Our Modalities
Accelerated Resolution Therapy
Accelerated Resolution Therapy
An evidence-based, rapid eye-movement therapy that achieves results quickly, with gains shown to hold for at least four months, delivered here as a focused, immersive retreat instead of a weekly hour.
ART uses guided eye movements to reprogram the distressing images at the center of a painful memory, reducing the emotional and physical charge attached to it. The result is rapid relief, often in far fewer sessions than traditional talk therapy.
What it is
Rapid relief that sounds too good to be true
Accelerated Resolution Therapy is an evidence-based, rapid eye-movement therapy used for anxiety, trauma, depression, PTSD, sleep problems, low self-esteem, and many other issues. Research has shown that it achieves rapid results and that the gains clients make are maintained for at least four months after treatment ends.
Though its structure and protocols are its own, ART is aligned with other trauma-focused therapies like EMDR, sharing core components such as memory reconsolidation and smooth-pursuit eye movements. It works directly on how a negative image connects to the emotions and physical reactions tied to it, reprogramming distressing memories through visual imagery rather than asking you to talk through every painful detail.
A note on terminology: ART stands for Accelerated Resolution Therapy, a clinical eye-movement protocol developed by Laney Rosenzweig. It is not visual art therapy, expressive arts therapy, or creative arts therapy. ART uses guided eye movements and voluntary image replacement techniques, not drawing, painting, or other creative media.
- Rapid results, often in as few as one to three sessions
- You stay in complete control of the process
- No need to share every detail of the memory
- Gains maintained for at least four months
The most difficult aspect of discussing ART is the fact that it sounds too good to be true.
The memory stays. The charge it once carried does not.
ART in practice
How an ART session unfolds
ART is a manualized protocol: your therapist follows a step-by-step procedure while you stay in complete control of which memories you recall and the new images you create. In an intensive, far more of this work happens in a day than a weekly hour could ever allow.
- 01
Initial consultation
Your therapist begins by discussing your goals and expectations, addressing any concerns or questions, and establishing a comfortable, trusting relationship before any processing begins.
- 02
Identify the target scene
Together you identify the specific issue or traumatic experience to address. For an isolated incident, that is the recalled scene. For ongoing or complex trauma, your therapist helps you find a scene that represents each theme.
- 03
Rate the distress
You gauge the intensity of feeling in the present moment as you think about the scene. If you prefer to keep the details private, you can indicate your level of distress without sharing the scene itself.
- 04
Smooth-pursuit eye movements
You follow the therapist's hand as it moves side to side across your field of vision, noticing the feelings and sensations in your body. These eye movements reduce the charge of the memory to a manageable level so you can move forward.
- 05
The Director's Cut
Once you have completed the scene, you imagine it again and change any distressing images or sensations. In ART this is called the Director's Cut. You keep all the facts of the memory, but the positive images and sensations now come forward instead of the original distress.
- 06
Closure and reinforcement
Your therapist may offer practices or resources to reinforce the gains made in session, helping the new, peaceful version of the memory settle and your progress continue between sessions.
The theory
What ART does in the brain
Accelerated Resolution Therapy was developed in 2008 by Laney Rosenzweig, LMFT. While using a range of modalities, including EMDR, she recognized the value of rapid eye movements but felt the need to modify how they were used and integrate them with additional techniques in a more effective way.
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The window
Memory reconsolidation
When we recall an emotional memory, the brain makes it briefly malleable, a natural process called reconsolidation. Research shows a memory stays malleable for about six hours, and within that window a client can replace old troubling images with new, peaceful ones.
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The technique
Smooth-pursuit eye movements
Moving the eyes smoothly and rapidly side to side, the way they track as we walk through nature, is shown to relax the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for fear and anxiety. The therapist guides the movements while the head stays still.
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The theory
The REM hypothesis
There is no definitive proof of why eye movements work beyond their calming effect, but one common theory is that smooth-pursuit eye movements mimic REM sleep, the phase in which we consolidate memories and strip away the emotional charge of the day.
When these eye movements happen during the window of malleability and are paired with replacing negative images with peaceful ones, they change our relationship to experiences we once labeled traumatic. We can recall the memory without being emotionally triggered, extract its lessons, and arrive at post-traumatic growth.
When the surface stills, the past stops pulling at the present.
Why an intensive
Years of progress in a focused span of days
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Rapid relief
One of ART's most compelling advantages is speed. Many people experience significant improvement in their symptoms in as few as one to three sessions, and an intensive concentrates that work rather than spreading it across weeks.
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Less reactive memories
By processing and integrating distressing memories, ART reduces the intensity of the emotional reactions tied to them, so recalling the past no longer brings the surge of feeling that once came with it.
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Knock-on physical health
Lower stress and anxiety often carry into the body, with benefits like better sleep and improved digestion as the emotional charge of trauma eases.
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A greater sense of control
ART empowers you to take charge of your own healing. That sense of control can be transformative, building resilience and confidence on the path to lasting recovery.
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Lasting gains
The new images and the positive feelings attached to them stay with the memory for at least four months after treatment, with some studies finding they remain a year later.
Formats we offer
- Half-day
Three to four hours, focused on a single issue or goal. A strong starting point.
- Full-day
Six to eight hours to immerse fully and make significant progress in a single day.
- Multi-day
Several days for complex trauma, with room for comprehensive, sustained work.
- Virtual
Conducted online for those who prefer to work from home or cannot travel.
Is it right for you?
An ART intensive may be a good fit if you
ART is rapid, structured, and does not require recounting every detail. It tends to suit people who:
- Want rapid relief from distress rather than months of weekly sessions
- Prefer not to recount every detail of what happened
- Are living with PTSD, anxiety, depression, or grief
- Want to stay in complete control of the process and the images you create
- Are ready to commit to focused work and face difficult feelings with support
Other modalities
Therapies we may combine with ART
- EMDR Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing ART's closest kin, EMDR uses guided eye movements to release the fight, flight, or freeze response locked around a traumatic memory. Learn more
- IFS Internal Family Systems A respected approach that helps you identify and heal the different parts within you. Learn more
Ready to talk it through?
Speak to a therapist about whether an ART intensive is right for you. No pressure, just a conversation about what you are facing and how we can help.