Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
Nanaimo • Squamish • Online Counselling
Individual & Couples Counselling | Workshops & Intensives
ART at a Glance
Best For:
PTSD, Specific Phobias, Depression, Addiction Triggers, & Grief
Key Benefit:
Rapidly replaces distressing images with calm ones ("Rescripting") without verbal retelling
Session Length:
80 Minutes
Evidence Base:
Evidence-based somatic psychotherapy
Location:
Nanaimo (In-Person) & Online (BC + CAN)
What is Accelerated Resolution Therapy?
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a rapid-eye-movement therapy designed to reduce the emotional impact of traumatic memories through voluntary image replacement.
When painful memories remain unprocessed, they are stored in the brain with all the original sights, sounds, and physical sensations intact. This can trigger anxiety, avoidance, or flooding long after the event has passed.
ART uses rapid eye movements to help the brain update how these memories are stored. It separates the memory from the painful emotional reaction, allowing your nervous system to respond with calm, clarity, and control in the present.
Is ART Right for You?
ART is often used when insight alone hasn’t been enough to create relief. It is effective for:
- Trauma & PTSD: Processing specific flashbacks or distressing events.
- Anxiety & Phobias: Reducing fear of flying, driving, public speaking, or general panic.
- Addiction Triggers: Interrupting the cues that drive cravings and relapse.
- Depression: unsticking low mood connected to past experiences.
- Complex Trauma: Reprocessing early, complex, relational trauma.
The "Rescripting" Difference
Heal without the heavy lifting.
Unlike talk therapy, where you explain the story, or standard EMDR, ART focuses on Voluntary Image Replacement:
1.
You Keep the Knowledge
You don’t lose the memory of what happened.
2.
You Lose the Pain
You change the images and sensations associated with it.
3.
No Talking Required:
You do not need to describe the events out loud. The work happens internally, making this a preferred choice for those who find verbalizing their trauma too overwhelming.
The ART Roadmap: What Happens in a Session?
ART sessions are highly structured, contained, and directive. You remain fully awake (this is not hypnotherapy) and in control of the process; you are the director of the scene.
Step 1: Target Selection
We identify the specific memory or physical sensation causing distress.
Step 2: Desensitization
We use rapid eye movements to lower the emotional intensity of that scene.
Step 3: Rescripting
You imagine a positive or neutral resolution to the memory, overwriting the distressing images with calm ones.
Step 4: Body Scan
We check to ensure all physical sensations related to the memory are worked through.
Step 5: Closure:
We ensure you leave the session feeling grounded through specific grounding techniques.
Meet Our Trauma Therapist Team
FOUNDER / THERAPIST
- Locations: Nanaimo, Online
- Specialities: Enmeshment Recovery, Sex/Porn Addiction, Process Addictions, PTSD, Complex PTSD, Mood Disorders
ADDICTION & TRAUMA THERAPIST
- Locations: Nanaimo, Online
- Specialties: Substance Addiction, Sex/Porn Addiction, PTSD
FAQs: Accelerated Resolution Therapy
Both utilize eye movements, but they work differently. EMDR relies on free association (letting the mind go where it needs to). ART is more directive and procedural, focusing specifically on replacing negative images with positive ones (rescripting). Many clients find ART to be faster and more contained for single-event traumas.
| Feature | EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) | ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy) |
| Technique | Free Association: The mind goes where it needs to go. | Directive: The therapist guides specific image changes. |
| Focus | Desensitizing the emotional charge. | Rescripting: Replacing negative images with positive ones. |
| Speed | Variable (can take months for complex trauma). | Rapid (often provides relief in 1–5 sessions). |
| Structure | Phased and open. | Highly procedural and contained. |
No. You remain fully awake, aware, and in control throughout the session. ART is not about being under a spell; it is an active therapy where you use your own imagination to heal.
Correct. While you must hold the memory in your mind during the eye movements, you do not need to describe the details to your therapist. This offers a level of privacy and safety that many clients appreciate.
ART is designed for speed. Many clients experience significant relief from a specific memory in just 1 to 5 sessions, though complex trauma histories may require a longer treatment plan.
Ready to Find Relief?
You do not have to carry the weight of the past forever.
Stone Reef Psychotherapy offers in-person ART sessions in Nanaimo and online options for clients across Canada.
