Accelerated Resolution Therapy

in Sarasota, FL

What Is Accelerated Resolution Therapy?

If you are suffering from traumatic memories or past experiences that you cannot seem to move on from, then you may find Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) an ideal treatment for you.

ART uses eye movements which are calming and effective, offering a tolerable path to healing and transformation. This evidence-based approach is revolutionizing trauma treatment as we know it. It is similar to EMDR, utilizing eye movements to help clients reprocess traumatic memories, yet it is faster and arguably more effective.

The founder of Accelerated Resolution Therapy, Dr. Laney Rosenzweig, sums up the approach best in her motto “Keep the knowledge, lose the pain.” In other words, although ART doesn’t erase the knowledge of traumatic events, it removes the pain they created– without the need to share every detail.

In an ART session, eye movements busy the thinking part of the brain and allow other parts of the brain to become engaged in finding resolution and clarity. In this process, eye movements help you integrate a memory or experience in a way that no longer causes you a distressing reaction.

How Does Accelerated Resolution Therapy Work?

During ART sessions, you will gently move your eyes from left to right while you visualize a memory. Initially, you are asked to connect with physical sensations in the body when thinking about your distressing memory. Because eye movements are naturally calming and emulate REM sleep—specifically delta waves in the brain—you are quickly welcomed back to a sense of safety and trust in your own body. In this way, ART supports regulating the nervous system and allows memories, which are often stored in images, to surface without causing any distress.

Your sense of safety and stability throughout treatment is central to ART. As you process your traumatic experience, you will concentrate on resolving distressing past experiences with solutions that feel empowering and peaceful. Doing so creates new and healthier neuropathways in the brain, eliminating the need for the old neuropathways that formed in the wake of your traumatic experience.

In this way, ART rewires your nervous system’s response to traumatic events. Your brain will still remember what happened, but when you go to “see” the disturbing memory in your mind’s eyes, you will most likely not see it the same way you did before doing ART.

Have any questions? Send us a message!

Why Should I Choose ART Over EMDR?

Accelerated Resolution Therapy grew out of EMDR, so there is naturally some overlap in the protocols. However, there are some key differences:

ART generally works faster than EMDR therapy, allowing for trauma resolution in just a few sessions (sometimes even one session!)
ART seeks to eliminate negative or disturbing memories, behaviors, thoughts, images, and sensations, while EMDR seeks to desensitize your reaction to those memories
ART is more flexible and creative than EMDR, incorporating parts work, Gestalt Therapy, and other approaches as treatment progresses.

Both ART and EMDR have demonstrated the benefit of eye movements in resolving trauma and have demonstrated the possibility of creating lasting change. ART, however, seems to do it faster, is better tolerated by clients during the treatment, and results in a pleasant outcome that lasts and often generalizes for the client over time. For these same reasons, ART is often a preferred method of treatment by those also trained in other various evidenced-based therapies, including EMDR, Prolonged Exposure, and Cognitive Processing Therapy.

Is There Research To Support The Effectiveness Of ART?

Although ART is a relatively recent approach, having been founded in 2008, there is a growing body of research that attests to its remarkable healing power. In fact, the eye movements involved in ART have been proven to create theta waves in the brain, which promote greater creativity, insight, and intuition.

Today, Accelerated Resolution Therapy is recommended for trauma and PTSD treatment by both the Department of Defense (DoD) and the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA). It is also used to successfully treat people suffering from many other emotional issues, including:

Panic disorders
Phobias
Bullying
Grief and loss
OCD
Eating disorders
Sensory sensitivity

ART can be practiced with clients ages four and up, and children often respond to it just as well as adults. At Harmony Harbor, we’ve witnessed ART’s efficacy with people of all ages and backgrounds. Simply put, ART works, our clients like it, and so do our providers! Even better, ART is like a healing agent for us as trauma specialists, eliminating vicarious trauma and igniting the passion necessary to reach as many people as possible.

How Can Accelerated Resolution Therapy Benefit Your Life?

For many clients who try ART with Harmony Harbor, the process of change begins on day one. Many of them come in having felt burdened for years—in some cases, even decades—and then find immediate relief after one session. For this reason, ART is generally a short-term approach that only needs about one to five sessions to produce results.

Despite the short amount of time that people normally spend in therapy, ART has incredible long-term benefits. Clients are continually amazed at how little their trauma impacts them compared to how it once did. As a result, they’re able to regulate their stress more effectively, enjoy healthier relationships, live with more purpose, and leave the sessions noticeably refreshed and relaxed.

Even as practitioners, we’re continually astounded by the healing nature of ART. Oftentimes, there are gold nuggets we wish our clients could see and know about themselves—and it’s as if the practice of ART is the segway to these truths! As Dr. Laney herself says: “The most difficult aspect of discussing ART is the fact that it sounds too good to be true”. It really does live up to the hype.

Trusted By

“Keep the knowledge, lose the pain.”
– Laney Rosenzweig
Creator of ART

“Eye Movements work!”
– Roxy Carson
Administrative Director for Harmony Harbor

A Future Of Healing Awaits Through The Power Of Accelerated Resolution Therapy

Most of the specialists here at Harmony Harbor have advanced training in ART and are considered Master-trained and some are working towards their advanced training and are currently Basic-trained in ART; and we all stand by its healing power. It is flexible, intuitive, and efficient.

Even more, we frequently host trainings for clinicians interested in learning ART and Dr. Stacy and additional Team members serve as co-trainers for the International Society of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (We have 2 trainings currently scheduled; CEUs are available; go to is-art.org for more information). If you want to experience or learn how to provide well-tolerated and evidence-backed trauma recovery through Accelerated Resolution Therapy, you can use the Contact Form or the “Schedule Now” button.