Is it safe to "turn off" pain using hypnosis?

Yes, it is safe because we install a subconscious "Safety Valve" using the HOPE Protocol. This ensures your mind distinguishes between chronic pain (unnecessary noise) and acute pain (new injuries). If you were to suffer a new injury, your nervous system is programmed to override the comfort and alert you immediately.

Does hypnotherapy for pain work online?

Yes, hypnotherapy is often more effective online. Pain is amplified by stress and unfamiliar clinical environments. By working via Google Meet from your own home, you are in a greater state of safety and relaxation, which aids the process.

Will this cure my arthritis, fibromyalgia, or old injury?

We distinguish between healing the tissue and healing the signal. Hypnosis does not physically knit bones or cure arthritis, but it changes how your brain interprets the pain signals. By turning down the volume of the signal, we often see a reduction in inflammation and a significant improvement in quality of life.

Do I need to stop taking my pain medication?

Absolutely not. Paul Matthews is a hypnotherapist, not a medical doctor. You should never alter your prescription without consulting your physician. However, many clients find that as they master Glove Anaesthesia and Noesitherapy, they naturally require less breakthrough pain relief.

How many sessions are needed for pain relief?

The HOPE Protocol is designed for rapid results, with many clients feeling a shift in the first session. However, to permanently rewire neural pathways and address underlying trauma, a course of 4 to 6 sessions is typically recommended.

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The HOPE Protocol:

Advanced Pain Elimination

Retrain Your Brain to "Switch Off" Chronic Pain Signals

If you are living with chronic pain, you have likely been told that you just have to "live with it" or "manage it". You may feel that your body is fighting against you, keeping you in a cycle of medication, exhaustion, and limited movement.

But modern neuroscience and advanced hypnotherapy tell us a different story: Chronic pain is often a valid signal that has become stuck in the 'ON' position.

At Paul Matthews Hypnosis, I specialise in the HOPE Protocol (Hypnotic Over-Ride Pain Elimination). Working entirely online, I help you access the control room of your mind to reset these faulty signals, turning down the volume on pain and allowing your body to return to comfort.

Is It Time to Stop "Managing" and Start Healing?

The HOPE Protocol allows us to:

Acknowledge the Message: Verify that the "warning" is no longer needed.
Over-Ride the Circuit: Use specific hypnotic commands to reset the neural pathway.
Eliminate the Noise: Fade the sensation from a shout to a whisper, or silence it completely.

Pain is a signal. Once the message is delivered and understood, the signal is no longer required."

What is HOPE?

HOPE stands for Hypnotic Over-Ride Pain Elimination. It is a cutting-edge, evidence-informed system designed to retrain neural pathways.

The "Stuck Alarm" Analogy Think of your nervous system like a sophisticated house alarm.

Acute Pain is useful: If you touch a hot stove, the alarm rings to warn you to move your hand.
Chronic Pain is an error: The "burglar" (the injury) has fled, the window has been repaired, but the alarm is still ringing because the system is stuck in a loop.
The HOPE Protocol allows us to access the keypad of that alarm system. We acknowledge that the message has been received, and then we over-ride the circuit, effectively resetting the system to silence.

The HOPE Protocol: How It Works

Alongside HOPE, I utilise Noesitherapy (from the Greek noesis, meaning "thinking"). This profound method was developed by Dr. Angel Escudero to allow patients to undergo major surgery without chemical anaesthesia, purely by using the power of the mind.

Triggering the Vagotonic Response

Pain usually triggers a stress response (Sympathetic Nervous System), which tightens muscles and amplifies pain. Noesitherapy teaches you how to manually switch your body into a Vagotonic Response (Parasympathetic Nervous System).

The "Wet Mouth" Technique

One of the core biological indicators of this healing state is saliva production. When you are in pain or stressed, your mouth goes dry. I will teach you how to consciously maintain a specific "wet mouth" response. This sends an immediate biological signal to your brain that says: "I am safe. I am calm. There is no threat." When the brain receives this safety signal, it naturally dampens pain receptors, creating a state of Psychological Anaesthesia.

