Accelerated Resolution Therapy: What Is It and How Does It Work?
If you’re looking for a fast and effective way to address trauma, anxiety, or other mental health issues, you may have come across accelerated resolution therapy (ART). This fairly new approach is gaining attention for its ability to provide relief from distressing memories and emotions in a relatively short amount of time. But what exactly is ART, and how does it work?
What Is Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)?
Accelerated resolution therapy (ART) is a form of psychotherapy that integrates elements of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and guided imagery. ART is designed to help people rapidly process and resolve their traumatic memories and other psychological stressors.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, which may take months or years to yield significant results, ART often leads to improvements in just one to five sessions. It uses specific eye movements and visualization techniques to help people reframe their negative experiences through a more positive lens.
How Does ART Work?
ART is based on the understanding that distressing memories can get “stuck” in the brain. This leads to symptoms associated with unprocessed trauma: hypervigilance, dissociation, low self-esteem, insomnia, nightmares, flashbacks, and difficulty regulating emotions. This therapy aims to help reprocess these memories in a way that replaces the negative ideas associated with these images and memories with positive ones of the client’s choosing.
Guided Eye Movements
During an ART session, the therapist guides the client through a series of horizontal eye movements, similar to those used in EMDR. These eye movements help the brain process and integrate traumatic memories in a new, less distressing way.
Voluntary Memory Replacement
One of ART’s distinguishing features is its emphasis on voluntary memory replacement. Clients are encouraged to visualize their traumatic memory and then “overwrite” distressing images with more positive or neutral ones. This process helps change how the brain stores the memory, which makes it less emotionally intense.
Physical and Emotional Sensory Processing
ART also incorporates techniques to address the physical sensations associated with trauma. Clients are asked to notice where they feel distress in their body and use relaxation techniques to alleviate these sensations. This helps break the connection between the memory and the physical symptoms it may trigger.
Rapid Results
One of the most appealing aspects of ART is its speed. Even compared with EMDR, which usually requires 6-12 sessions, ART is a much faster form of psychotherapy. Many people experience relief within just a few sessions, which makes it an excellent option for those who need rapid improvement in their mental health.
What Conditions Can ART Help With?
ART has been used successfully to treat a variety of mental health concerns, including:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and phobias
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Depression
Grief and loss
Benefits of ART
It gives quick results: Many clients experience significant relief in fewer than five sessions.
It’s non-invasive: ART does not require clients to talk extensively about their trauma, which makes it a good option for those who find traditional talk therapy difficult or those who can’t yet discuss their trauma in detail.
It’s empowering: The voluntary memory replacement technique gives clients more control over their healing process compared to other approaches.
It has a minimal risk of retraumatization: Because ART focuses on resolving rather than reliving trauma, it reduces the risk of being overwhelmed by painful memories.
Is ART Right for You?
If you’re living with the aftereffects of trauma or are plagued by distressing thoughts and memories, ART might be a good therapeutic approach for you. Schedule a consultation with us today to determine if ART fits your needs. If you’ve struggled with other therapies, ART might be your breakthrough treatment.
