What's All the Buzz About Accelerated Resolution Therapy?
Is Accelerated Resolution Therapy Different Than EMDR Treatments?
You may have heard of Accelerated Resolution Therapy. Yet, you may not know why a growing number of army hospitals are using it to treat PTSD. The answer is in the name itself.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy is accelerated, meaning you can find relief in as few as one to five sessions. As a result, many people who are living with PTSD are finding hope and healing. You, too, may be able to gain freedom from your trauma triggers.
In this article, we will define Accelerated Response Therapy. (ART) We will discuss who can benefit from ART, how it works, and why some therapists may choose another approach first.
What is Accelerated Resolution Therapy?
Through Accelerated Resolution Therapy, you'll remember a past traumatic event, then "create new images of the trauma." (pubmed.gov) ART uses rapid-eye movement to help the patient relax as they access the traumatic event. Likewise, ART is evidence-based, meaning it is supported by much scientific research.
It is gaining traction because it is efficient, effective, and economical. For example, Accelerated Resolution Therapy takes an average of only 3.7 sessions. (pubmed.gov)
Who Can Benefit from Accelerated Resolution Therapy?
People of all ages can benefit from Accelerated Resolution Therapy. Young children, teens, women, men, civilians, and soldiers can participate in ART. Likewise, it's proving to help people struggling with depression and PTSD.
Since ART doesn't require people to relive their traumatic event, it appeals to people who don't like to share their emotions. This is one of the reasons why it seems to work well in military hospitals.
There are a few basic skills you'll need to benefit from Accelerated Resolution Therapy. For example, you'll need to be able to track a therapist's hand with your eyes and concentrate. If you can do this, then you are likely to be able to try this approach to healing.
How Does Accelerated Resolution Therapy Work?
Research is still trying to pin down exactly why this new treatment works. However, many believe there is a connection with the eye movement in REM sleep.
REM is similar to Accelerated Resolution Therapy in that it involves rapid-eye-movement. Likewise, REM sleep is the phase of sleep when we have vivid dreams. REM may also help consolidate memories. (medicalnewstoday.com)
We now know when we access memories, they become far more malleable than previously recognized. Instead, they become like play-dough, which makes it possible to recreate them into something else.
ART enables patients to access their memories and stretch and reshape them. Several hours later, the memory reconsolidates and becomes, in effect, a new memory. (goodtherapy.org)
Why Haven't I Hear of Accelerated Resolution Therapy?
Lane Rozenwig developed Accelerated Resolution Therapy in 2008. Therefore, it's still a relatively new form of treatment.
Because of its newness, it's not a first-line therapy. In other words, it's not often the initial treatment for PTSD and trauma. Therapists may try other forms of treatment first because they have a longer track record. For example, prolonged exposure (PE) therapy or EMDR therapy may be the first approach to help you heal.
However, Accelerated Resolution Therapy is showing quicker results and may be more effective. As it continues to prove to be successful, more people will have access to it.
At Advanced Trauma Care and Recovery, we're helping our patients heal. Through the effective form of treatment, Accelerated Resolution Therapy, success can be yours. Please call us to see if ART can help you or your loved one heal. 
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