Virtual reality system and method for managing a chronic condition

Abstract

A method and system for managing a chronic condition of a patient, comprising immersing the patient in a VR environment via a VR headset; initiating, via a priming event presented to the patient in the VR environment through the VR headset, a primed state of the patient; receiving a user input through the VR environment, the user input comprising selecting a memory block from the library of the user profile and verbally reminiscing the memory details and related events while immersed in VR; presenting to the patient, via at least an immersive visual display of the VR headset, one or more memory artefacts of a memory block selected by the patient; and updating the timeline of the user profile to add at least one injected memory block, the injected memory block comprising an injected memory date and the presented one or more memory artefacts.

Description

[0001] VIRTUAL REALITY SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING A CHRONIC CONDITION

[0002] Cross Reference to Related Applications:

[0003] This application claims the benefit of United States Provisional Application No. 63 / 519,189 and Canadian Patent Application No. 3,209,045, both filed on August 11, 2023 and both entitled “Virtual Reality System and Method for Managing a Chronic Condition”, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] Field

[0005] The present disclosure relates to managing a chronic condition of a patient; in particular, the present disclosure relates to managing a chronic condition of a patient utilizing a virtual reality platform.

[0006] Background

[0007] Several chronic medical conditions exist which may be incurable. A patient may live with the chronic medical condition for an extended period of time (from several months to many years). Such chronic medical conditions may cause chronic physical pain, while other chronic medical conditions may be associated with depression, anxiety, and loss of cognitive function. As an illustrative example, not intended to be limiting, the disease of Multiple Myeloma is a form of bone cancer which is characterized by the extreme pain caused by easily cracked bones, and cancerous lesions on bones throughout the body. Patients suffering from Multiple Myeloma experience chronic pain in the form of continuous pain signals being sent to the brain, indicating the patient’s bones are broken.

[0008] Typically, the chronic pain associated with cancer and other chronic conditions may be managed with the prescription of pain medications, including powerful opiates and nerve blockers. However, such medications may be addictive, and may often reduce a patient’s cognitive abilities when taking pain medications for a prolonged time. Although the pain medications may temporarily reduce the patient’s pain, the continued use of pain medications over time may significantly impact the patient’s ability to think and communicate and have other side effects that negatively impact the patient’s quality of life. Thus, it is desirable to identify non-pharmaceutical approaches to manage chronic pain, and other chronic medical conditions.

[0009] Chronic pain is defined as pain that persists beyond the normal tissue healing time, considered to be three months. Chronic pain may be caused directly by the illness itself, or by the treatments for the illness. Chronic pain negatively affects all aspects of the patient’s life, including disrupting daily activities, causing mental and physical impairments, and taking away the patient’s faculties. There is no cure for chronic pain, but many management treatments are available. The most common treatment is an analgesic approach, utilizing pain-relieving medication.

[0010] Chronic pain is commonly suffered amongst patients with cancer, either caused by the disease itself or its treatment. Studies have shown that amongst all cancer survivors, 40% of them live with pain \van den Beuken-van Everdingen MH, Hochstenbach LM, Joosten EA, et al: Update on prevalence of pain inpatients with cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis. J. Pain Symptom Manage 51 : 1070-1090, 2016}. The management of chronic pain in general, including cancer- related chronic pain, heavily depends on pharmaceuticals, especially opioids. However, there are many challenges with access to, and long-term use of, opioids for cancer survivors and other chronic pain sufferers.

[0011] Chronic pain management, using an analgesic (pharmacological) approach, merely addresses the symptoms of the problem, but because it does not treat the root of the problem, chronic pain levels may increase over time, which may result in increased reliance on opioids to manage the chronic pain. Recent scientific literature provides ample proof that experiencing chronic pain is a complex process resulting from interactions of various physiologic, psychological and social factors. Therefore, there is a need for a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, nonpharmacologic, and integrative approach to long term treatment of chronic pain.

[0012] Issues arising from mainly pharmacological chronic pain management, and a growing understanding of a strong connection between pain perception, brain functionality and human psychology, have led to many studies where pharmacological approaches and unpleasant medical procedures were combined with behavioral modification methods, such as distraction techniques, in attempts to ease pain with non-pharmacological approaches. Virtual reality (“VR”) is a computer-generated graphic technology that provides an immersive, multi-sensory, and three-dimensional (“3D”) environment that allows users to have modified experiences of reality by creating a sense of “presence” in the VR environment. Users of a VR system wear a head-mounted display device (helmet or headset; herein referred to as a “VR headset”), which provides a stereo visual image, thereby creating a sense of space and depth. A motion tracker in the head-mounted display device detects the position and movement of the head and adjusts the visual image accordingly. As a result, a user of a VR headset feels as though they can look around and move through the simulated environment. Headphones (if built into the VR headset) provide sounds that further help the user to become immersed in the virtual world. Input devices such as microphone (preferably built into the VR headset), joysticks, wands, and data gloves allow users to interact with and move through the simulated environment and to interact with virtual objects. By stimulating the visual, auditory, and proprioception senses, the user is no longer a mere observer of what is happening on a screen; instead, he “feels” that he is immersed in that world and participates in it, although the simulated environment consists of spaces and objects that only exist in the memory of the computer and in the user’s mind.

[0013] In the past twenty years, the use of VR in the medical field has been explored in a variety of clinical areas, including: pain management, physical rehabilitation, and the possible treatment of psychiatric disorders (e.g., phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorder).

[0014] Summary

[0015] In the methods and systems disclosed herein, VR technology is utilized to facilitate a patient’s immersive recollection of the patient’s own important memories, such memories of the patient preferably pre-dating the onset of the chronic medical condition afflicting the patient. The Applicant has discovered that facilitating such memory recollection, in an immersive VR environment, is surprisingly effective as a non-pharmacological method of managing the patient’s chronic condition, including the management of a patient’s severe chronic pain.

[0016] Research suggests that the close proximity of the brain regions involved in experiencing emotions and experiencing pain may result in emotions affecting the experience of pain, and the experience of pain affecting the patient’s emotions. Research has additionally suggested that similar interactions based on locality were observed with respect to pain and memory and memory and emotions. Thus, the Applicant theorizes that an important physiological relationship between memories, emotions and the experience of pain exists within a patient’s brain, and that effective non-pharmacological method for managing chronic pain of a patient may exploit this physiological relationship between memory, pain and emotion within the patient’s brain.

[0017] In one aspect, VR technology is utilized to engage a patient’s sensory inputs, which assists in the re-focusing of a patient’s attention on recalling the patient’s own memories. Additionally, the VR technology, including a VR headset with an immersive visual display, assists with eliminating external distractions while at the same time placing the patient in a “new” environment and engaging the patient’s senses in a “new” reality. In particular, the Applicant has found a combination of using VR technology that allows the patient to be immersed in the VR environment presented by the VR system, and triggering the patient inside the VR environment to enter a primed state via a priming event, then presenting the patient with memory artefacts of the patient’s own important memories, from a time that pre-dates the onset of the patient’s chronic condition, may help facilitate the patient’s reminiscence about that memory, which may include the patient uttering their thoughts and details of that memory (as described in this application). In one aspect, such facilitation of immersing a patient within their own memories, and encouraging the patient’s reminiscence about those memories while immersed, may be particularly effective at interrupting the patient’s chronic pain stream and, therefore, providing relief from the chronic pain suffered by the patient.

[0018] Advantageously, such systems and methods as described herein may be effectively utilized to manage a chronic condition of the patient, without requiring the patient to develop any particular skills or practices, such as may be the case when using previously known techniques to manage pain, including but not limited to the practice of meditation or mindfulness (referred to herein as “distraction techniques”). In particular, previously known distraction techniques may not be effective if the person lacks skill and practice in such techniques, as it may be difficult for the patient’s brain to accept the patient is in a “new” environment, even when such distraction techniques are practiced while the patient is immersed in a VR environment. Thus, the Applicant has found that such previously known distraction techniques are not effective for chronic pain management. The sensation of pain remains with the patient, whilst immersed in the VR environment, and even when the patient is distracted. In contrast, the methods and systems disclosed herein may provide effective pain relief, or effective management of the patient’s chronic condition. The methods and systems disclosed herein do not utilize distraction in the management of chronic pain or other chronic conditions. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the methods and systems disclosed herein may provide effective management of the patient’s chronic condition that extends beyond the therapy session provided, such that some management of the chronic condition is possible when the patient is not immersed in the VR environment. Additionally, as the patient engages in multiple treatment sessions using the methods and systems disclosed herein, the effectiveness of the chronic condition management may accumulate and increase over time.

