Practitioner and Client Surveys of Holographic Repatterning:

Results of Pilot Survey (Initial Brief Report) 

Joel B. Bennett, PhD (Principal Investigator)
Organizational Wellness & Learning Systems

The pilot study was a straightforward survey investigation that asked both practitioners and clients to complete quantitative surveys of the Holographic Repatterning (HR) sessions and subsequent changes in client health and behavior. Both practitioners and their clients were asked about the problems clients initially sought help for, health risks and mental status, and reactions to the HR sessions. While this type of survey provides only an initial window into the perceived effects of HR, findings can set the stage for a larger study of actual effectiveness. The primary focus of this report is on the self-reported outcomes of HR.

Method/Sample

Twenty-five practitioners were contacted by the HR Association and asked to provide anonymous, confidential surveys to 2 (randomly chosen) clients who would then independently complete surveys and return to researchers. Responses rate were 96% for practitioners (24 of 25), and 80% for clients (40 of 50). The 24 practitioners completed ratings on 45 clients. Twenty-three of the practitioners were Level 2 accredited, and 15 had practiced for more than 5 years. The typical client was seen in 2 or 3 sessions and 50% of all practitioners had seen the majority of their clients in 4 or more sessions.

Presenting Symptoms

Why do clients come for an HR session? To answer this question, all respondents were given a list of 40 different problems in six categories: emotional (e.g., anxiety, depression), dependency (e.g., weight/eating, alcohol), relationship (e.g., personal relationship, sexual problems), work/money (e.g., career), loss/transition (e.g., divorce, death), and physical health (e.g., specific illness, cardiovascular).  Practitioners selected the top three problems for all the clients they see, as well as for the two clients recruited for the study. These same clients reported presenting problems. The top three presenting problems seen by practitioners are in the areas of (#1) personal relationships, (#2) emotion (anxiety), and (#3) loss or transition issues (e.g., divorce, life transition). For the 45 clients seen by practitioners, the top three problems were emotional (depression and anxiety), relationships, and work/money issues (performance/career).  

Outcome Measures

 

Four different outcomes were assessed in the survey.

(1) Client ratings of initial problem:

            - how much HR helped their initial problem (5-point scale, from “worse” to “better”)

            - satisfaction with the HR practitioners treatment of the problem (6-point scale, from            “completely dissatisfied” to “completely satisfied”)

            - degree to which HR helped with the problem (4-point scale, from “did not help”     to “helped a lot”)
 

(2) Practitioner ratings:

            - the initial severity of client problems and progress as of last session seen (7-point   scale). Practitioners identified and rated 125 initial problems in 45 clients.
 

(3) Client ratings of change in emotional state:

            - at outset of HR (“very poor” to “very good”), and

            - as of last HR session (“very poor” to “very good”)
 

(4) Client ratings on a measure called “sense of coherence”: This is a 7-item questionnaire adapted from the work of Antonovsky. [1] Sense of Coherence (SOC) is a measure of resiliency and capacity to deal with stressors and includes items on comprehensibility of life stressors (e.g., “I can not see things in the right proportion (see the big picture)”); manageability (“ I cannot keep things under control”), and meaningfulness (“There is little meaning in my daily life”). The SOC scale was used because (a) it provides an independent measure and (b) the concept of “coherence” is explicitly mentioned as a key part in the theory of coherence within HR. Clients rated the seven items on a 7-point scale (‘always-healthy’ to ‘never-healthy’) to indicate their SOC “How I was before HR” and “How I was after HR”. 

 

Results

 

The following tables summarize results of the outcome measures. Table 1 shows that the overwhelming majority of clients reported positive outcomes with regard to the initial problem that led them to seek out help through HR. For example, 65% indicated that HR helped the problem “a lot,” and 90% were either “very” or “completely” satisfied with the HR practitioner’s treatment of the problem. In general, these outcomes were the same (and positive) across all the different types of reported problems. 

 

Table 1. Client Ratings on Initial Problem

 

HR helped with  specific problem	HR did not help			Helped A Little			Helped Some				Helped A Lot
	3%			3%			30%				65%
HR helped all presenting problems	HR Made Things: Worse		Somewhat Worse			No Difference			Somewhat Better			A Lot Better
	0		0			5%			45%			50%
Satisfied with practitioner treatment of prob.	Completely Dissatisfied	Very Dissatisfied			Somewhat Satisfied			Fairly Well Satisfied		Very Satisfied			Completely Satisfied
	0	0			3%			8%		38%			52%

 

 

Table 2 shows results when survey respondents rated change in health—comparing health at the outset of HR and then again as of the last session. Practitioners ratings of 125 problems showed they perceived significant positive change over time. At outset of HR, the majority of clients were experiencing problems that were somewhat severe. Specifically, only 6% were seen as having problems that were mild or not problematic. In contrast, when rating the last HR session, 54% of the problems were rated as mild or not interfering with daily living. Client ratings of their emotional state and sense of coherence showed similar improvements. 

 

 

Table 2. Ratings of Change on Three Different Outcome Measures

 

		At outset of HR	As of last HR session
Practitioner Ratings of Initial Problem Severity: (125 problems rated): Percent of problems rated “mild” and/or did not interfere with daily living		6%	54%*
Client Change in Emotional State: Percent indicating emotional state was “Quite Good” or “Very Good”		15%	68%*
Client Change Sense of Coherence (average rating)		3.92	5.26*

* All changes are statistically significant, suggesting that the increase in perceived health
is not due to chance factors but to some aspect of the HR process.

 

Summary and Conclusion

 

The primary finding of this initial pilot study is that HR is perceived to be highly effective by two independent groups. The first group were hand-selected and highly experienced practitioners of HR. The second group were clients of those practitioners who were randomly selected to participate in the study and complete surveys anonymously and relatively independent of practitioner influence. Importantly, the findings are based on multiple outcome measures, including a version of the Sense of Coherence scale.

 

It should be emphasized that these are initial results from a convenience sample (hand-picked and well known by the HR Association). Accordingly, they may not generalize to less experienced practitioners or to clients who are contacted by an independent third party. Future research, providing a more valid test of the effectiveness of HR, should randomly assign clients to receive or not receive HR and then follow up their health concerns over time. In the absence of this more rigorous study, current results are quite promising and suggest that Holographic Repatterning may be a reliable resource for producing positive change in initial problems, emotional state, as well as Sense of Coherence.

---