Feasibility of Using Holographic Memory Resolution® (HMR) in Patients/Clients With Pain

Chronic pain is a significant health care problem and is one of the most common reasons individuals seek medical care. It is estimated that approximately 20.4% (50 million) of U.S. adults suffer from chronic pain, and 8% of those adults consider the pain to have high-impact on their quality of life. Chronic pain is also linked to many physical and mental health conditions, and for the most part, effective and safe strategies are lacking. While opioids are an option in the management of chronic pain, opioid misuse and abuse is common, making this a less desirable strategy. As noted, mental health concerns often co-exist with chronic pain. Depression and mental health concerns are skyrocketing across the U.S. Nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness, and only 50% of people with mental illnesses receive treatment. For those who do receive treatment, symptom resolution can be incomplete, and some psychotropic medications induce unwanted side effects, leading to decreased adherence and withdrawal of care. Due to the scarcity of effective interventions to manage both chronic pain and mental health disorders, mind body interventions (MBI) are sometimes employed in these individuals. MBI are defined as a variety of activities that exercise and encourage mental and/or physical fitness. Lists of MBIs include diverse activities such as yoga, meditation, hypnosis, dance, or music therapy. Past meta-analyses have noted that primary studies on effective MBI to manage conditions such as fibromyalgia and depression in chronic pain are lacking. More recent publications indicate this is no longer the case. MBI may demonstrate small to moderate effects sizes in some populations for at least a short amount of time. Holographic Memory Resolution® (HMR) is a proposed MBI for this study. HMR was developed by Brent Baum in the early 1990's, and he and several others have been using the technique to treat individuals with a variety of complaints including depression, anxiety, pain, post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions. HMR incorporates elements of energy psychology, Eastern philosophical tradition, hypnosis, guided imagery, and clean-language interviewing into a single approach with the aim of changing the emotional component of a negative memory to resolve psychological distress. Despite being used for several decades, HMR appears to have received little attention in scientific literature. Only one citation appears in the National Library of Medicine, and this author only describes the technique. Theoretical, qualitative and quantitative studies of HMR appear to be non-existent in peer-reviewed literature.