ART offers a unique approach to treating mental health concerns by quickly and effectively processing negative emotions and transforming limiting beliefs.
Accelerated resolution therapy (ART) is a relatively new evidence-based therapy with a name that acts as a theoretical description to cover the multiple foundations of this treatment. It can effectively address a traumatic event, depression and other mental health concerns in a relatively brief treatment window.
Every trained ART therapist on our team can help you overcome the negative images attached to specific memories, removing the emotional and physical reactions that occur when you think back.
Accelerated resolution therapy is an officially recognized form of mental illness treatment, verified through studies that used a randomized controlled trial to test efficacy. Often working with veterans or as a family therapist, an ART therapist will use a combination of personalized treatment and therapies, including:
Each part of the treatment process uses different ART techniques for rapid recovery. Most clients need only one to five sessions to place positive images where negative ones previously stood. By removing the emotional pain from a traumatic experience, symptoms related to the event begin to fade.
The consistency of a developed ART treatment program has led to the creation of ART international societies. Each ART group works worldwide to share new research and findings surrounding clinical considerations unique to their local control group.
The goal is to one day make it possible to receive the same effective treatment no matter where you are in the world.
Typically, an ART session is scheduled for those struggling to remove traumatic images from their mind. A traumatic memory can have lifelong impacts on a person, and mental health professionals are looking to ART as their primary treatment method for these patients.
A large subset of people who suffer from debilitating symptoms caused by trauma is those with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Symptoms of PTSD can include paranoia, flashbacks and new fears that are all simply emotional reactions that can be treated.
Other conditions that accelerated resolution therapy can address include:
The use of ART and voluntary memory replacement therapies now goes beyond private practice offices, specifically working its way into populations that commonly suffer psychological trauma.
ART and military medicine are a more recent pairing that helps to address an underserved group. Studies have found that an ART session is suitable for addressing all aspects of military life, and military mental health clinicians are rapidly adopting the practice.
Psychological treatment is often overlooked during active-duty service, so it’s crucial for veterans who regularly relive distressing memories to receive therapy that addresses how to move beyond them. Between 14%-16% of veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan now have PTSD, according to studies by the National Institutes of Health.
A key pillar of ART that has helped thousands of veterans is its ability to elicit a relaxation response. This is the state of deep relaxation where your brain releases chemicals that slow your breathing and reduce your resting heart rate.
In this state, patients can more easily address and process traumatic memories and move on with their lives, often after only three or four ART sessions. The more positive images they create, the less impactful PTSD becomes.
While ART focuses on voluntary image replacement, ART therapists leverage several methods from other established forms of therapy.
A common technique is rapid eye movement or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). ART practitioners can use this to discover initial connections your mind makes with specific memories.
Depending on the strength of the reaction, you may feel negative physical sensations such as tense muscles. These, along with the emotional effects of ART sessions, are addressed by your therapist.
Mind and body sensations are normal when treating traumatic memories through ART interventions, so don’t be concerned. Your brain is rewiring connections that are sometimes decades old, and learning takes a lot of mental energy.
With the right team behind you, these healing periods are made as comfortable as possible to ease the growing pains of recovery.
There’s no denying how influential ART can be in treating past traumas at their source. We encourage anyone struggling with PTSD or other psychological health concerns to consider ART for their next therapy appointment.
To learn if this evidence-based therapy is right for you, call our leading mental health facility in Florida today at (866) 305-7134. We can also help verify your insurance coverage and see if you’re covered for ART.
