Accelerated resolution therapy (ART) is a fairly new intervention that incorporates principles from many other psychotherapies to quickly alleviate trauma-related symptoms. This therapy may be a useful tool in your journey of healing and recovery.
What Is Accelerated Resolution Therapy?
ART is a relatively new treatment developed by Laney Rosenzweig in the late 2000s. According to a 2018 article published in Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, ART is “derived from Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.” However, unlike EMDR, ART is more directive, takes a shorter amount of time, and is easier to learn.
In ART, patients are assisted in creating new images of past trauma. This therapy utilizes eye movements to enhance the process and promote deeper relaxation. The journal article mentioned above says that ART is usually done in one to five one-hour sessions. On average, patients complete 3.7 sessions of this therapy.
How Is it Different from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing?
To understand ART, it may be helpful to know how EMDR works. It’s important to note that ART uses components of EMDR but is still its own separate therapy.
EMDR is considered a type of psychotherapy, or talk therapy, to help you process trauma. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in EMDR you will “pay attention to a back-and-forth movement or sound while you call to mind the upsetting memory until shifts occur in the way that you experience that memory and more information from the past is processed.”
When Laney Rosenzweig created ART, he utilized and modified some EMDR practices to enhance the healing process.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy for Trauma Healing
Even though ART is a newer therapy, it has been shown to have significant benefits for people who have experienced trauma. This therapy may even create faster results than similar trauma-healing techniques.
You Have to Feel It to Heal It
Healing trauma can be a complex and often difficult practice. Many people are scared to face traumatic memories and end up pushing them down beneath the surface of their awareness. Others will self-medicate with drugs and alcohol in an attempt to alleviate uncomfortable feelings and post-traumatic symptoms like stress or constant fight-or-flight sensations.
Even though it may be difficult, it’s important to feel through your pain to truly heal. When it comes to trauma, it’s important to do this with a trained professional so that you won’t be re-traumatized in the process. ART can help you recall and feel through these tough emotions safely and effectively.
How Does Accelerated Resolution Therapy Work?
According to a 2020 study on army soldiers and ART published in Military Medicine, ART is a “procedural adaptation” of EMDR. It incorporates “mindful awareness of emotions and sensations, bilateral eye movements, imaginal exposure, desensitization, visual and cognitive rescripting, and gestalt-style interventions for the processing of traumatic experiences.”
A big component of ART includes the replacement of traumatic memories with something more positive. This is a fascinating concept that can help one regain a feeling of control. When you create positive, new associations with traumatic memories, this can put you in the driver’s seat. This process can also help lessen the emotional impact of past events.
Anyone who has experienced any kind of past trauma can benefit from ART. Always remember that your trauma is your own no matter how big or small you perceive it to be. If the event brought any sort of unresolved pain to your life, it can be considered traumatic.
The Benefits of Accelerated Resolution Therapy
One of the main benefits of ART is the fact that it can be used over a short amount of time. It’s also easy to learn and doesn’t take a long time for a practitioner to implement it into their practices.
Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience says that some patients are even “able to resume activities they were unable to perform due to trauma after having had just one ART session.” ART may also be more effective because it does not require individuals to recount their traumatic memories out loud. This can make the therapy easier on the patient as well as the therapist.
ART includes a variety of other practices and techniques. Taken together, these methods can heal trauma more effectively and holistically than they would if each method was used alone.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy at The Guest House
Here at The Guest House, we are dedicated to providing unique and innovative therapies to every guest who comes through our doors. Even though ART is a newer therapy, it can have a wide range of benefits for anyone who has experienced trauma.
A Part of Trauma-Specific Care
As a treatment center that specializes in trauma, we are proud to offer ART in addition to our ever-expanding menu of therapies and modalities. We also recognize that many self-defeating habits and behaviors, like addiction, can be traced back to underlying trauma. This is why we offer a wide variety of tools to help you overcome trauma, addiction, and mental health wounds safely and effectively.
Our highly-trained therapists will walk you through ART alongside our other holistic, evidence-based therapies. Here you will find the tools to help you heal from deep-rooted trauma as well as a strong support system to guide you every step of the way.
The Benefits of Individualized Care
At The Guest House, we understand that no two people are alike, and neither are their traumas. This is why we take an individualized approach to ensure that all of our guests receive the care that will suit them best.
In addition to ART, here you will find a blend of both traditional and holistic therapies to help you heal your mind, body, and soul in a comprehensive way. You are worthy of overcoming your traumas. At The Guest House, you will find the tools to regain your confidence and build a happy and joyful life.
Accelerated resolution therapy (ART) is a fairly new practice that has roots in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). ART combines a variety of trauma-healing therapies and creates results in a relatively short amount of time. At The Guest House, we are proud to include ART in our ever-expanding repertoire of holistic tools and cutting-edge therapies. Here you will find tried-and-true traditional therapies alongside holistic methods like meditation, yoga, and more. Each and every one of our guests will be able to explore the modalities that work best for them so they can create their own unique toolkit for recovery success. For more information, please call us at (855) 483-7800.