Noesitherapy: The Science of "Psychological Anaesthesia"

During our online sessions, we do not just talk about pain; we actively change how your brain processes it using these four pillars:

The Toolkit: How We Retrain Your Brain

4. The "Switch" (Dissociation)

We use the power of your mind to separate "you" from the "discomfort." Just as you might get so absorbed in a film that you forget a headache, hypnosis teaches your brain to distance itself from the sensation, placing the discomfort "over there" while you relax "over here".

3. Timeline Therapy & Trauma Release

It is widely documented that "The Body Keeps the Score". Chronic pain is frequently a physical echo of old emotional trauma or unresolved stress. If your nervous system is stuck in "fight or flight" due to a past event, it keeps your pain threshold low to keep you hyper-vigilant. Using Timeline Therapy, we safely revisit and resolve the emotional root of the tension. By clearing the anxiety from the past, your nervous system can finally stand down, allowing the physical body to relax.

2. NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)

Pain has a "structure" in your mind. You might perceive it as having a colour (e.g., red), a shape (e.g., a sharp spike), or a movement (e.g., throbbing). Using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), we decode this structure and then scramble it. We might guide you to mentally change the colour to a cool blue, soften the shape, or spin the sensation in the opposite direction. By altering these "sub-modalities," we disrupt the neural pattern, often causing the pain to fade or vanish instantly.

1. Glove Anaesthesia

This is a classic, powerful hypnotic technique where we teach your mind to create a sensation of numbness, coolness, or heavy comfort in your hand—as if you were wearing a thick, protective anaesthetic glove. Once you have established this numbness, you will learn to transfer that comfort to any other part of your body simply by touching it. This gives you an immediate, portable tool for relief that you can use anywhere.

Because I prioritise your safety and adhere to strict ethical standards, I require a medical referral or clearance before we begin the HOPE Protocol.

Pain is a protective mechanism. It tells us when something is wrong (like a broken bone, infection, or tumour). It would be irresponsible to remove pain that is alerting you to an untreated condition.

The Rule: You must have consulted a doctor regarding your pain prior to booking.
The Goal: We are not "masking" undiagnosed illness. We are eliminating diagnosed, chronic, or unnecessary pain signals that persist despite medical treatment (such as arthritis, old injuries, migraines, or fibromyalgia).

Safety First: Medical Referral Required

When you live with chronic pain, it often feels like a loud, constant noise that you cannot escape. In medical settings, you are often asked to rate your pain from 1 to 10 simply to record how much you are suffering.

In the HOPE Protocol, we use the Pain Scale differently. We do not use it to measure suffering; we use it to measure control.

We view your pain levels like a volume knob on a radio or a dimmer switch on a light. If the switch is currently stuck at a "9", our goal is not just to wish it away, but to grease the mechanism, loosen the dial, and give you back the hand to turn it down.

The Philosophy of Variability

The most frightening aspect of chronic pain is the feeling that it is permanent and unchangeable. However, during our sessions, if we can use Noesitherapy or Hypnotic Suggestion to move that number from an 8 down to a 5, even for a moment, we have proven a powerful neurological fact: Your pain is mutable. If your brain can turn it down by three points, it knows how to turn it down by six. We simply need to practice that pathway until it becomes your new default setting.

Your New Reality: Mastering the Internal Dial

We work together to achieve your personal "Comfort Goal".

10 (The Red Zone): Overwhelming discomfort. The alarm is shouting. This is where many clients start.
4–6 (The Manageable Zone): The pain is present, but it no longer dominates your focus. You can hold a conversation, watch a movie, or work without constant distraction.
1–3 (Background Noise): This is often the "Sweet Spot" for structural injuries. The sensation is there—perhaps as a dull warmth or a faint hum—just enough to remind you to be careful with your back or knee (a safety valve), but it does not stop you from living a full, happy life.
0 (Psychological Anaesthesia): Complete silence. The signal is fully over-ridden. This is achievable using the Glove Anaesthesia and Noesitherapy techniques we practice.