[0019] In one aspect, the methods and systems disclosed herein may provide one or more of the psychological and / or physiological benefits to the patient:

[0020] • Allow a patient to experience decreased perception of chronic pain levels during immersion in the VR environment;

[0021] • Increase the patient’s ability to recall memories from the patient’s past that were created prior to chronic pain onset (which counteracts the effect of chronic pain that causes recollection of memories to become increasingly difficult with time) whilst the patient is no longer immersed in VR;

[0022] • Allows a patient to reinstate, strengthen and retain a sense of self (“I am not my pain.”; “I remember who I was and what I experienced before the onset of my chronic pain.”; “I remember why I fell in love with my wife.”);

[0023] • Lessen the negative effect of chronic pain on the patient’ s personal relationships with other people;

[0024] • Allow the patient to learn how to experience the world beyond their chronic pain (i.e.: without the “lens” of chronic pain);

[0025] • with repeated systematic immersion & recollection of personal memories, the patient may be able to reduce the patient’s need for opiates and other pain medications to manage the chronic pain; • Improve the patient’s overall quality of life which is otherwise significantly lowered by their chronic pain.

[0026] It is the Applicant’s hypothesis that, whilst being immersed in VR environment according to the systems and methods described in this disclosure, an artefact can trigger an otherwise hard to access, powerful state of mind in the immersed person, making the person available for therapy. This state is created when the person is in a full field of view VR session to such an extent that the brain considers the visual environment, presented to the patient via the VR system, to be real. This pseudo reality (or pseudo real life) permits the original memories’ (memory blocks) significant attributes (assigned to that memory long ago when it was originally experienced, and so that memory is considered memorable and worthy of such attributes), to be re-applied to the new, present-day recollection of that original memory. The memory recollection is invoked by presenting the memory artefact to the patient, while the patient is immersed in the VR environment, which may cause the patient to start reminiscing about that memory verbally, following an opening, verbal statement by the patient, such as “I remember.” At this stage in the methods described herein, the patient is describing the memory anew. The new recollection has the attributes assigned previously to the original memory, and those attributes allow the real time disruption of the chronic pain stream. The recollection and reminiscence of that pleasant memory is then re-stored, directly and in real time, into the current memory that is otherwise only accepting the perception of the chronic pain, as if the experience of the original memory has been repeated in real life.

[0027] The Applicant believes the methods, described herein, allow a long memory retention of the painless memory blocks among the chronic pain stream. The Applicant has been unable to find any other methods that can overpower the pain’s continuous stream and reside amongst the pain signal. In one aspect, only memories of the patient deemed important enough to override the very important pain stream could gain access, as a result of this process assigning important attributes to the new memory invoked by the memory artefact and being presented or created in the VR environment. The methods and systems disclosed herein allow the chronic pain stream to be disrupted, displaced and broken into segments that the patient can benefit from. In this manner, the continuity of pain is broken, and between those segments of pain, “new” memories (memories of events reminisced during their VR session) are “injected”. After using the device, the chronic pain sufferer can feel more like they felt before the onset of their chronic condition. What's more, upon review the user may look back over their timeline of weeks, months or even years, and recall the pleasant memories breaking up the pain signal that was otherwise constant. This provides a feeling of release from constant pain. Looking back, this does not produce a feeling of endless unbroken pain or pain memories.

[0028] In one aspect, the artefact of the patient’s own pleasant memory should be introduced to the patient when the patient is immersed in VR and after being primed, to facilitate “injecting” the recalled memory into the pain stream.

[0029] Without being held to any theory, it is the Applicant’s belief and hypothesis that episodic memory plays an important role in achieving effective management of chronic pain of a patient. The episodic memory is understood herein according to current classifications and models of human memory, recognized by the scientific community worldwide, where episodic memory “involves the ability to learn, store, and retrieve information about unique personal experiences that occur in daily life. These memories typically include information about the time and place of an event, as well as detailed information about the event itself’ and they can be maintained for long periods of time, even for life. [E. Camina, F. Gtiell; “The Neuroanatomical, Neurophysiological and Psychological Basis of Memory: Current Models and Their Origins”; Front. Pharmacol., 30 June 2017, Sec. Neuropharmacology, Vol. 8 - - 2017]

[0030] Therefore, in another aspect, the methods and systems disclosed herein provide a novel platform for therapeutic delivery and the present disclosure may provide for a non-narcotic pain management method at the episodic memory level.

[0031] In one aspect, the Applicant hypothesizes that an important memory may be remembered by a patient, either consciously or unconsciously, for a long period of time because the brain (or the patient) deemed that memory to be important. That importance is the tag (or attribute of the memory) assigned long ago, and is utilized in the methods and systems disclosed herein to override the importance of remembering the pain (which is subconsciously imposed by the brain as deemed important for survival) and to make that memory presented in this VR immersion method important enough for the patient to remember, and become fully immersed in that memory, despite the pain. The Applicant is of the view that the original memory of the patient carries powerful attributes that function as a “veto power” in the brain of the patient, facilitated by the methods and systems disclosed herein by presenting an important memory to a patient in the VR immersive environment such that the patient’s reminiscing about the memory is capable of superseding the chronic pain signals to the patient’s brain. The “veto power” is created by exploiting the original tags of that original memory, within the patient’s brain, when the patient recalls that original memory while the patient is in a primed state.

[0032] Brief Description of the Figures

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram, illustrating an embodiment of the method of injecting a patient’s memory into a patient’s chronic pain stream, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram, illustrating an embodiment of the method of injecting another patient memory into a patient’s chronic pain stream, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a graph of an embodiment of a patient timeline of a user profile, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 3 A is a close-up view of a section of the graph of FIG. 3.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a system for managing a chronic condition, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a system for managing a chronic condition, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a block diagram, illustrating an embodiment of the method of initiating a patient into a primed state using a priming event, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0040] FIG. 7 is a block diagram, illustrating an embodiment of the method of managing a chronic condition of a patient, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0041] Detailed Description

[0042] In one aspect, the systems and methods herein disclosed exploit the patient’s own memories created prior to the onset of chronic pain, which memories may be utilized to disrupt and displace the current, real-time chronic pain signalling in the patient’s brain when combined with VR technology according to the method described further in this disclosure. The Applicant has found that the methods and systems disclosed herein may allow the patient to significantly reduce the patient’s reliance on pain medications and by doing so to manage the patient’s chronic pain. As an illustrative example, a cancer patient suffering from chronic pain may reduce the dosage and / or frequency of the pain medication required by the patient throughout the day to manage their chronic pain.

[0043] Significantly, the methods and systems disclosed herein do not require the patient to have acquired or practiced any specific skills or abilities, such as having acquired or practiced the skills of meditation or practicing mindfulness, to provide effective management of the patient’s chronic condition. Instead, the Applicant has discovered that effective management of a chronic condition may be obtained by inducing the patient into a primed state, via a priming event, when the patient is immersed in the VR environment, and then facilitating the patient’s recollection of the patient’s own memories created prior to the onset of the patient’s chronic condition. The facilitation of the patient’s memory recollection occurs by introducing at least one artefact of at least one memory of the patient, to the patient immersed in the VR environment, after inducing the patient into a primed state via a priming event. In contrast to other non-pharmacological approaches for the management of chronic pain and other chronic medical conditions, as known in the prior art, the systems and methods disclosed herein do not rely on, or require, the patient to have practiced any skills such as mindfulness, meditation or relaxation.

[0044] Preferably, the patient’s own memories exploited in the systems and methods disclosed herein are pleasant, happy memories of the patient. Preferably, the patient’s own memories will elicit a strong, positive emotional response in the patient when the patient is immersed in the recollection of that memory.

[0045] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a system utilizing a VR headset to immerse a patient in a virtual environment provides a non-pharmacological approach to chronic pain management, by presenting the patient’s own memories to the patient in a VR environment. Advantageously, the proposed systems and methods described herein do not require the administration of drugs. Nor do the systems and methods disclosed herein need to be used in a clinical environment or under supervision by medical personnel. The Applicant has found that chronic pain, caused for example by cancer, may be effectively managed by the use of the systems and methods described herein, thereby reducing the patient’s reliance on pain medication. The systems and methods disclosed herein may, in one aspect, be used for managing chronic pain suffered by cancer patients, and for managing chronic pain caused by other medical conditions. In another aspect, the systems and methods disclosed herein may be used as a support therapy in the treatment of mental health disorders, and in the treatment of diseases related to memory loss such as dementia.

[0046] Patient ’s Own Memories

[0047] As identified in previous research, experiencing significant life events combined with simultaneous exposure to strong stimuli of one or more senses (e.g., sight, smell, touch, etc.) and an emotional response to the significant life event, results in the creation of memories in a person’s brain. Emotional experiences, it has been found, play an important role in the formation of memories.

[0048] The Applicant has discovered that this notion extends to introducing strong stimuli to a person when the person is immersed in a VR environment. In particular, the Applicant has discovered that the stimulus introduced in the VR environment does not need to affect all the person’s senses. In one aspect, the Applicant has discovered that by, firstly, immersing a person in a VR environment and exposing the person to a priming event, which elicits a strong emotional response in the patient, and secondly, introducing a strong visual stimuli to the patient in the VR environment, that facilitates recall of the patient’s own pleasant memory, causes the patient’s brain to re-experience that personal memory, in real time. By causing the patient’s brain to re-experience the patient’s own pleasant, personal memory in real time, when the patient is in a heightened emotional state, the Applicant has found that the constant stream of chronic pain signals in the patient’s brain may be temporarily interrupted, thereby providing the patient with temporary relief from the chronic pain stream.

