Counseling Specialty Areas: Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)

What is ART?

Historically, talk therapy is focused on extensive discussion of your past events, going into deep detail. This is an effective method and may have been your first experience with therapy. Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is focused on rapid resolution. You are able to quickly recover from trauma and anxiety by tapping into your brain’s natural ability to heal and process distressing memories quickly.

 

How does ART help you with rapid resolution of issues?

While talk therapy is mostly free-form, ART is more structured. This structure helps bring relief in a short timeframe. This can happen as quickly as two sessions per occurrence. ART is focused on using each session to build on the ones before it in a rapid manner. This helps lead to effective resolution of distressing memories, often without requiring you to describe the trauma in detail.

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Studies have shown that ART can lead to rapid symptom relief, often in fewer sessions than traditional trauma-focused talk therapies (Study - ART for Veterans with PTSD, Study - ART for Complicated Grief).

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What makes ART better than other methods of therapy?

• ART is non-invasive - You do not need to extensively describe or relive your trauma

• ART is focused on empowerment. You are in control of the memory transformation process

• ART is versatile. It works with a wide range of mental health conditions.

• ART minimizes the risk of emotional distress by shifting focus away from the painful elements of your traumatic memories

 

What is an ART session like?

ART sessions can be broadly described as having the following components:

• Visualization and Eye Movement Processing - Your ART-trained therapist will guide you through eye movements while you focus on the traumatic memory. You will work with your therapist to notice emotions and physical sensations that are associated with the memory

• Memory Transformation and Replacement - You will replace distressing images with neutral or positive images. The ART-trained therapist supports you using visualization techniques to reinforce the changes that you are making.

• Closure and Integration - With your ART-trained therapist, you will solidify these new memory associations. Each session is also punctuated with relaxation techniques to ensure emotional stability.

 

How do the speed and structure pieces of ART fit together?

Unlike traditional talk therapy, ART is designed to bring relief in a short time frame. ART utilizes a structured protocol that lays out a clear sequence. By following this structure, an ART-trained therapist can help guide you in resolving your distressing memories, often without having you describe the trauma in detail.

 

What is ART useful for?

ART is effective in treating a variety of mental health conditions:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): ART allows people with PTSD to find relief by allowing them to reprocess traumatic memories quickly.

• Anxiety Disorders: ART helps address anxiety symptoms by reframing the thought patterns that you have created over time that are now causing you distress.

• Depression: ART helps modify the negative cognitive pattern that can cause depression. This helps alleviate symptoms of depression and enhance emotional well-being.

• Phobias and Panic Disorders: ART’s approach involves reprocessing memories in a way that helps reduce irrational fears

• Grief and Loss: ART promotes emotional healing that can help you manage a loss by providing a structured way to process grief.

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If you want to see more details about the science behind ART, click here to learn more about how ART works, or you can schedule an appointment by clicking the button below.