Accelerated Resolution Therapy in Flagstaff, AZ
Online Throughout Arizona and Texas
What if relief didn’t have to take years?
Change how the memory feels, not just how you think about it
Most people who come to therapy have already spent a lot of time thinking about their painful experiences. You spend time analyzing them, talking about them, and trying to make sense of them, but thinking about something differently isn’t the same as feeling something differently in your body.
Instead of processing memories through conversation, ART uses bilateral stimulation to help your brain rapidly result the emotional charge attached to painful experiences. The memory doesn’t disappear, but the way it feels when you access it changes. What was once raw, vivid, and activating becomes more neutral and distant. It feels more like something that happened rather than something that is still happening.
What is Accelerated Resolution Therapy?
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is an evidence-based therapy developed by Laney Rosenweig in 2008. It combines elements of existing therapies with a unique set of bilateral stimulation protocols designed to rapidly process and resolve distressing memories and experiences.
What makes ART distinct is its speed and its approach to memory reconsolidating. Rather than requiring detailed verbal processing of traumatic content, ART works directly with the images, sensations, and emotional responses stored in the nervous system, often producing significant relief in just one to five sessions.
What Makes Accelerated Resolution Therapy Different?
ART doesn’t require you to verbally narrate what happened. You hold the experience in mind while we work, but you’re never required to describe it out loud in detail. Many clients find this a significant relief, especially for experiences that feel too painful or shameful to put into words.
1. You don’t have to talk through the details.
ART is designed for efficiency. While complex or layered trauma may require more sessions, many clients experience relief from a specific memory or experience in just one to five sessions. This makes it particularly useful as a standalone treatment for discrete traumatic experiences, or as a complement to longer term therapy.
2. It works fast.
Traditional talk therapy can help you develop a different perspective on a painful experience. ART goes further, changing the emotional and sensory charge of the memory itself. Clients often describe feeling like a weight has been lifted, or like the memory has finally been filed away rather than sitting at the surface.
3. It changes how the memory feels, not just how you think about it.
My Training in Accelerated Resolution Therapy
I’m trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy and often use it alongside EMDR, depending on what a client is working through and what pace is right for them. ART is a great fit for clients who want fast, focused relief on a specific memory or experience without necessarily committing to a longer course of trauma processing. It also works well as a complement to deeper work in other modalities. I bring the same care and pacing to ART that I do every approach I use: you’ll never be pushed faster than you’re ready to go, even in a modality built for speed.
A Note for Flagstaff Residents:
Flagstaff will always be a special place to me. I have a deep appreciation for this community. ART is one of the lesser known trauma modalities, which means finding someone trained and experienced in ART in a smaller market like Flagstaff can be genuinely difficult.
For clients who want fast, focused relief from a specific memory or experience without having to narrate every detail, ART can be a remarkably effective option. Online therapy means Flagstaff residents have access to this specialized approach without having to travel or compromise.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Both ART and EMDR use bilateral stimulation to process traumatic memories, and both are effective for trauma. The main differences are in protocol and pace. ART tends to be faster and more structured, with a specific focus on imagery and memory reconsolidation. EMDR is more flexible and particularly well suited for complex or developmental trauma that benefits from a longer, more layered approach. In my practice I use both depending on what you’re working on and what your nervous system responds to best.
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No, and this is one of the things people appreciate most about ART. You hold the experience in mind during processing but you’re never required to narrate it out loud. The work happens at the level of image, sensation, and emotional response.
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It depends on what you’re working on. A specific event or memory can often be resolved in one to five sessions. More complex trauma with multiple layers typically takes longer. We will talk about realistic expectations before we begin.
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Absolutely; ART works really well as a complement to ongoing therapy. It can be used to target specific memories or experiences while other approaches address the broader patterns and underlying wounds.
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Yes, we can engage in bilateral stimulation remotely through eye movements, buzzers, or tapping. We will make sure you are set up with the mode that works best for you, in a private space with reliable internet connection.
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We start by identifying the specific memory or experience you want to work on, along with the sensations, images, or emotions connected to it. From there, you’ll hold that experience in mind while we use bilateral stimulation, typically through guided eye movements. Throughout the process, I’ll check in with you regularly about what you’re noticing, and we work through the material until the emotional charge has shifted.
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No. You’re fully awake, alert, and in control throughout the entire process. Unlike hypnosis, you’re not in a trance or an altered state. You’re consciously aware of what’s happening and actively participating the whole time. The bilateral stimulation is what helps your brain reprocess the memory, not any kind of suggestion or altered consciousness.
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ART is an evidence-based therapy with a growing body of research supporting its effectiveness for PTSD, anxiety, depression, and grief. It was developed by licensed therapist Laney Rosenzweig in 2008 and has since been studied in clinical trials and adopted by practitioners across the country including VA hospitals and treatment facilities. If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone. It’s simply less well known than EMDR despite being well supported by research.
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ART was specifically designed for people who find verbal processing difficult, whether because the experience feels too overwhelming, too shameful, or simply too hard to put into words. You hold the experience in mind internally while we work, but you’re never required to describe it out loud. For many clients this makes the difference between being able to do the work and not.
Some things don’t need years of weekly therapy to shift.
*If you’re in Flagstaff or Northern Arizona and have been looking for a faster, more targeted approach to trauma relief, ART might be what you’ve been searching for. This work is available to you, wherever you are in Arizona.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy in Flagstaff, Arizona
Serving Flagstaff and all of Arizona via secure telehealth