[0049] The Applicant theorizes that while a patient is immersed in VR, recall and reminiscence of the patient’s own memories may be facilitated more easily, while at the same time evoking a stronger emotional response in the patient (compared to recalling the same memories outside of the VR environment). This experience, as a result of the uniquely absorbing visual-spatial attribute of VR, strengthens the imprint of the recalled memory in the chronic pain stream of the patient’s brain. Beneficially, after the session is complete, the Applicant has found the chronic pain sufferer’s sense of self may be renewed and reinforced because the otherwise hard-to-recall, distinct memories have just been re-experienced emotionally in the VR and are perceived by the patient’s brain as real.

[0050] In one aspect, the patient’s own memory to be exploited in the systems and methods disclosed herein, is preferably selected from a point in time of the patient’s life that pre-dates the onset of the chronic condition and the resulting chronic pain experienced by the patient. The Applicant has found that the methods and systems disclosed herein may be particularly effective when used to facilitate recollection of the patient’s own memory that pre-dates the onset of the chronic pain suffered by the patient. The Applicant theorizes that using memories of a patient that pre-date the onset of the patient’s chronic pain, or other chronic condition, may be particularly effective because such memories would not be tainted by the experience of chronic pain, which is experienced constantly by the patient suffering from chronic pain, even when the patient is experiencing emotional and significant events in the patient’s life. Therefore, when such memories pre-dating the onset of chronic pain are used in the systems and methods disclosed herein, the Applicant believes the resulting imprint of those recalled memories, in the patient’ s brain, provides an effective interruption of the patient’s chronic pain stream, because the imprinted memory, reexperienced by the patient in real time, was originally formed in the patient’s brain at a time when the chronic pain stream was not present in the patient’ s brain and did not form a part of the patient’ s current daily experience.

[0051] By presenting artefacts of the patient’s memory, to the patient via a visual-spatial immersive VR environment, the Applicant has found that the patient’s recollection of that memory is facilitated and enhanced. Memory artefacts which are more detailed may facilitate recollection of additional details of that memory, and the recollection of other memories which are related to the memory being revisited and recalled by the patient. The Applicant has discovered that the extent to which a patient is immersed in VR and the extent to which the patient is focused on recollection of details comprising the memory being revisited, has a positive correlation to increased therapeutic effectiveness of the treatment, such as the management of chronic pain. Memory Artefacts

[0052] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the systems and methods described herein include the incorporation of artefacts of the patient’s own memories into the VR environment. As used herein, the term “artefact” refers to an image and / or an audio recording of the event experienced by the patient that forms the patient’s own memory, or an image and / or audio recording that is linked to the event experienced by the patient that forms the patient’s memory. For example, not intended to be limiting, a memory artefact may include photographs, videos and / or audio recordings taken at the event that was experienced by the patient. A memory artefact may also include, for example, photographs, videos and / or audio recordings that are not of the event itself that was experienced by the patient, but rather, are photographs, videos and / or audio recordings that have a strong connection to the event that was experienced by the patient.

[0053] As an example, if the patient’s pleasant memory is of a road trip with the patient’s grandfather to Sylvan Lake in a red 1967 Mustang, the memory artefact may include a photograph or a video taken during that road trip. Alternatively, or in addition, the memory artefact may also include a stock photo image of a similar 1967 Mustang, or a computer-generated rendering of a 1967 Mustang, as well as photographs or video of Sylvan Lake taken around the same time as when the road trip took place, as well as photographs taken of the patient’s grandfather (even if such photographs were not taken during the particular road trip being recalled by the patient).

[0054] Other examples of artefacts may include a song recording, which is a song that the patient recalls hearing on the radio during that road trip, and the memory artefacts may include audio recordings of the grandfather’s voice (whether such audio recordings were taken during that particular road trip or at another time). Although the methods and systems described herein may be provided and performed with only a single artefact of the patient’s memory, a plurality of artefacts, including any combination of the memory artefacts described above, may be utilized in the systems and methods described herein. In one aspect, more detailed artefact(s) of the patient’s memory may increase the extent to which the patient becomes immersed in, and participates in, the recollection of that memory.

[0055] In some embodiments, the Applicant has found that combining image-based artefacts with audio or audio-visual artefacts, of a patient’s memory, may facilitate the experience of particularly strong emotions, which in turn facilitates injection or imprinting of that memory into the stream of chronic pain at the time of the session. Afterwards, the chronic pain sufferer may be able to remember more than just the continuous chronic pain, and the Applicant has found that it may become easier for the patient to thereby dissociate themselves from the continuous experience of chronic pain, because the continuous experience of pain has been interrupted. In some embodiments, with repeated sessions using the methods and systems described herein, the pain may be perceived as less chronic or may no longer be chronic, as a result of the interruption of the continuous chronic pain stream facilitated by the systems and methods disclosed herein.

[0056] Priming Event and the Primed State

[0057] For the systems and methods disclosed herein to provide effective management of chronic pain and other chronic conditions, the patient is preferably immersed in the VR environment to the extent that the patient is led to believe that the patient is physically and emotionally present in the VR environment, in a heightened state of emotion; this condition is referred to herein as the “primed state” of the patient. The primed state of the patient may be triggered by a “priming event,” which is a scenario presented to the patient after the patient has entered the VR environment (i.e.: by the patient donning a VR headset and being presented the VR environment through the immersive visual display of the VR headset).

[0058] An example of a priming scenario is when the patient is presented with a priming event that triggers a fight or flight response in the patient. The priming event, in this example, may be a scenario that causes the patient to be startled or slightly frightened. Preferably, the priming event and the resulting primed state is gentle in nature; for example, the patient should not be presented with a priming event that elicits extreme fear or terror in the patient.

[0059] Another example of a primed state may occur when the patient is presented with a priming event that triggers a heightened emotional response in the patient. The priming event, in this example, may be a scenario that elicits strong emotions of love, passion, amazement or bliss in the patient. The emotional response of the patient may, for example, cause tears to well up in the patient’s eyes or cause the patient’s breath to hitch. Preferably, the priming event and the resulting primed state is, again, gentle in nature; for example, the patient should preferably not be presented with a priming event that elicits extreme sorrow or remorse in the patient. Preferably, the priming event elicits a heightened emotional response in the patient so that the patient will subsequently have a positive experience, when presented with the memory artefacts of the patient’s own memories. Regarding the primed state, the Applicant theorizes that the primed state plays a role in facilitating the formation and imprinting of personal memories in the patient’s brain, in view of the important role that emotions have been found to play in memory formation, when in combination with strong external stimuli. The Applicant additionally theorizes that the increase in certain hormones, which are released when a person is in a heightened emotional state, is similarly triggered when a person is in a primed state induced through the methods and systems disclosed herein, and that such hormones also play a role in memory imprinting and the formation of new memories, which synergistically contributes to the interruption of the patient’s experience of chronic pain by injecting such imprinted memories into the patient’s chronic pain stream.

[0060] For the systems and methods disclosed herein, preferably the priming event scenario is designed in such a way that it prepares the patient for memory attribute transfer (recollection) in a safe and comfortable manner and it may take various forms; for example, without intending to be limiting, a priming event may include placing the patient at the edge of a cliff in the VR environment and inducing the patient to look over the edge of that cliff and walk along the edge. When presented with such an event in the VR environment, the patient may experience the sensation that they will actually fall off of the cliff by taking another step, which triggers an elevated physical and emotional response, such as a fight or flight response, placing the patient in the primed state. As another example, without intending to be limiting, a priming event may include presenting the patient with a strongly emotional scene, such as the birth of their child or a scene where a young child is saved from a dangerous situation. When presented with such an event in the VR environment, a heightened emotional state may be elicited in the patient, thereby placing the patient in a primed state.

[0061] In one aspect, a priming event that is effective in placing one patient in a primed state may not be effective for placing another patient in a primed state. For example, a particular priming event may not elicit the desired heightened emotional state in the patient, or a particular priming event may elicit a response in a patient that is too extreme (such as, presenting the edge of the cliff scenario to a patient who is extremely frightened of heights, may cause that patient to respond with extreme fear). Thus, it will be appreciated that a priming event may need to be chosen and / or adjusted by the patient in their user profile prior to the immersion into VR to be effective for that given patient. In some embodiments of the systems and methods proposed herein, a plurality of priming events may be made available to a patient, allowing the patient to select the priming event that will be effective in placing that patient in a primed state.

[0062] The system and methods herein, may include a default priming event scenario to ensure an effective and safe experience for the patient and which may be adjusted for future immersion experiences by the patient in their user profile. In an example of an embodiment of the systems and methods disclosed herein, without intending to be limiting, the default priming event scenario may comprise the patient safely looking out of a balcony high above the world below.

