If you have heard of both Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), you may be wondering whether they are the same thing or how they differ. I'll go over the similarities and highlight the differences between the two, and I will share my own experience of these therapies from a client POV, as I have worked through previous trauma in my own life with both therapies.
Similarities
Foundationally, there are similarities, as the creator of ART was an EMDR trained practitioner who discovered that, by changing some elements as well as taking a more directive approach, faster results that left clients feeling more positive could be achieved. When she shared her findings with the EMDR community, she was told that she could not call what she was doing EMDR and so off she went to create Accelerated Resolution Therapy.
Both therapies are evidence based practices for treating trauma, PTSD, addiction, depression, phobias and more.
Both therapies utilize bilateral eye movements that are thought to allow for activation of the parasympathetic nervous system or an effect of relaxation. This is the 'rest and digest' state which is the antithesis of our 'fight or flight' state activated by our sympathetic nervous system when we are alerted to danger. Other research has postulated that the eye movements facilitate memory processing as they activate the limbic system and prefrontal cortex of the brain. The actual function of the eye movements in the brain is not known with certainty, but both approaches use them and people are able to remember the trauma without having an emotional reaction and without feeling the sympathetic nervous system kick into action (feeling a physiological response) once the therapies are completed.
Neither approach is hypnosis and you do not lose your memory of the trauma.
Differences
Key differences are that ART can address a single trauma or difficult symptom in as little as one 60 minute session. ART typically takes one to five sessions per trauma whereas EMDR usually requires six to twelve sessions.
There is no requirement to discuss or give detailed information about the trauma. In fact, ART can be used without the therapist knowing any details about the trauma, if the client so desires.
ART includes the ability to create positive images and sensations in the body that can enable the client to discuss their trauma and all of the facts about it while actually feeling positive. It also includes the option to remove negative images and replace them with positive ones. This is referred to as 'Positization'. Some seasoned EMDR therapists may include similar steps near the end of treatment, but that is not always the case.
People who are familiar with both treatments, whether from a therapist or client viewpoint, often describe ART as EMDR on steroids.
My Experience
My own perspective from the couch, if you will, began while in grad school. I saw a wonderful psychologist who was very skilled and was trained in many modalities, EMDR being one of them. I wanted to experience things as a client as thoroughly as possible in order to later inform the treatment of my own clients. We embarked upon addressing a traumatic event in my past using EMDR. First, we spent a session talking about the details of the event which felt quite uncomfortable. Then we spent weeks doing EMDR which also felt difficult and drawn out. When we were done I could recall the trauma without feeling sadness or any negative emotions and could talk about it without becoming emotional which was not possible previously. Yes, I was very grateful and EMDR did work but also felt that it was an arduous process. That was in 2006.
Despite the effectiveness of this therapy, I decided not to train in EMDR because it felt like a long and difficult process for both the client and the therapist. Aside from it not feeling as I was engaged with the therapist during EMDR sessions, I felt I would be leaving my clients hanging or in distress between sessions.
In 2020, I opened my private practice and had good success in helping clients but felt I was falling short with those who had more complex cases of trauma and seemed to need what I thought of as a 'brain-based' technique rather than 'top-level' processing or simply talking through things and working to make changes to cognitions and behaviors. This led me to investigate what new treatments may have been discovered in the last decade or so. I felt there must be something.
My search led me to Brainspotting, Rapid Resolution Therapy and Accelerated Resolution Therapy. I researched all three and felt most confident in ART given the existing research I could find as well as positive endorsements from other local clinicians who had trained in ART.
Off I went to be trained in ART. During training, I was able to address a different trauma that I had experienced using this technique. In the span of one hour, a fellow trainee was able to take me from a state of guilt, shame and feelings of worthlessness to feeling positive, confident and like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders all without discussing the details of the trauma. I could no longer see negative images associated with the trauma while still being able to remember all of the facts and even remember them in a way that seemed more clear.
Ultimately, both therapies work but my experience with ART was far more favorable in process, outcome, and treatment time. It will come as no surprise; I was sold on ART and there has been no looking back. Since then, I have helped countless clients to free themselves of trauma and have just recently completed training to become a certified ART trainer. I welcome questions from clients and therapists alike about Accelerated Resolution Therapy so please feel free to reach out to learn more.
About the author
Dr. Dena (Annie) Dries is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with Perspectives in Balance, PLLC, serving families in Grapevine, Colleyville, Southlake, and the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area. Her practice is located at 2311 Mustang Dr, Suite 200, Grapevine, TX 76051.
For appointments, call (617) 957-9665.
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