with a recording made for your hospital stay and first week home. Even one session shortly before is better than none.
I already filled the prescription and I'm scared of it.
That fear is worth listening to, and it is also something we can work with directly. Talk to your prescriber about the smallest plan that keeps you safe, and bring the rest to me. There is no shame in either direction.
I'm in recovery. Will you understand that?
Yes. Say so in your request, and tell me what you can and cannot take. I have worked in substance use settings for years and I will not treat it as a footnote. The work we do here is hypnosis for pain, alongside your recovery, not treatment for it.
Will I be pain-free?
No one honest can promise that. The research supports less pain, less anxiety and less medication for acute pain, not none. What most people describe is a recovery that is more bearable and moves faster than they expected.
Ready to try a different approach to your pain?
Send a request and tell me what you are dealing with. I reply within one to two business days with your intake paperwork and a secure link to pay and pick your time. No payment is taken at the request stage.
Requests go to a secure, HIPAA-compliant SimplePractice form — no payment is taken there. Sessions are held online by video, worldwide.