[0063] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6, a method 600 of initiating a priming event so as to place the patient in a primed state is described. In step 601, with the patient already immersed in the VR environment (as described herein), the VR environment 220 presented to the patient facilitates selection of the priming event scenario by the patient within the VR environment 220. In step 602, the VR system 200 presents the priming event scenario to the patient in the VR environment 220, which triggers a heightened emotional response in the patient, at step 603. In step 604, the patient, now in a heightened emotional state after exposure to the priming event scenario, is now in a primed state, and ready for memory recollection. With the patient in a primed state, at step 605 the VR system 200 changes the VR environment 220 to facilitate introducing an artefact to the patient, thereby facilitating recollection of the memory selected by the patient. It will be appreciated that the method 600 may include variations that are intended to be included in the present disclosure. For example, the priming event scenario may be selected by the patient within the VR environment, as described at step 601; in other embodiments, the patient may have pre-selected the priming event scenario prior to being immersed in the VR environment. In some embodiments, the priming event scenario may be selected by a person supporting the patient, or the priming event scenario may be a default priming event scenario automatically selected by the VR system 200.

[0064] With the combination of the elements discussed above, the Applicant has discovered that the patient’s chronic pain stream may be broken and partitioned for the first time since the onset of the chronic pain. The long-term effect of using this invention is that the chronic pain may become more manageable even when the patient is outside of the VR environment and between consecutive treatment sessions.

[0065] VR System for Managing a Chronic Condition of a Patient

[0066] With reference to FIG. 4, an embodiment of a VR system 200 for chronic condition management is illustrated. The system may include a VR headset 202, an electronic controller 203, a processing unit 204 for processing a software program 206, additional input and output devices in communication with the processing unit 204, and a database 208 in communication with the processing unit 204 for storing data associated with a plurality of user profiles of the software program 206. In particular, in one aspect of the present disclosure the input device(s) include at least a microphone 205. The microphone may be integrated into the VR headset (as depicted, for example, in FIG. 4), or may be located proximate to the patient but is not integrated into the VR headset.

[0067] The processing unit 204 may be a computing device, including but not limited to a personal computer, a laptop, a tablet computer, and a smartphone, wherein such computing device includes a central processing unit for operating the software program. In some embodiments, the processing unit 204 may be incorporated into the VR headset 202, rather than being a separate piece of hardware as illustrated in FIG. 4. In such embodiments where the processing unit 204 and the software program 206 are incorporated into the VR headset 202, there may not be a separate database 208 for the storage of the data associated with a plurality of user profiles; for example, the data associated with one or more user profiles may be stored on a memory storage device incorporated into the VR headset 202.

[0068] In addition to the VR headset, the input and output devices that are in communication with the processing unit and the software program may include, but are not limited to, at least one input device that is a microphone; the input devices may also include, but are not limited to: a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, data gloves, a gaming controller, electronic controllers, motion sensors, and the like. The output devices may include, but are not limited to: a speaker, a computer screen, a touchscreen. The input and output devices may be incorporated into and / or separated from, the VR headset; for example, without intending to be limiting, the VR headset, which includes an immersive visual display, may preferably also include speakers or headphones and a microphone. If the speakers / headphones, and the microphone, are not incorporated into the VR headset itself, such speakers and / or the microphone may be provided apart from the VR headset, for outputting audio signals (including voices and sounds) to the patient when using the VR headset, and the microphone is for receiving and recording verbal utterances of the patient while using the VR headset.

[0069] Regarding the VR headset 202, the Applicant has discovered that the immersive visual display of the VR headset, which facilitates providing an immersive VR environment, should be configured to cover all, or substantially all, of the patient’s field of view as the state of the art allows. As used in the present disclosure, the term “field of view” is the extent of the observable VR environment that a user can see at any given moment from one edge of the user’s peripheral vision to the other. In some embodiments, the field of view covered by the VR headset, suitable for the systems and methods described in this disclosure, may occupy a minimum of 89 degrees of human field of view horizontally.

[0070] For example, not intended to be limiting, the immersive visual display may cover 100% of the patient’s field of view. In some embodiments, the immersive visual display may cover at least 89 degrees or more of the patient’s field of view. In the Applicant’s experience, increasing the proportion of the patient’s field of view, with the immersive visual display of the VR headset, results in an increase in the effectiveness of the therapy provided to the patient via the methods and systems disclosed herein. Examples of commercially available VR headsets which may be suitable for use in the systems and methods described herein include, but are not limited to, the HTC Vive™, the Meta Quest™ (previously marketed as the Oculus Quest™) and the Pico™.

[0071] Regarding the VR headset, preferably the head mounted display fits the patients’ face tightly so that there are no peripheral areas where light and / or image of the actual real surroundings of the patient may be seeping through into the VR display.

[0072] It is also preferred that prior to their first memory recollection session in the VR environment, the patient adjusts the headset, or other device providing the immersive VR display, to comfortably fit their head and face. It is preferred that such adjustments are not being done after the patient has been induced into the primed state nor later during that immersion session. Additionally, the Applicant theorizes that other technologies, as are known or will be known to a person skilled in the art, which are capable of displaying images comprising a VR environment, obtained from the software program, to a patient such that the images cover all or substantially all of a patient’s field of view, may also be considered an “immersive visual display” and are intended to be included in the scope of the present disclosure, even if such immersive visual displays are not incorporated into a VR headset.

[0073] The software program is configured to present a VR environment to the patient, via the immersive visual display of the VR headset. The patient P uploads the patient’s artefacts 210 to the patient’s user profile stored on the database 208. When the patient P logs on to the software program 206 and the user profile, the software program 206 retrieves the data from the user’s profile from the database 208, and then controls the VR headset 202, worn by the patient P, to display a VR environment 220 to the patient.

[0074] The VR environment incorporates the memory artefacts 210 of the patient P, such that at least one memory artefact 210, of a patient’s memory to be recalled, is presented to the patient. Additionally, the VR environment 220 may incorporate many additional elements for presenting an immersive environment to the patient. The VR environment 220 may take any form, provided that the VR environment causes the patient to experience the sensation of leaving their physical environment and becoming immersed in the VR environment 220. The VR environment 220 thereby provides a framework for presenting the memory artefacts 210 to the patient, while the patient is immersed in the VR environment 220.

[0075] To provide some illustrative examples, without intending to be limiting, the VR environment framework may be presented as an art gallery, and the framed artwork on the walls of the gallery may include images which are the patient’s memory artefacts. As another example, the VR environment may be a train station including one or more screens mounted to the wall, and the one or more screens may display images or videos that include the patient’s memory artefacts. Advantageously, such VR environment frameworks may be utilized to present different memory artefacts to a patient from a plurality of different memory blocks of the patient, and the same VR environment framework may be used to present memory artefacts to different patients. In another example, without intending to be limiting, the VR environment framework may be configured to present one or more memory artefacts to the patient by replicating a version of the memory itself that is to be recalled by the patient. Taking the example of a patient’s memory that is a road trip taken with the patient’s grandfather to Sylvan Lake in a red 1967 Mustang, the VR environment may be configured to replicate the interior space of a 1967 Mustang, and images of the patient’s grandfather may be displayed in the rear view mirror of the replicated 1967 Mustang, or the patient’s grandfather may be rendered as a 3D character seated in the driver’s seat of the interior space of the Mustang. The above examples of a VR environment framework are intended to be illustrative examples, and it will be appreciated that any other VR environment frameworks may be configured for presenting memory artefacts to a patient and are intended to be included in the scope of the present disclosure.

[0076] Schematic Diagram - Method of Interrupting the Pain Stream

[0077] To assist with conceptualizing the biological processes in the patient’s brain, which are facilitated by the systems and methods described herein and taking chronic pain as an example of a chronic condition to be managed, chronic pain may be visualized as a railway train, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0078] In this metaphorical example, the chronic pain stream is represented by a railway train 10. Each train car 10a, 10b, 10c, etcetera represents a pain signal, or in other words a block of pain, traveling from the injury site (or illness site) of the patient’s body to the patient’s brain. The normal biological function of pain signals is to alert the patient’s brain that an injury or illness has occurred and requires attention. However, in the case of chronic pain signals, the patient is unable to correct the root of the problem that is causing the pain, and so the pain signals continue to travel to the brain in a continuous stream, which manifests as chronic pain.

[0079] Referring still to FIG. 1, the methods disclosed herein take a personal, pleasant memory of the patient, which is stored in the patient’s brain. By having the patient recall and reminisce about that personal, pleasant memory 20, that recalled memory 20 is re-introduced (or “injected”) into the continuous railway train 10 of chronic pain. As shown in FIG. 2, the inserted recalled memory 20 becomes an injected memory 30 in the continuous pain stream 10, thereby breaking up the continuous stream of pain signals (represented by train cars 10a, 10b, 10c, etc.). The original pleasant memory 20, stored in the brain prior to the VR session described herein, includes its original tags in the brain that allowed the now recalled memory 20 to become an important, longterm memory of the patient. Those tags, otherwise described as memory attributes, are considered anew by the patient’s brain and are re-assigned to the recalled memory 20, which becomes the injected memory 30. The Applicant theorizes that this biological process, of recollecting the personal pleasant memory 20 while immersed in the VR environment and after being put into a primed state, allows the patient’s brain to experience an interruption in the chronic pain stream. This episode of an injected memory 30, retrieved from the patient’s own long-term memory, allows the patient to experience a reprieve from the constant pain signals that are otherwise experienced.

