Pain Reprocessing

Chronic pain is not always a sign that something in the body is damaged. A growing body of neuroscience research shows that the brain can generate and sustain pain long after an injury has healed, or in some cases without any injury at all. Pain reprocessing works directly with this understanding, helping you address pain that has become rooted in the brain's learned response rather than ongoing structural damage.

I completed my training through the Pain Reprocessing Therapy Center under instructors Yoni Ashar, PhD (University of Colorado Anschutz), John Gasienica, LCSW (Pain Psychology Center), and Gabrielle Jacobs, LCSW (Mind Body Therapy Center). That training now informs how I approach chronic pain in every session, alongside my work in hypnosis.

Understanding Pain Reprocessing

Pain reprocessing is grounded in a simple idea: pain is generated by the brain as a protective signal, and in some cases, that signal keeps firing even after the body has healed. This is sometimes called neuroplastic pain. It is not imagined and it is not "in your head." It reflects real neural pathways that have learned to interpret certain sensations as dangerous, even when they are not.

Pain reprocessing helps you learn to recognize these patterns, reduce the fear response that reinforces them, and send your nervous system new, safer signals.

The model behind this work was studied in a randomized clinical trial led by Yoni Ashar, PhD, alongside researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder. Published in JAMA Psychiatry, the trial found that 98% of patients improved, and 66% were pain-free or nearly pain-free by the end of treatment, with most maintaining relief a year later.

Why Hypnosis and Pain Reprocessing Together?

My background is in hypnotherapy, and I bring that skill set directly into this work. Hypnosis is well suited to pain reprocessing because both rely on the same underlying capacity: the brain's ability to change how it interprets and responds to sensation. Sessions may combine psychoeducation about how the brain generates pain, guided techniques to reduce fear around specific sensations, and hypnotic work to reinforce a felt sense of safety in the body.

Who This Is For

Pain reprocessing tends to be a strong fit for people who have chronic pain without a clear ongoing structural cause, pain that has persisted well past a typical healing timeline, or pain that intensifies with stress. It is often used alongside, not instead of, medical care, and many clients come to this work on the recommendation of a physician or physical therapist.

What to Expect in a Session

Sessions begin with understanding your specific pain history and how it shows up day to day. From there, we work through the mechanisms behind neuroplastic pain, using that understanding to guide hypnotic work aimed at reducing the fear and hypervigilance that often keep pain cycles going. Many clients find that this combination of education and hypnosis gives them tools they can continue using between sessions.

What Clients Have Shared

"For 11 years, I dealt with severe foot pain, and multiple surgeons recommended surgery. After three hypnosis sessions with Harley, I went from an 8 out of 10 to nearly zero. I'm mobile again and living without the pain that defined my life for over a decade." — JK

"After just two sessions and a few minutes of self-hypnosis each day, my knee discomfort was markedly reduced, and my doctor was able to reduce my medication." — DG

"You helped my foot pain unbelievably. Based on these results, my doctor is holding off on any kind of treatment for the arthritis." — HM

"I've seen Harley three times for a chronic pain issue, and my family and I have been amazed at the transformation I've made since I began seeing him." — VM

"For the past year, I've dealt with chronic pain in my left foot stemming from complications after bunion surgery. Since starting sessions, my morning pain is gone, the limp I used to have has disappeared, and the discomfort I do still feel is only occasional and much duller than before. I'm so grateful for Harley's help!" — MG

Ready to Begin?

Contact me to schedule a pain reprocessing session and start learning how your brain and body can work together toward relief.