Trauma is the emotional and psychological response to distressing events that overwhelm an individual's ability to cope.  Whether it stems form a single incident or ongoing experiences, trauma can affect every aspect of a person's life, including their mental, emotional, and physical well-being.  Trauma can manifest through anxiety, depression, difficulty trusting others, and a feeling of being "stuck" in past painful events.

However, it is important to know that healing is possible.  Therapeutic approaches such as Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) can help reprocess traumatic memories, offering relief and allowing individuals to move forward with a renewed sense of peace and control.

At Oakridge Counseling Center, we provide compassionate, evidence-based trauma therapy using the Accelerated Resolution Therapy modality, tailored to your unique experiences, helping you regain balance and reclaim your life from trauma.

What is Accelerated Resolution Therapy?

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a type of psychotherapy that is designed to help individuals quickly process and resolve traumatic memories and other distressing experiences.  It combines elements of traditional therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), with a focus on using eye movements to help reprocess memories.  According to the Rosenzweig Center for Rapid Recovery, "ART works directly in a way that reprograms the way in which distressing memories and images are stored in the brain so that they no longer trigger strong physical and emotional reactions".

Key points about ART include:

1. Rapid Relief- ART often provides significant relief from trauma, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues with a few 1-2 sessions.

2. Eye Movement- Similar to EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), ART uses guided eye movements to help the brain process distressing memories in a way that reduces their emotional charge

3. Voluntary Reprocessing- ART allows individuals to "rewrite" or reframe painful memories, helping them to reduce the negative feelings, sensations, symptoms and images associated with those experiences.

This therapy is non-invasive, and many people find it to be a fast and effective method for overcoming trauma, phobias, chronic pain, anxiety and depression.

How is ART different from EMDR?

1. Structure and Time Frame

     ART- Therapy is typically completed within 1-2 sessions.  ART sessions are highly structured, focused on specific issues and experiences and aim for rapid resolution.  The process is often much quicker than EMDR

     EMDR- While effective, EMDR can take more time, often requiring more sessions to fully process traumatic memories.  The therapy follow an 8-phase treatment plan that is more gradual.

2. Focus on Imagery Rescripting

     ART- One of ART's distinguishing features is the use of imagery rescripting, where clients are guided to "replace" negative or distressing images with more positive, comforting ones.  This can help individuals feel a sense of control and relief from their traumatic memories.  It is important to note that individuals will keep the memory in the factual part of their brain but will lose the negative sensations, symptoms and images associated with the memory.

     EMDR- While EMDR also uses eye movements to process trauma, it doesn't focus as much on replacing or "rewriting" distressing images.  Instead, it emphasizes desensitizing the emotional charge of traumatic memories.

3. Level of Verbal Disclosure

     ART- ART allows clients the option to process traumatic memories without having to talk about the details of their experiences.  This can make it a good option for individuals who find discussing their trauma too painful or difficult.  

     EMDR- Clients in EMDR typically describe their traumatic memories during the sessions as part of the processing, although this is done ina safe, therapeutic context.

4. Theoretical Basis

     ART- ART is relatively newer and integrates elements from several established therapeutic techniques, including CBT and exposure therapy, but focuses primarily on visual processing narrative restructuring.

     EMDR- EMDR has a more formalized 8-phase process and is rooted in the adaptive information processing (AIP) model, which theorizes that distressing memories are "stuck" in the brain and need to be reprocessed.

5. Emotional Distance

     ART- ART often allows the client to create emotional distance from the traumatic event more quickly due to its focus on rapidly replacing distressing images with positive ones.

     EMDR- EMDR focuses on reliving and fully processing traumatic memories to resolve them over time, which can feel more emotionally intense.

In summary, while both ART and EMDR are highly effective therapies for trauma and related conditions, ART is generally faster, more structured, and less reliant on verbal sharing, whereas EMDR tends to take a more gradual approach and emphasizes fully processing the memory rather than altering its imagery.