At The DBT Center of Utah, we’re committed to offering evidence-based treatments that support healing and long-term change. While Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is at the core of our program, some of our clinicians are also trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), a powerful approach that helps individuals process distressing memories and emotions quickly and effectively.
How Do ART and DBT Fit Together?
DBT is divided into four main stages of treatment. Stage 1 focuses on learning and integrating DBT skills into daily life. These skills help increase distress tolerance, regulate emotions, improve relationships, and enhance mindfulness.
In Stage 2 of DBT, the focus shifts to addressing traumatic experiences that may be interfering with a life worth living. This is where ART can be particularly beneficial. ART is used to decrease PTSD symptoms, resolve unwanted or traumatic memories, and help individuals process past experiences in a way that reduces emotional distress.
How Does ART Work?
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) uses guided eye movements to help individuals process and reframe distressing experiences. This technique activates both hemispheres of the brain, allowing traumatic or distressing memories to be replaced with more positive images. After an ART session, the emotional and physical responses to these memories are often significantly reduced, sometimes even after a single session.
Key Aspects of ART:
- Rapid Relief: Many individuals experience significant relief in just one to a few sessions.
- Minimal Verbal Processing: You don’t have to talk extensively about your trauma unless you choose to.
- Image Replacement Technique: Distressing images and sensations are replaced with positive ones of your choosing, reducing emotional distress.
What Does an ART Session Look Like?
- Identifying the distressing memory: Your therapist will help you choose a specific memory to address.
- Processing with eye movements: Following your therapist’s hand movements, similar to REM sleep, helps reprocess distressing experiences.
- Replacing distressing images: ART helps you voluntarily replace negative images and sensations with more positive, empowering ones.
- Reducing emotional charge: By the end of the session, many clients find that while they still remember the event, it no longer holds the same emotional distress.
Is ART Right for Me?
ART has been found effective for a wide range of concerns, including:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Phobias
- Panic Attacks
- OCD
- PTSD
- Addiction & Substance Use
- Family and Relationship Issues
- Grief
- Job-Related Stress
- Pain Management
- Dyslexia-Related Anxiety
If you’re struggling with any of these challenges, ART may be a helpful addition to your treatment plan. To learn more or schedule a consultation, contact us today. We’re here to help you take the next step toward healing and emotional freedom.