[0080] Due to the powerful, original attributes assigned to the patient’s own original, pleasant memory 20, the injected memory 30 breaks up the chronic pain stream in real time. That personal, pleasant memory 20 of a patient may be recollected many times during many new VR immersion sessions. Repeating recollection of the same memory 20 of the patient, by using the methods and systems disclosed herein, strengthens the injection of the memory 20 into the chronic pain stream, which may have a lasting effect of dislocating the patient’s chronic pain stream and breaking up the continuous line of pain signals reaching the patient’s brain.

[0081] Using the methods and systems described herein, through repeatedly immersing the patient in the VR environment and placing the patient in a primed state before introducing the patient’s own memory artefacts into the VR environment, so as to facilitate an immersive verbal recollection of the patient’s new pleasant memories 21, 22, 23, 24, etcetera, new injected memories 30, 31, etcetera are added to the chronic pain stream 10. This way, the patient may be able to create multiple breaks in their chronic pain stream.

[0082] Advantageously, when the patient is not immersed in the VR environment and is not actively engaged in the immersive memory recollection process, when the patient recalls the previous weeks, months or even years, the patient may be able to recall pleasant periods of calm and interruption to the chronic pain stream, rather than only recollecting continuous and endless pain. In the absence of the system and methods disclosed herein, a memory would not have the ability, or veto power, to inject itself into the current chronic pain stream, which is prioritized by the patient’s brain as being more important than the recollection of the memory from the time prior to the chronic pain onset.

[0083] Thus, the methods and systems disclosed herein are distinguished from a patient merely flipping through a photo album, hearing a song or watching an old video clip, which are artefacts of the patient’s pleasant memories, because in the absence of being immersed in a VR environment and having the patient’s brain triggered into a primed state, as described above, the recollection of the patient’s own memories while simply reviewing the patient’s own artefacts is not capable of superseding the chronic pain stream. In this scenario, outside of the VR environment, the patient’s recollection of the memory is merely competing with the continuous stream of pain signals that are reaching the brain. Similarly, the methods and systems disclosed herein are also distinguished from distraction-based activities and methods (such as meditation, mindfulness, relaxation, gaming, etc.) both outside and inside the VR environment, that merely distract the patient from the chronic pain temporarily. Again, the patient’s attempts to engage in the distraction-based techniques, or to otherwise engage with the surrounding VR environment, are merely competing with, but not superseding, the chronic pain stream that is present.

[0084] Method for Managing a Chronic Condition of a Patient

[0085] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for managing a chronic condition of a patient includes immersing a patient in a VR environment and initiating, via a priming event presented to the patient within the VR environment, a primed state of the patient. Once the patient is immersed in the VR environment and is triggered into a primed state, the patient is introduced to a memory artefact of the patient’s own pleasant memory, which artefact is correlated with a memory block of the patient and the memory date (MT) of the memory block placed on the patient’s pre- established timeline. In some embodiments, the patient (or another person) may select the priming event and its intensity, or opt for the software to randomly select the priming event and / or its intensity for the patient, and then the patient (or another person) may select the memory block and associated memory artefacts to be presented to the patient during the therapy session, prior to entering the VR environment. In other embodiments, the patient may be provided with the ability to configure the therapy session using interactive displays within the VR environment, allowing the patient to select the priming event and its intensity, or opt for the software to randomly select the priming event and / or its intensity for them, and then allowing the patient to select the memory block and associated memory artefacts to be presented during the therapy session, within the VR environment.

[0086] For the systems and methods disclosed herein to provide effective management of chronic pain and other chronic conditions, the patient is immersed in the VR environment to the extent that the patient is led to believe that the patient is physically and emotionally present in the VR environment while the patient is in a heightened emotional state before the patient’s memory artefacts are presented to the patient. This heightened emotional state of the patient is referred to herein as the “primed state(s)”. A primed state of the patient is triggered in the patient after the patient is immersed in the VR environment. As described elsewhere in the present disclosure, the priming event in a VR environment may take various forms; for example, without intending to be limiting, a priming event may include leading the patient to the edge of a cliff in the VR environment and instructing the patient to look over the edge of that cliff, thereby triggering a fight or flight response in the patient. As another example, a priming event may include bringing a patient close to the edge of a train platform when a train rushes past; the patient may feel startled or unsettled due to their proximity to the incoming train and its loudness, triggering an elevated physical and emotional response. It will be appreciated that any number of priming events may be designed for initiating the primed state of the patient, and that a priming event that is effective for one individual may not be effective for another individual.

[0087] Preferably, the priming event should not cause the patient to feel overwhelmed with fear or trigger excessive anxiety, which may be uncomfortable to the patient.

[0088] To the Applicant’s knowledge, entering the primed state when the patient is immersed in a VR environment occurs, in part, because the patient’s field of view is entirely covered by the immersive visual display mounted within the VR headset or other device, such that the patient cannot view the patient’s physical surroundings. Immersion in the VR environment is facilitated because the patient’s field of view is fully, or nearly fully, occupied by the images projected onto the immersive visual display of the VR headset. Immersion may be further facilitated by motion sensors within the VR headset tracking the position of the patient’s head in space and adjusting the projected images accordingly to move along with the patient’s head. When the patient is in a primed state, the patient’s brain is reacting to the situation perceived by the patient, and this also includes the engagement of physiological reactions to the visual stimuli presented via the VR headset, which may include the release of hormones and an elevated heart rate, for example. Thus, when the patient is exposed to a priming event within the VR environment, the brain engages in a heightened situational awareness, to thereby respond to the priming event on an instinctive level with a primitive dorsal column response. Entering the primed state does not require the patient to actually believe that they are physically in the VR environment; the patient, when in the primed state, may retain the understanding that they are physically located (for example) in their living room, and at the same time, the patient’s brain is in the primed state, which allows the patient’s brain to instinctively react to the priming event presented to the patient. Such as, bringing the patient to the edge of a cliff, or in close proximity to a speeding train, in which case the heightened situational awareness causes the patient to instinctively pull back from the edge of the cliff or away from the speeding train.

[0089] Once the patient is immersed in the VR environment and has entered the primed state, the method involves introducing artefacts of the patient’s own pleasant memories, which memories are stored in the patient’s long-term episodic memory, in order to facilitate the patient’s immersive recollection of that memory. This use of the patient’s own memory artefacts, to stimulate immersive recollection of the patient’s own pleasant memories, is one aspect that distinguishes the methods and systems disclosed herein from previously known uses of VR environments as a technique of merely distracting a patient from their pain.

[0090] With reference to FIG. 7, an embodiment of the method for managing a chronic condition of a patient comprises the steps of: creating a patient profile, at step 701; immersing the patient into a VR environment 220 using a VR system 200, at step 702; logging into the patient’s profile, at step 703; initiating a priming event, at step 704 (which step may include, for example, the steps 601 to 607 illustrated in FIG. 6); introducing an artefact of a memory block selected by the patient, at step 705; the patient utilizing a software command, which may be a verbal command such as uttering “I remember”, at step 706, which may initiate a recording function of the VR system 200 to begin recording the verbal utterances of the patient; the patient then recollects the patient’s own memory, the recollection facilitated by the VR system presenting the memory artefact(s) of that memory block to the patient, and which may include the patient verbally reminiscing about the patient’s own memory, at step 707; the patient utilizing a software command, which may be a verbal command such as uttering “the end”, at step 709, which may cause the VR system 200 to present a log-out screen to the patient to facilitate logging out; the patient logging out of the patient’s profile, at step 710; and terminating the VR program by the VR system, at step 711.