Defining Your Success Levels

Clients often ask: "If I turn the pain to zero, will I accidentally hurt myself?"

This is where the HOPE Protocol is so advanced. We install a subconscious "Safety Valve".

We give your mind a clear instruction: "You may turn the pain signals off completely for comfort. However, if there is a new injury, or if I move in a way that is dangerous to my body, you must instantly switch the signal back on to warn me."

This allows you to enjoy the relief of Psychological Anaesthesia (Zero Pain) with the complete confidence that your body’s protective warning system is still active, just sleeping until it is actually needed.

The "Safety Valve" Guarantee

All sessions are private, confidential, and conducted via secure Google Meet. Your transformation takes place in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is entirely natural to have questions before starting a new therapy, especially when you have been living with pain for a long time. You may be skeptical about how "hypnosis" works, or unsure if online sessions can really make a difference to physical sensations.

I believe in total transparency. I have answered the most frequent queries I receive from clients to help you decide if the HOPE Protocol is the right path for you.

If you don’t see your question here, or if you simply want to talk things through, you are always welcome to reach out. You don’t have to figure this out alone—I am here to help you take the next step whenever you feel ready.

📧 Email: paul@paulmatthewshypnosis.ie

📱 WhatsApp: Chat with me on WhatsApp

What if I can't be hypnotised?

Pain control uses a blend of Clinical Hypnosis and Noesitherapy. While Hypnosis is a psychological state, Noesitherapy is a biological one. We use physical triggers (like the "Wet Mouth" response) to force a chemical shift in your body. Even if you feel like you have a "busy mind" or struggle to relax, these biological triggers still work to dampen pain signals because they operate on the nervous system directly, bypassing the critical mind.

How many sessions will I need?

The HOPE Protocol is designed for rapid results. Many clients experience a significant shift in their pain levels (e.g., dropping from an 8 to a 4) in the very first session.

However, to permanently rewire old neural pathways and deal with any underlying trauma (using Timeline Therapy), a short course of treatment is usually recommended. Most clients achieve their goals within 4 to 6 sessions.

Do I need to stop taking my medication?

Absolutely not. I am a hypnotherapist, not a medical doctor. I will never ask you to alter your prescription. We work alongside your medical team. However, many clients find that as they master the Glove Anaesthesia and Noesitherapy techniques, they naturally feel less need for breakthrough pain relief. Any reduction in medication must always be discussed with and supervised by your prescribing doctor.

Will this cure my arthritis/fibromyalgia/injury?

It is vital to distinguish between healing the tissue and healing the signal. Hypnosis does not "cure" the structural degradation of a joint or knit a bone back together. However, it changes how your brain interprets the signals coming from that area. We treat the suffering, not the pathology.

By turning down the volume of the pain signal, we often find that inflammation reduces (due to the relaxation of the nervous system), and mobility improves, allowing you to return to a much higher quality of life.

Does this work online? Do I need to be in the room?

Surprisingly, hypnotherapy for pain is often more effective online. Pain is amplified by stress and unfamiliar environments (often called "White Coat Syndrome"). By working from your own home—sitting in your favourite chair or lying in your own bed—you are already in a clearer state of safety. Because we are working with your mind and nervous system, not physically manipulating your body, a secure video connection via Google Meet is all we need to achieve profound results.

Is it safe to "turn off" pain? Won't I hurt myself?

This is the most common question I receive. The answer lies in the HOPE Protocol's "Safety Valve". During our sessions, we install a subconscious instruction that distinguishes between chronic pain (useless noise) and acute pain (a warning signal). You can achieve comfort for your chronic condition, but if you were to suffer a new injury or move in a way that endangers your body, your nervous system is programmed to instantly override the comfort and alert you. You remain protected at all times.