What to Expect from Accelerated Resolution Therapy (A.R.T.)
A.R.T. stands for Accelerated Resolution Therapy. It uses guided eye movements and visualization and is different from art therapy. Accelerated Resolution Therapy is a structured trauma therapy that uses guided eye movements and images you choose, so you do not have to tell the whole story out loud if you do not want to.
People often look into A.R.T. after learning about EMDR, or after talk therapy that felt like re-living a difficult experience.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. You can also call or text 988.
What A.R.T. actually is
Accelerated Resolution Therapy was developed as a brief, directive protocol. The therapist has you follow their hand (or a similar target) with your eyes while you hold a distressing image in mind. Sets of those side-to-side movements are paired with a step called voluntary image replacement: you keep the facts of what happened, and you change the picture your nervous system keeps serving up.
You stay in the room. You can stop. You do not have to narrate every detail for the work to proceed. That is the part a lot of people are looking for. Talking can still happen. It is not required as the main engine.
A.R.T. is often compared with EMDR because both use bilateral eye movements. They are not the same protocol. EMDR is also used on our team. If someone matches you, they should be able to say which they are trained in, and which they are actually using with you. “Trauma-informed” is not a substitute for that sentence.
What it can help with, without the sales pitch
Clinicians use A.R.T. with stuck images and body charge around trauma, PTSD symptoms, anxiety, panic, grief, phobias, and other memories that still feel like now. It is not a personality makeover, and it is not a fit for every person or every problem.
A useful test is not “do I have a capital-T trauma.” It is whether a scene, sensation, or loop still runs the day, and whether you want a more structured hour than open-ended talking. If anxiety is the main weather, you may also want our anxiety therapy page. Adult work in general is on adult therapy.
Session needs vary. Your therapist should review progress with you instead of leaving you in an open-ended plan you do not understand.
What a session is like
The hour is more guided than a typical check-in. You pick a target: a memory, a still frame, a body feeling. You follow the eye movements. The therapist checks how hot the image still is. Then you work on replacing the picture with one you choose, not one they assign.
You should not be asked to recount every detail for the protocol to work. If at any point it is too much, you can say so. The goal is to stay within a pace you can tolerate.
At Generational Wellness, A.R.T. is offered in person only, at our Temecula and San Marcos offices. Treatment begins with a separate intake appointment, followed by your first A.R.T. session. A.R.T. does not begin during the intake appointment. Ask at matching whether the clinician you would see is trained in A.R.T. and whether they see your age group. Not every therapist on the team offers it. Details are on our Accelerated Resolution Therapy page: https://www.generational-wellness.org/accelerated-resolution-therapy
How to ask for it here
In the consult, you can say you are looking for Accelerated Resolution Therapy (A.R.T.). Ask who is trained, who supervises them if they are an associate, and whether they think you are a fit.
Self-pay for A.R.T. is $145 per session. Generational Wellness also accepts Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Blue Shield of California for A.R.T., as listed on our Accelerated Resolution Therapy page. Most people can get a first appointment within about 48 hours when we have an opening that fits. See https://www.generational-wellness.org/accelerated-resolution-therapy for current details.
If you want to get started, get matched with a therapist or request a free consultation. You can say you need a trauma approach that does not require retelling every detail.
FAQ
Is this the same as art therapy?
No. A.R.T. stands for Accelerated Resolution Therapy. It is different from art therapy, which uses creative materials as the main tool.
Do I have to describe the trauma out loud?
Not as a requirement of the protocol. You can share what you want. The work is built so the picture can move without a full retelling.
Is it the same as EMDR?
No. Both may use eye movements. A.R.T. is its own structured protocol, including voluntary image replacement. Ask which one your matched therapist is trained in.
Can kids do A.R.T.?
Sometimes, with a clinician trained in it and a format that fits the child’s age. Younger kids often need play-based work first. Do not assume the playroom and A.R.T. are the same hour.
Will this erase the memory? The aim is that you can remember what happened without the same flood in your body. Facts stay. Reducing the emotional intensity is what the work is for.