[0091] Optionally, in some embodiments, step 708 may include a step of retrieving or creating additional memory artefacts, in response to the patient’s verbal recollection of the details of the patient’s memory at step 707. Such retrieval or creation of additional memory artefacts, for presentation to the patient in the VR environment 220, may be facilitated, for example, by the Al curator 240 which manages, analyzes and retrieves the patient’s data and artefacts, provided by the patient via their profile, and may use large language models (LLM) 236 further interpreting the patient’s verbal utterances, and then utilizing other technologies, such as search engines 232 to retrieve relevant images of the details of the memory verbally uttered by the patient, or other machine learning and artificial intelligence facilitated technologies to create new images that are relevant to the details of the memory verbally uttered by the patient, as described in further detail herein. Such retrieval or creation of additional memory artefacts may also be facilitated by an Al curator, as described elsewhere herein. Typically, the LLMs and other resources are found outside the boundaries of the local processing unit (ie: such as resources found on the internet or a Cloud network). Whereas, the Al curator may, in some embodiments, reside within the processing unit, and the Al curator handles any locally supplied artefacts, supplied for example by the patient, and apart from any artefacts located on the internet or supplied by any other external resources. An internet connection or network, although not required, may be used in some embodiments for the Al curator to access these LLMs and other external resources. These external resources may enhance and increase the number of artefact objects stored with each memory block, but it should be noted that such external resources are optional, and the methods and systems described herein may be practiced without any such external resources. In some embodiments, the methods and systems described herein may be implemented using only memory artefacts (such as, photos or videos) that are supplied by the patient, and without utilizing any external resources, such as resources accessed over the internet or another network, or any LLM resources. In such embodiments, the memory artefacts supplied directly by the patient may be sufficient to invoke the patient’s reminiscing about the patient’s own original memories, create the injection of memories into the pain stream of the patient, and facilitate verbal reminiscing about the patient’s own memories by the patient, while immersed in the VR environment.

[0092] Optionally, the method may include also immersing a support person in the VR environment. If a support person is immersed in the VR environment, alongside the patient, the support person may assist the patient with navigating the VR system 200 and the VR environment 220. Additionally, the support person may observe the patient’s experiences while the patient is immersed in the VR environment 220, which may allow the support person to monitor the patient’s treatment, and potentially, assist the patient to adjust their use of the VR system 200 so as to make it more effective for the patient. The support person may be, for example, a health care provider who provides care to the patient, such as a doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist or a therapist. The support person may also be a caregiver, such as a parent or guardian of a minor patient, or a friend or relative of the patient. In some embodiments, rather than immersing the support person in the VR environment, the support person may be provided access to the VR environment (such as, the visual or audio elements of the VR environment) that are being presented to the patient, without the support person themselves being immersed in the VR environment.

[0093] The Applicant has found it is particularly effective for interrupting the pain stream of chronic pain to facilitate the patient’s immersive recollection of the patient’s own pleasant memories which predate the onset of the patient’s chronic pain, or other chronic condition to be managed. The reason why distraction techniques fail is that, while distraction techniques utilizing VR technology may temporarily distract a patient from pain, such that the patient’s attention is temporarily divided between the pain and the distraction presented in the VR environment, such effects have been found to be fleeting and may not be prolonged. Once the patient ceases to focus on the distraction being presented, the patient’s focus returns to the pain, and the temporary pain relief, if any, ends. The continuity of the pain stream is not broken when using distraction. In contrast, the Applicant has found that the systems and methods disclosed herein are capable of providing permanent disruption to a persistent pain stream, or other condition being suffered by the patient. With repeated treatment sessions, the disruption of the permanent pain stream may have a cumulative effect, such that the chronic pain becomes more manageable, to the extent of providing moments of pain relief even when the patient is not immersed in the VR environment as well as facilitating the patient’s recollection of the memory(-ies) revisited during the said VR treatment sessions after the patient is not immersed in the VR environment. This cumulative effect of the chronic pain management may therefore result, for example, in the patient’s reduced reliance on pain medication and an increased quality of life.

[0094] Patient User Profile

[0095] For the methods and systems disclosed herein to present the patient’s own memory artefacts, and thereby facilitate immersive and actively engaging recollection of the patient’s own memories, in one aspect the method includes creating a user profile of the patient. The user profile comprises a login identifier, a patient’s timeline, and a library containing at least one memory block.

[0096] In a preferred embodiment, the patient verbally recollects the particulars of the memories related to the artefact. Taking for example a simple artefact, such as a photo of the patient’s ninth birthday party, the photo may be presented to the patient via the VR environment when in a primed state. Upon viewing the photo, the patient may utter a phrase; for example, not intended to be limiting, the phrase may be “I remember”, which is a software command that starts recording the patient’s verbal recollection of memory details. If the patient becomes further engaged and speaks of memorable details verbally, that are not shown in the artefact itself, then the patient’s verbal utterances (audio data) may be captured (such as being recorded via a microphone by the VR software), and that data may be subsequently used to enhance that patient’ s memory, strengthening the recollection and facilitate a clearer imprinting. As well, this process of the patient verbally interacting with the memory during recollection may develop new old memory components that will provide fresh memory blocks for the system, able to override the pain stream. Again, taking the example of a photo of the patient’s ninth birthday party, the patient may produce verbal utterances such as “oh yes, they hired a clown, his name was, uhmm. . ., Bozo, yes! Bozo the clown! He had a real rabbit. In fact, to my surprise we stayed over night and all of us children, maybe six or seven children had a slumber party with flashlights. I remember eating popcorn.” This example shows that a simple artefact, such as a single photograph, may create many additional new memories, memory components and / or new memory details of the memory being recalled by the patient, such as the clown, slumber party, pet rabbit in this illustrative example described above. In future sessions the patient may choose to further develop one or more of those details as a new memory created from that one artefact, and these new memory details or entire memory blocks may be added to the patient’s profile in the system, accessible for use by the patient in future sessions.

[0097] The login identifier is unique to the patient, so that the components of the patient’s user profile are accessible to only that patient. An example of a login identifier, not intended to be limiting, may include a combination of the patient’s full name and date of birth, a combination of a unique username and a unique password created by the patient, or any other information or combination of information that uniquely identifies the patient, as would be known to a person skilled in the art. In some embodiments, access to the patient’s user profile may be restricted by two-step authentication or other security measures, as would be known to a person skilled in the art, for securing the personal and private information of the patient contained in the user profile.

[0098] The patient’s timeline may be, in one aspect, a visual depiction of data which organizes key dates pertaining to the patient in a chronological order, as well as recording new information added to the patient’s user profile on the patient timeline. Key dates on the patient’s timeline may include, for example, the patient’s date of birth, the date of the onset of the chronic pain (or other chronic condition), and the dates of the patient’s memories which the patient adds to the patient’s user profile.

[0099] The library of memory blocks of the patient includes at least one memory block. A memory block represents a memory of the patient and includes one or more memory artefacts of the patient’s memory, the date on which the memorized event occurred, and a memory title. The date on which the memory event occurred may not be an exact date; for example, a patient may wish to recall a memory that occurred when they were seven years old, or when they graduated high school; such approximate dates may still be added to the patient’s timeline. Preferably, the date of the memory pre-dates the date of chronic condition onset, as the Applicant has found the methods described herein to be most effective at interrupting the pain stream when the patient engages in an immersive recollection of a memory that occurred before the chronic pain stream began. However, the Applicant has found that memory blocks added to the library and the patient timeline, which have dates that post-date the chronic condition onset date, and engaging in immersive recollection of such memories, may also be effective at interrupting the chronic pain stream, in particular when the patient engages in immersive recollection of memory blocks that both pre-date and post-date the onset of the chronic condition being managed.

[0100] Timeline of the User Profile

[0101] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the components of the user profile of a patient, which includes the library of memory blocks and data about the patient, is organized into a relational database. The relational database may, in some embodiments, be organized into a timeline 100 (FIGS. 3 and FIG. 3A). The patient’ s timeline includes the patient’s date of birth (DOB), the date of the onset of the chronic condition CTo (such as chronic pain), and memories dates (MTi, MT2, etc.), which are the dates, or approximate dates, on which the patient’s pre-pain memories were created. As shown in FIG. 3, the patient’s timeline 100 starts on the patient’s date of birth 102 and includes the date of chronic condition onset 104 (CTo) and extends into the future. Prior to the date of chronic condition onset 104, there may be one or more memory dates (MTi, MT2, etc.), such as memory dates 106a, 106b, which are the dates on which long-term memories, possessing executive memory tagging, were originally created. Also recorded on the timeline are one or more VR session dates (VTi, VT2, etc.), such as VR session dates 108a, 108b, which represent the dates on which the patient utilized the systems and methods described herein to recall the patient’s own pleasant memories in VR, which memories pre-date the onset of the chronic condition 104 and, for example, are memories formed at a time when the patient was free of chronic pain. The timeline 100 has points noted that correspond to the particular memory block that was initiated, in some embodiments, by a verbal command, such as the statement “I remember”.

[0102] FIG.3A depicts the first VR immersion session VTi (108a) of the patient that is marked on the patient’s timeline 100, and the chronology of the main events happening within that session which may consist of, but are not limited, to:

[0103] • the beginning of the VR immersion session (VTI START),

[0104] • the patient’s trigger time (TT) when the patient experienced the priming event and is then at their primed state,

[0105] • the memory artefact introduction time (AT),

[0106] • the time when the patient initiates verbal recollection of their memory by using the command phrase “I remember”, • the recollection time (RT) being the whole time the patient reminisces events and details of the recollected memory,

[0107] • the beginning of the recollection time (RT1 START),

[0108] • the end of the recollection time (RTIEND),

[0109] • the end of the VR immersion session (VTIEND).

