For a module having a complete injective resolution, we define a stable version of local cohomology. This gives a functor to the stable category of Gorenstein injective modules. We show that in many ways this functor behaves like the usual local cohomology functor. Our main result is that when there is only one nonzero local cohomology module, there is a strong connection between that module and the stable local cohomology module; in fact, the latter gives a Gorenstein injective approximation of the former.