I was intensely irritated one night when neighbours were enjoying a loud party. The more annoyed I became, the louder the noise seemed. When I realised that I was being kept awake by my annoyance while the neighbours, completely unaware of my suffering, were having a fun time, my annoyance went and the noise was no longer irritating. Sleep happened quickly.

I prefer to help someone who is being troubled by pain to discover their ability to not be so bothered by it, so the pain is less, or possibly not at all intrusive in an easy and natural way rather than having to learn “hypnotic analgesia”!