[0110] The entire recollection time (RT, extending from RT1 START to RTIEND on the timeline 100), represents one or more injected memory blocks of the patient. The one or more injected memory blocks are those memory blocks which were recollected by the patient while the patient was immersed in the VR environment and in the primed state. The timeline 100 of the patient may record the specific memory blocks, selected from the patient’s library, which were recollected by the patient during a VR immersion session (VT).

[0111] Memory Blocks

[0112] As described herein, the one or more memory artefacts of a memory block may include images, video clips, audio recordings and the like which relate to the patient’s own memory. The memory artefacts may be provided by the patient, and memory artefacts may also be obtained from publicly available sources, including but not limited to databases accessible over a network, such as the Internet. In some embodiments, artificial intelligence models for generating images, video and audio may be used by the patient to generate memory artefacts for a memory block. In some embodiments, the process of generating new memory artefacts with the use of artificial intelligence models may be automated by the software program, such that textual or verbal inputs of the patient may be analysed and processed to identify and then generate new memory artefacts relating to the memory block being recalled by the patient.

[0113] For example, the software program may be configured to continually receive the verbal utterances of the patient as inputs, and algorithms of the software program may analyse the verbal utterances to identify new information that is related to the memory block, and when the new information constitutes an image or an audio recording, for example, that is an artefact of that memory, the software program algorithms may either search for relevant images or audio recordings from a database accessed through a network and a search engine, or in some embodiments, a description of the new artefact may be entered as an input into an audio or image generator to produce a new audio recording or image that corresponds to the image or audio recording described by the patient.

[0114] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the patient may create or update the patient’s user profile of the software program by using a keyboard, touchscreen or similar input device, and may upload image, video and audio files that constitute the memory artefacts for the patient’s memory block library. The creation or updating of a patient’s user profile may be performed on the software program when the patient is outside of the VR environment, or when the patient is immersed in the VR environment.

[0115] In some embodiments, the software program may be configured to facilitate immersive recollection of the patient’s memories through verbal commands uttered by the patient. In a preferred embodiment, the software program is initiated when the patient puts on the VR headset, launching an initial VR environment that presents the patient with a menu representing the patient’s library of memory blocks. For example, without intending to be limiting, the library of memory blocks may be represented in the VR environment as a bookshelf containing a plurality of books, with each book representing a memory block and bearing the memory title on the spine of the book. The memory block may be selected by the patient with a hand gesture or with a verbal utterance; for example, the verbal utterance may include the statement “Open this book. . .” or it may include a statement of a memory title seen on the spine of a book, which statement constitutes a command in the software program to present the patient with the memory artefacts associated with the memory block selected by the patient this way. The software program may then present the patient with a priming event in the VR environment, such that the patient enters a primed state. Once the patient is in a primed state, the software program may then present the one or more artefacts associated with the memory block that was selected by the patient prior to the patient experiencing the priming event in the VR environment.

[0116] The patient starts the memory recollection with a verbal utterance; for example, the verbal utterance may include, but is not limited to, the statement “I remember. . which statement is a command in the software program to prompt the software program to record, in its database, the point in time when the “I remember. . . .” statement was uttered, and to capture every relevant utterance (verbal data) that the patient says while recollecting and reminiscing that memory. The time assigned to the “I remember. . .” trigger command may be depicted on the patient’s timeline, and this newly captured data will be linked to that memory artefact; this point in time, in the patient’s timeline, represents a break in the chronic pain stream. As the number of these points in time increases in the timeline, which may be described as healing points, these points in time represent the patient’s past experience and memory of their past experience, which now includes increased moments of feeling better and may result in an overall feeling of relief from the chronic pain of the patient. Additionally, the new memory artefacts, memory details, and other attributes generated by the patient’s recollection of their own memories, and captured by the software program, may be visually represented in the VR environment, for example, as new books on a bookshelf, with new memory titles on the spines of those books, until such memory blocks or attributes are subsequently edited in the patient’s profile, deleted, or selected by the patient during a subsequent, new session in the VR environment. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the trigger for the software program to begin recording and categorizing the new memory details, new memory blocks, or new memory artefacts, may be a verbal command or utterance of the patient, an example of which includes the statement “I remember” by the patient, when the patient is immersed in the VR environment. In this manner, in some embodiments, new memory blocks may be developed in the software program from a memory artefact.

[0117] An illustrative example of the process of developing new memory blocks, from a patient’s reminiscence prompted by viewing the patient’s memory artefact when immersed in a VR environment and in a primed state, follows. In this example, the patient recalls a memory based on an artefact that is a photograph of a red bicycle under a Christmas tree. The patient verbally recalls that it was a white Christmas spent with a favorite cousin visiting, and the patient and his cousin made a snowman together. Although the original memory reminisced was of a red bicycle that the patient really wanted and received for Christmas, the software program may recognize new memories from the patient’s verbal utterances of their recollection of this original memory. In this example, the software program may assign a title for this new memory of the snowman, “White Christmas snowman with a cousin, 1988,” which, in some embodiments, would become a new memory block that is automatically added to the patient’s library. Without intending to be limiting, the new memory block may be visually represented, in the VR environment, as a new book added to a bookshelf, the bookshelf representing the patient’s library, and the title of the new memory block may appear on the spine of the new book. These newly generated memories (or memory blocks) may be subsequently expanded upon, or deleted by, the patient. In this manner, the “new” memories and new memory blocks, that may have been otherwise forgotten by the patient, may be brought back to the patient’s memory and may be built upon by the patient, in future VR sessions, thus enhancing the experience and further strengthening the patient’s feeling of relief from the patient’s chronic condition.

[0118] Some illustrative examples of how the artefacts may be presented in the VR environment are described herein.

[0119] In another embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 5, the processing unit 204 may optionally be in communication with a network, such as the Internet 230. In some embodiments, the software program 206 may be configured to search for and retrieve memory artefacts, including but not limited to photographs, images, video clips and audio recordings, relevant to the verbal data captured during a memory recollection session, by performing a search for such artefacts 234 on the network via a search engine 232. Searches for memory artefacts, which are not provided by the patient P but are related to the patient’s memories to be recalled, may, in some embodiments, be performed in response to a search prompt entered by the patient using an input device, such as hand-held controller 203 or a keyboard.

[0120] In a preferred embodiment, searches for memory artefacts 234 obtained from external sources may be performed in response to a verbal search prompt input into the software program 206 by the patient using a microphone as an input device, and the software program may include a speech-to- text model to convert the verbal prompt into a text prompt that is entered into the search engine. In another preferred embodiment, the software program may incorporate, or otherwise access, via the Internet 230 or another network connection, machine learning or artificial intelligence algorithms (collectively referred to herein as “large language models” or “LLM”, 236) to receive verbal utterances of the patient while the patient is immersed in the VR environment, and analyse the patient’s verbal utterances to identify utterances that add new details to the patient’s memory being recalled in the VR environment.

[0121] When such memory artefacts 234 are retrieved from the Internet 230 (or another network), the recorded utterances of the patient P are firstly passed through an Al curator 240 (FIG. 5), which resides on the processing unit CPU 204. The Al curator 240 may be a module of the software 206, or it may be a separate software program. The Al curator 240 analyses the speech of the patient P to identify phrases or sentences that may indicate new details of a memory being described, or a potential new memory block relating to a new memory being recalled by the patient P.

[0122] For example, without intended to be limiting, the Al curator 240 may be configured to recognize a command phrase uttered by the patient which launches the presentation of a memory block selected by the patient from the patient’ s library (including an artefact associated with the memory block selected by the patient). An example of such a phrase, without intended to be limiting, may be the words “I remember...”, followed by the memory title of a memory block previously uploaded by the patient P to the patient’s user profile. The Al curator 240 may be configured to recognize when the patient P has uttered the phrase “I remember” and a pre-existing memory title, after which point the Al curator 240 will analyse the following phrases of the patient to identify when a new memory detail has been uttered, and when a new memory detail may be associated with a new memory artefact that may be presented to the patient in real time (as the patient is verbally reminiscing the memory during the VR memory recollection session), and / or at a later time during another memory recollection session facilitated by the methods and systems described in this application, in order to enhance the patient’s experience of recalling that memory in the VR environment 220. The Al curator 240 then passes the patient’ s phrases, identified as potential new memory details or memory artefacts, to a search engine 232, an Al words-to-image generator, or other sources of memory artefacts 234 that may be located on the Internet.

[0123] When potential new memory artefacts 234 are retrieved, they are then passed through the Al curator 240 prior to being saved to the patient’s user profile, to validate whether the retrieved memory artefacts 234 may be associated with an existing memory block previously uploaded by the patient, or a new memory block that is to be added to the user profile.

