AUTHORITATIVE SERIES: ARTICLE #15
When Pain Won’t Let Go — Even After the Limb Is Gone
How Online Hypnotherapy Helped End a Man’s Phantom Limb Pain
By Troy Robins, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist | OxfordHypnotherapyClinic.co.uk
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Imagine feeling excruciating pain in your toes — when you no longer have a foot.
It sounds impossible, even absurd. But for many amputees, this experience is very real. They call it phantom limb pain, and it’s one of the strangest and most distressing conditions a person can face. But as strange as it sounds, there is a way out. And that way out starts in the mind. The Day a Man with No Leg Walked Into My Practice — in Pain I once worked with a gentleman who was visibly struggling. As he settled into the chair across from me, he rocked gently, grimacing. I asked him what was wrong. “It’s my toes,” he said. “They’re killing me.” |
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That stopped me cold. Because this man’s leg had been amputated above the knee — years ago. There were no toes. No foot. No limb. And yet, he was in agony.
What was going on?
The Pain Wasn’t in His Foot — It Was in His Memory
Pain always has a purpose. It’s a message. It tells us when something needs attention, when there’s damage, when we’re in danger.
But in this case, the message had long outlived the messenger.
The subconscious part of his mind — the part responsible for automatic reactions, memories, and body awareness — hadn’t updated its map. It still believed the foot was there. And it was still sending pain signals as if there was something to protect.
In reality, what he was experiencing wasn’t fresh injury. It was a memory of pain, locked into his nervous system.
Hypnosis: Teaching the Mind What the Body Already Knows
My job, as a hypnotherapist, is not to wave a wand or offer distractions. It’s to create rapid, deep learning at the subconscious level.
In this case, that meant helping this man’s subconscious understand that the foot was no longer there. That the messages it was sending were no longer needed. That it was safe to let go.
Under hypnosis, the critical part of the mind — the analytical gatekeeper — steps aside. And once the deeper mind is open, new information can be accepted and internalised.
That’s exactly what happened in this case.
When the session ended, the man stood up — and the pain was gone.
Weeks Later, the Pain Was Still Gone
A couple of weeks later, he called me.
“It’s a thing of the past,” he said. “The phantom pain’s just not there anymore.”
I’ve heard similar stories from others I’ve worked with — stories of pain that faded once the subconscious stopped rehearsing it. Not all phantom pain cases respond the same way, but when they do, the relief is life-changing.
Why This Works So Well Online
You don’t need to sit in the same room as me for this to work.
In fact, online hypnotherapy is ideal for people with limited mobility — especially those dealing with amputation or chronic pain. You don’t need to navigate stairs or taxis or public transport. You don’t have to dress up or travel across town.
You can relax in your own home, enter a deeply receptive state, and finally give your mind the message it’s been waiting for:
It’s time to let go.
A Final Word on Pain and Possibility
Phantom limb pain is one of the clearest examples of something that feels physical but is driven by the subconscious. When we treat it at the level it originates — memory, belief, identity — profound change becomes possible.
Hypnotherapy doesn’t block pain. It resolves the reason the pain keeps repeating.
If you or someone you care about is living with pain that no longer makes sense, I’d be honoured to help.
Ready to Rewire the Pain?
Click below to book a free preliminary consultation — and see if online hypnosis is right for you.
What was going on?
The Pain Wasn’t in His Foot — It Was in His Memory
Pain always has a purpose. It’s a message. It tells us when something needs attention, when there’s damage, when we’re in danger.
But in this case, the message had long outlived the messenger.
The subconscious part of his mind — the part responsible for automatic reactions, memories, and body awareness — hadn’t updated its map. It still believed the foot was there. And it was still sending pain signals as if there was something to protect.
In reality, what he was experiencing wasn’t fresh injury. It was a memory of pain, locked into his nervous system.
Hypnosis: Teaching the Mind What the Body Already Knows
My job, as a hypnotherapist, is not to wave a wand or offer distractions. It’s to create rapid, deep learning at the subconscious level.
In this case, that meant helping this man’s subconscious understand that the foot was no longer there. That the messages it was sending were no longer needed. That it was safe to let go.
Under hypnosis, the critical part of the mind — the analytical gatekeeper — steps aside. And once the deeper mind is open, new information can be accepted and internalised.
That’s exactly what happened in this case.
When the session ended, the man stood up — and the pain was gone.
Weeks Later, the Pain Was Still Gone
A couple of weeks later, he called me.
“It’s a thing of the past,” he said. “The phantom pain’s just not there anymore.”
I’ve heard similar stories from others I’ve worked with — stories of pain that faded once the subconscious stopped rehearsing it. Not all phantom pain cases respond the same way, but when they do, the relief is life-changing.
Why This Works So Well Online
You don’t need to sit in the same room as me for this to work.
In fact, online hypnotherapy is ideal for people with limited mobility — especially those dealing with amputation or chronic pain. You don’t need to navigate stairs or taxis or public transport. You don’t have to dress up or travel across town.
You can relax in your own home, enter a deeply receptive state, and finally give your mind the message it’s been waiting for:
It’s time to let go.
A Final Word on Pain and Possibility
Phantom limb pain is one of the clearest examples of something that feels physical but is driven by the subconscious. When we treat it at the level it originates — memory, belief, identity — profound change becomes possible.
Hypnotherapy doesn’t block pain. It resolves the reason the pain keeps repeating.
If you or someone you care about is living with pain that no longer makes sense, I’d be honoured to help.
Ready to Rewire the Pain?
Click below to book a free preliminary consultation — and see if online hypnosis is right for you.