Eye Movement Therapy (Accelerated Resolution Therapy – ART)
MCS Counseling Center offers Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) with Steven Montesinos, LMHC, and Erin Reidy, LMHC.
Steven Montesinos, LMHC has completed ART training at the Basic, Advanced, and Enhanced levels. His training includes instruction directly from Laney Rosenzweig, LMFT, the founder and developer of Accelerated Resolution Therapy.
Erin Reidy, LMHC has completed ART Basic Training and offers ART as part of her clinical work with clients experiencing trauma and other distressing experiences.
Both Steven and Erin can provide ART within the scope of their respective training and clinical experience. Clients interested in ART may receive it as a focused intervention or as part of their ongoing therapy, depending on their individual needs and treatment goals.
For more information about Accelerated Resolution Therapy, please visit the official ART website.
For more information about ART, please visit the official site: acceleratedresolutiontherapy.com.
ART
Are you suffering from anxiety, panic, post-traumatic stress, phobia(s), grief, or other distressing experiences? Do you find it hard to feel sustained comfort and relief?
If so, you may benefit from Accelerated Resolution therapy (ART). ART is an evidence-based form of psychotherapy that utilizes back-and-forth eye movements and a technique called Voluntary Image/Memory Replacement to help individuals address and heal from psychological pain, discomfort, and trauma. It is not the same as Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR); however, both psychotherapies use eye movements. In experiencing ART, you may find that you connect pieces of information already stored in your memory to help resolve your issues. While focusing on a problem and concurrently using eye movements, the brain makes new connections with a person’s strengths and problem-solving abilities.
ART is a focused eye-movement therapy designed to help clients process distressing experiences and reduce associated emotional and physical responses. Research has shown promising results for concerns including post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, phobias, and grief. Individual experiences and treatment outcomes vary.
About the Technique
You will be in total control of the therapy. This is not hypnosis; you will speak with your counselor just as you would during a psychotherapy session that does not involve eye movements. Initially, your counselor will ask you to rate the intensity of the emotions related to your problem. They will sit across from you, slightly to your left or right, and have you follow their hand or another object with your eyes while you think about your problem issue. You will be asked to describe what you experience during the brief time you move your eyes, and your counselor will assist you in processing through physical and emotional sensations so that these sensations disappear and positive feelings become enhanced. Your counselor will guide you through the process of Voluntary Memory/Image Replacement, during which you will process out the old, traumatic images and restore your mental health by replacing them with more positive images. Although the new images are not actual memories, clients report that reprocessing the images feels like a new start for them. The original memory story remains while the images from the trauma are erased or replaced, which brings about emotional relief.
Length of Treatment
ART is designed as a relatively brief approach, and some clients report meaningful improvement within a small number of sessions. The number of sessions needed varies depending on the individual, the concerns being addressed, and treatment goals. ART may also be incorporated into longer-term therapy when appropriate.
The Research Behind ART
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is supported by a growing body of peer-reviewed research examining its use for trauma-related symptoms and other psychological concerns.
Research on ART has included randomized controlled trials and clinical studies involving individuals experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms, depression, anxiety, grief, and related distress. Studies have reported meaningful reductions in symptoms for many participants, often within a relatively brief course of treatment.
A 2024 systematic review examined the available research on ART for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults. Across the studies included in the review, participants experienced significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, with improvements also reported in depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and sleep difficulties. The researchers concluded that ART shows promise as a time-efficient treatment for PTSD while emphasizing that additional high-quality research is needed to continue building the evidence base.
ART has also been studied in randomized controlled trials. A study involving U.S. service members and veterans with combat-related PTSD found significantly greater reductions in PTSD, depression, anxiety, and trauma-related guilt among participants receiving ART compared with an attention-control condition. Another randomized clinical trial involving older adults experiencing complicated grief found significant improvements in grief, PTSD, and depression symptoms following ART.
As with any form of psychotherapy, individual experiences and outcomes vary. The number of ART sessions needed depends on the concerns being addressed, the individual client, and their treatment goals.
Selected ART Research
Storey, D. P., Marriott, E. C. S., & Rash, J. A. (2024). Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in adults: A systematic review. PLOS Mental Health, 1(4), e0000123.
Kip, K. E., Rosenzweig, L., Hernandez, D. F., et al. (2013). Randomized controlled trial of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) for symptoms of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Military Medicine, 178(12), 1298–1309.
Buck, H. G., Cairns, P., Emechebe, N., et al. (2020). Accelerated Resolution Therapy: Randomized controlled trial of a complicated grief intervention. American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine, 37(10), 791–799.
Meet the Founder of ART, Laney Rosenzweig
Hear from Laney Rosenzweig, LMFT, as she shares the benefits of ART.