Back to home Accelerated Resolution Therapy

You keep the memory.
You lose the pain.

ART is a research-supported therapy that resolves the images and sensations driving trauma symptoms — usually in just one to three sessions. You don’t have to retell your story in detail for it to work.

Book an ART session

1–3

Sessions for most trauma targets — many resolve in one

90min

Extended session for full protocol

ART

Certified therapist

Homework or prolonged exposure

What is ART

A different way of working with trauma

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is grounded in the neuroscience of how traumatic memories are stored and retrieved. It uses guided bilateral eye movements — similar in mechanism to REM sleep — to help the brain reprocess distressing images and sensations without requiring you to narrate or relive the event in detail.

What makes ART distinct from traditional trauma therapy is its speed and its focus on imagery rather than language. Many clients notice a meaningful shift within the session itself. The original memory remains intact — you don’t lose the facts of what happened — but the emotional charge and the involuntary physical response attached to it substantially diminish.

ART works well for a wide range of presenting concerns, not just combat or acute trauma. Grief, chronic shame, phobias, nightmares, and the residue of long-term emotional abuse all respond to the same underlying mechanism.

Bilateral eye movements

Guided left-right eye movement activates similar neural pathways to REM sleep, enabling the brain to reprocess stored trauma data.

Image replacement

You direct how the scene resolves. The distressing image is replaced with one you choose — not erased, but transformed at a neurological level.

Privacy preserved

ART does not require disclosure of the traumatic content. You can process events you’ve never spoken aloud to anyone.

Research supported

ART has been evaluated in multiple clinical trials and is listed among evidence-based practices for PTSD by SAMHSA.

The protocol

What happens in an ART session

An ART session follows a structured sequence. You don’t need to prepare anything in advance — just come with a general sense of what you’d like to work on. Most of the session is internal, with brief check-ins between movement sets.

Scene identification

We identify the image, memory, or sensation you want to work on. You decide how much or how little to share about its content.

Bilateral processing

You hold the image in mind while following guided eye movements. Sensations are tracked and processed through successive sets until they diminish.

Director’s scene

You rewrite the scene the way you want it to resolve. This isn’t denial — it’s a neurological instruction that reassigns meaning to the stored event.

Bridge and close

The session closes with a forward-looking exercise. Most clients leave feeling lighter, tired in a productive way, and clear about what shifted.

What ART addresses

More than just PTSD

Trauma & PTSD

Single-incident or complex trauma, including abuse, assault, accidents, and combat.

Nightmares & intrusive images

Recurring nightmares and involuntary mental imagery that surfaces during waking hours.

Grief & complicated loss

Unresolved grief, traumatic death, and loss that feels stuck rather than moving through.

Anxiety & phobias

Specific triggers, generalized hypervigilance, and fear responses that feel disproportionate.

Addiction & shame

The traumatic roots of compulsive use — shame, self-disgust, and the moments that still carry charge.

Chronic shame & self-concept

Deeply held negative beliefs about the self that were installed by early experience and haven’t shifted through talk therapy alone.

Common questions

What people ask before starting

Do I have to talk about what happened in detail?

No. ART works at the level of imagery and sensation, not narrative. You can process events you’ve never described to anyone — including things you don’t have words for. The level of detail you share is entirely up to you.

How many sessions will I need?

Most discrete trauma targets resolve in a single session. Some complex or layered presentations require two or three. We’ll have a much clearer sense after the first session — and if something needs additional work, that’ll be obvious to both of us by the end.

How is this different from EMDR?

Both use bilateral eye movements, but ART is more structured and typically faster. ART includes a specific image replacement protocol — you actively choose how the scene resolves, which gives you more agency in the process. Most people complete a targeted trauma in one to three sessions; EMDR often takes longer for the same target.

Will I still remember what happened?

Yes. ART does not erase or alter memory. The facts of what happened remain intact. What changes is the emotional charge attached to the memory — the involuntary physical response, the distress, the intrusive quality of it.

What should I do after a session?

Rest. ART is cognitively demanding even though it may not feel intense during the session. Plan for a low-key evening after your first few sessions — avoid major decisions or stimulating environments. The brain continues processing for several hours afterward.

Is telehealth ART as effective as in-person?

Yes, with the right setup. You’ll need a laptop or desktop screen — phone screens are too small for the bilateral stimulation to work correctly. A stable internet connection and a quiet private space are all that’s required.

Ready to work on something specific?

ART sessions are 90 minutes and priced as extended sessions. Most clients target one or two specific events. If you’re not sure whether ART is the right approach, the free 15-minute consultation is a good place to start.

ART — focused trauma session

$199

90-minute extended session · Credit, debit & HSA/FSA accepted