[0124] In some embodiments, the software program may be deployed on the processing unit 204, and the processing unit 204 may not be connected to the Internet or any other Wide Area Network (WAN). In such embodiments, the memory artefacts 210 may be input into the software program by the patient or another individual, or may be retrieved by the software program from a database containing the patient’s data. In other embodiments, the software program may be deployed on a WAN network, including but not limited to the Internet or a cloud network. For embodiments deployed on a cloud network, the cloud network may be accessed via the Internet through a secure portal, or via another network. Embodiments deployed on a WAN network, or made accessible from a WAN network, may include the processing unit 204 being in communication with the Internet, or another WAN network, which allows for the Al curator module of the software program to access new data, information and materials, made available on the Internet or another WAN network, so as to obtain new memory artefacts, in response to verbal utterances of the patient, or other inputs provided by the patient, relating to the patient’s existing or new memory blocks.

[0125] The systems and methods disclosed herein are described in language more or less specific as to structural and methodical features. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown and described, since the specific features herein disclosed comprise preferred forms of implementing the invention, and variants on the features described herein are intended to be included in the scope of the present disclosure and the claimed invention.

[0126] Further, aspects herein have been presented for guidance in construction and / or operation of illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. Applicant hereof considers these described illustrative embodiments to also include, disclose and describe further inventive aspects in addition to those explicitly disclosed. For example, the additional inventive aspects may include less, more and / or alternative features than those described in the illustrative embodiments. In more specific examples, the Applicant considers the disclosure to include, disclose and describe methods which include less, more and / or alternative steps than those methods explicitly disclosed as well as systems, devices or apparatuses which includes less, more and / or alternative structure than the explicitly disclosed structure.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method for managing a chronic condition of a patient, the method comprising: creating a user profile, the user profile comprising a login identifier unique to the patient and a timeline of the patient, the timeline including a date of birth of the patient, a date of chronic condition onset of the patient and a library containing at least one memory block, the at least one memory block comprising a memory title, a memory date preceding the date of chronic condition onset and one or more memory artefacts provided by the patient, storing the user profile in a database, the database in communication with a software program, the software program for presenting a virtual reality (“VR”) environment to the patient via a VR headset in communication with the software program, immersing the patient in the VR environment, via the software program in communication with the VR headset when the patient is wearing the VR headset, initiating, via a priming event presented to the patient in the VR environment through the VR headset, a primed state of the patient, receiving a first user input through the VR environment, the first user input comprising selecting a memory block from the library of the user profile, presenting to the patient, via at least one primary output device of the VR headset in communication with the software program and the database, the one or more memory artefacts of the selected memory block, updating the timeline of the user profile, saved on the database, to add at least one injected memory block, the at least one injected memory block comprising an injected memory date and the presented one or more memory artefacts, wherein the at least one primary output device of the VR headset includes an immersive visual display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more memory artefacts of the selected memory block is selected from the group comprising: a photograph, a video clip, a song, a sound recording, a drawing, an image generated by artificial intelligence.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the login identifier comprises the patient’s name and date of birth.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user input is selected from a group comprising: a verbal command, a hand gesture, an eye movement, a keyboard input, a mouse input.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: receiving a second user input through the VR environment, the second user input adding a new memory block to the library, retrieving a new memory artefact of the patient corresponding to the new memory block, updating the timeline of the user profile, saved on the database, to add the new memory block to the library, the new memory block comprising a new memory date preceding the date of chronic condition outset, a new title, and the new memory artefact of the patient retrieved via a network in communication with the processing unit.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the retrieving step further comprises retrieving the new memory artefact of the patient from an image file provided by the patient.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the retrieving step further comprises retrieving the new memory artefact via a search engine in communication with a network, wherein the second user input is a verbal statement uttered by the patient and the verbal statement is converted into a query input into the search engine.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the second user input is a verbal statement uttered by the patient and wherein the step of retrieving the new memory artefact of the patient corresponding to the new memory block is facilitated by an artificial intelligence (Al) large language model (LLM) in communication with the software program, wherein the Al large language model receives and analyses the verbal statement to identify the new memoryartefact, the identified new memory artefact thereafter retrieved by a search engine in communication with a network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identified new memory artefact is a new image, and wherein the verbal statement is input into an Al text-to-image model, the Al text-to-image model thereafter generating the new image and communicating the new image to the software program via the network.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the second user input is a verbal description of the new memory block uttered by the patient, and wherein the method further includes the step of facilitating, via the software program, a dialogue with the patient, wherein the software program utilizes an Al large language model to receive and analyze the verbal description of the new memory block and then generate a cue for prompting the patient to elaborate on the verbal description of the new memory block, the cue presented to the patient via the VR headset.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the cue is selected from a group comprising: a visual cue, an audio cue.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: receiving a third user input through the VR environment, the third user input adding a new memory artefact to the selected memory block of the patient, updating the timeline of the user profile to add the new memory artefact to the selected memory block.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the retrieving step further comprises retrieving the new memory artefact of the patient from an image file provided by the patient.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the retrieving step further comprises retrieving the new memory artefact via a search engine in communication with a network, wherein the third user input is a verbal statement uttered by the patient and the verbal statement is converted into a query, the query input into the search engine.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the third user input is a verbal statement uttered by the patient and wherein the step of retrieving the new memory artefact of the patient corresponding to the selected memory block is facilitated by an Al large language model in communication with the software program, wherein the Al large language model receives and analyses the verbal statement to identify the new memory artefact, the identified new memory artefact thereafter retrieved by a search engine in communication with a network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the identified new memory artefact is a new image, and wherein the verbal statement is input into the Al text-to-image model thereafter generating the new image and communicating the new image to the software program via the network.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the third user input is a verbal description of the new memory artefact uttered by the patient, and wherein the method further includes the step of facilitating, via the software program, a dialogue with the patient, wherein the software program utilizes an Al large language model to receive and analyze the verbal description of the new memory artefact and then generate a cue for prompting the patient to elaborate on the verbal description of the new memory artefact, the cue presented to the patient via the VR headset.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the cue is selected from a group comprising: a visual cue, an audio cue.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected memory block further includes memory details, the method further comprising the steps of: receiving a fourth user input through the VR environment, the fourth user input adding a new memory detail to the selected memory block of the patient, updating the timeline of the user profile to add the new memory detail corresponding to the selected memory block, wherein the memory detail is selected from the group comprising: a person, a place, an event, a relational connection to another memory block of the library of memory blocks.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the chronic condition of the patient is selected from a group comprising: chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, chronic illness, dementia.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes the step of immersing a support person in the VR environment, via the software program in communication with a second VR headset when the support person is wearing the second VR headset, and wherein the step of receiving a first user input through the VR environment includes receiving a first user input from one of the patient and the support person.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the support person is selected from a group comprising: a doctor, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a therapist, a caregiver.

23. A system for managing a chronic condition of a patient, the system comprising: a processing unit, the processing unit configured to execute a VR software program, the processing unit in communication with a database, the database for storing data associated with a plurality of user profiles, each user profile of the plurality of user profiles comprising a login identifier unique to the patient and a timeline of the patient, the timeline including a date of birth of the patient, a date of chronic condition onset of the patient and a library containing at least one memory block, the at least one memory block comprising a memory title, a memory date preceding the date of chronic condition onset and one or more memory artefacts provided by the patient; a VR headset in communication with the processing unit and the VR software program, the VR headset having at least an immersive visual display; at least one input device, the at least one input device in communication with the processing unit and the VR software program for the patient to provide inputs to the VR software program; the VR software program for presenting a VR environment to the patient via the VR headset, wherein the VR software program is configured to initiate a primed state of thepatient via a priming event presented to the patient in the VR environment through the VR headset; wherein, when the patient is in the primed state, the VR software program presents a memory block to the patient via the VR headset, the memory block selected from a library of a user profile of the patient; and wherein the timeline of the user profile is updated to add at least one injected memory block, the at least one injected memory block comprising an injected memory date and the presented one or more memory artefacts.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one input device includes a microphone.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one input device comprises a plurality of input devices, each input device of the plurality of input devices selected from a group comprising: a microphone, an electronic controller, a mouse, a keyboard, a motion sensor, a touch screen, a data glove.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the microphone is integrated into the VR headset.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the user profile of the patient is updated to add a new memory artefact to an existing memory block or a new memory block in the library, the new memory artefact retrieved by the VR software program over a network.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the new memory artefact is located via a search engine accessed over the network, and wherein a search query entered into the search engine is generated from an input of the patient, the input comprising a verbal utterance of the patient and the search query is generated via an Al LLM.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the new memory artefact is a new image, and wherein the new image is generated from an input of the patient, the input comprising a verbal utterance of the patient, and wherein an Al curator of the VR software program generates a command from the verbal utterance of the patient, the command inputted by the Al curator into an Al text-to-image model to generate the new image, wherein the Al curator accesses the Al text-to-image model over the network.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein the user profile of the patient is updated to add a new memory block to the library, the new memory block comprising a new memory block title, a new memory block date preceding the date of chronic condition onset and one or more new memory artefacts, wherein the new memory block is added to the user profile of the patient in response to an input of the patient.

31. The system of claim 24, wherein the input of the patient comprises a verbal utterance of the patient when the patient is immersed in the VR environment and in the primed state and the patient is being presented the memory block in the VR environment via the VR headset.

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