When you’ve been through addiction, chances are you’ve also experienced trauma, loss, or deep emotional pain along the way. Healing your body is only one part of recovery. Healing your mind—the memories, triggers, and emotions that may have fueled your addiction in the first place—is just as important. That’s where Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) can make a meaningful difference.
ART is a form of psychotherapy that helps you process and resolve traumatic memories in a gentle but effective way. It’s similar to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in that it uses eye movements to reduce the emotional charge of difficult experiences. But ART takes things a step further by offering a more structured and often faster path to relief.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in old pain, haunted by the past, or overwhelmed by flashbacks, Accelerated Resolution Therapy may be the missing piece in your recovery journey.
What Is Accelerated Resolution Therapy?
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) was developed in 2008 by therapist Laney Rosenzweig. It combines elements of traditional talk therapy with rapid eye movement techniques to help your brain “reprogram” how distressing memories are stored.
You don’t have to relive your trauma in detail. You don’t have to explain every single thing that happened to you. ART focuses on how your brain holds onto emotional pain—and how to let that pain go in a way that feels safe and empowering.
During an ART session, your therapist will guide you through a series of side-to-side eye movements while you recall certain images or feelings. These movements are thought to mimic the natural way your brain processes information during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, helping to reorganize painful memories and reduce their emotional intensity.
The goal of ART is to leave the memory intact, but free from the distress that used to come with it.
What ART Can Help Treat
Accelerated Resolution Therapy has been used successfully to treat a variety of mental health conditions and trauma-related issues. ART is considered effective for:
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- Grief and loss
- Phobias
- Sleep issues
- Obsessive-compulsive symptoms
- Substance use disorders
- Childhood trauma and abuse
- Anger issues
- Pain management
How ART Works
Let’s say you’re working through a memory that always triggers intense shame or fear. In a typical ART session, your therapist will help you briefly visualize that memory while following their hand or another object with your eyes. As you go through the eye movements, your brain begins to reprocess the event.
You might be asked to “replace” the original image with something more positive or neutral—something that gives you a sense of closure, safety, or peace. This doesn’t mean you forget what happened. But it does mean your body and brain no longer react as if it’s happening all over again.
Many people report feeling lighter, calmer, and more in control after just a few sessions.
Why ART Is a Good Fit for Recovery
One of the most powerful aspects of ART is that it allows you to deal with emotional wounds without spending months in therapy revisiting every painful detail. That’s especially helpful in early recovery, when emotions can feel overwhelming and your energy is focused on staying sober.
Here’s why ART can be a good fit for your recovery journey:
- It’s fast. Some people feel relief in just a few sessions.
- It’s non-invasive. You don’t have to talk through your trauma unless you want to.
- It’s empowering. You remain in control of the process at all times.
- It reduces triggers. By calming the emotional charge of memories, ART can help reduce relapse triggers tied to trauma or stress.
Located in Monroe, Georgia, Twin Lakes Recovery Center understands how closely addiction is tied to emotional pain. That’s why we offer evidence-based treatments like ART to help you heal at every level—not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.
You Deserve to Heal
Recovery is about more than just abstaining from drugs or alcohol. It’s about giving yourself a new way of living, thinking, and relating to the world. And to do that, you need to clear the emotional roadblocks that are holding you back.
If trauma, anxiety, or past experiences are making your recovery feel harder than it needs to be, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to carry that pain with you forever.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy can help you move forward with more peace, more clarity, and more freedom from your past. You’ve already taken brave steps toward healing. Let ART be another tool in your journey toward lasting recovery.
To learn more, please reach out to the team at Twin Lakes Recovery Center. We’re here to walk beside you, support your growth, and help you explore the therapies that work best for you.
