Mental health treatment is a slow and steady process. One day, it seems your teen is progressing, while sometimes it feels like they are regressing. This can be heartbreaking for any parent. Teens with post-traumatic stress disorder tend to have trouble getting over their mental health challenges. Trauma is a complex emotional response to distressing events. As such, it can be hard to treat. Teen Accelerated Resolution Therapy is a relatively new psychotherapy approach. It helps teens replace negative thoughts with more positive ones. This can be beneficial for treating PTSD. From its name, it accelerates the pace of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions.
At NexStep Teen Academy, our aim is to help parents, caregivers, and teens understand accelerated resolution therapy. This article will explore how the treatment works and its benefits. Additionally, it will highlight the mental health conditions that can be treated using accelerated resolution therapy (ART).
What is Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
ART is a psychotherapy approach that uses visualization and rapid eye movements to help treat trauma. It accelerates trauma treatment by assisting teens to replace negative images of their trauma with positive ones. This approach reduces treatment time significantly. Typical trauma treatment may take months or years. With ART, your teen may overcome symptoms of trauma in one to five sessions.
History of ART
ART was developed in 2008 by Laney Rosenzweig. It combines aspects of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Research on the effectiveness of ART is still ongoing, but it has shown promise in treating trauma-related conditions like PTSD.
How ART Works
ART uses eye movements to help teens reprocess their trauma. During a therapy session, your teen will be directed to visualize a traumatic event. The ART practitioner will then move an object from side to side as your teen continues to describe their traumatic event. Your teen’s eye movements allow the brain to reprocess the traumatic event and store the memory appropriately. Traumatic events are usually stored in the amygdala, the part of the brain that controls emotions. ART allows the brain to transfer traumatic memories to the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for long-term memory.
After describing the traumatic event, your teen will narrate what they wish happened in the situation. This is done while the therapist encourages bilateral eye movement using their hand or a torch. The visualization of more positive memories replaces the negative memories, which helps teens overcome symptoms of PTSD.
How Long Does ART Last?
Treatment using ART can last between one and five sessions. There have been studies conducted about the efficacy of ART for PTSD. According to research, teens with PTSD benefit from one to five-hour-long treatment sessions. On average, most PTSD symptoms improved after around four sessions.
What Does ART Treat?
While ART is typically used to help treat PTSD, it can be used to treat the following mental health conditions:
Depression
Anxiety
Substance use disorders
Research on The Efficacy of ART
ART research is still ongoing. However, one notable example involving a control group was conducted by the University of South Florida. The study was conducted on active military personnel and veterans with PTSD. According to the study, ART showed impressive response rates at 61% and a 94% completion rate. These results are higher than traditional PTSD treatment, which has low response and completion rates at 49% and 70%, respectively. The research also demonstrated that, on average, patients require 3.7 sessions to improve their PTSD symptoms.
How Does ART Help Teens?
ART can help teens in numerous ways. These include the following:
Emotional and Psychological Benefits
ART helps reduce symptoms of PTSD. PTSD can have debilitating symptoms like night terrors, flashbacks, and panic attacks. ART allows the brain to reprocess negative emotions and improves symptoms of PTSD.
Additionally, ART helps teens learn emotional regulation techniques. It does this by combining psychodynamic, EMDR, and CBT approaches. CBT helps teens regulate their emotions by finding healthy outlets for negative feelings. By combining these approaches, ART equips teens with emotional regulation techniques to help them cope with triggering events.
Cognitive and Behavioral Benefits
ART strengthens emotional resilience. Narration of traumatic events can help your teen tolerate the negative emotions that arise during treatment. By becoming emotionally resilient, your teen’s behavior will become more positive. Treatment reduces the likelihood of panic attacks and flashbacks.
Physical and Neurological Effects
ART can help your teen by improving their memory processing. Trauma affects the brain’s normal functions. ART helps to transfer incorrectly stored memories to their rightful place. This improves brain function and allows teens to store memories appropriately.
Advantages of ART
ART has specific benefits. These include the following:
Efficiency: ART is one of the most efficient PTSD treatments. While traditional therapy may take months or years, ART may take less than eight sessions. Each session takes about 50 to 70 minutes. After two weeks, your teen’s PTSD symptoms will have improved.
Directive and interactive: ART uses directive techniques to guide your teen to perform certain tasks. For example, your teen will be directed to visualize traumatic experiences and replace them with positive memories. ART also uses interactive techniques to ensure its outcomes are client-driven.
Memory replacement: Like CBT, ART encourages teens to replace negative memories with positive ones. This method of image rescripting improves symptoms of PTSD as the brain stores these memories appropriately.
What to Expect in an ART Session
ART is a methodological treatment that follows a step-by-step process. These include the following:
Initial Assessment and Orientation
When you first bring your teen for treatment, they will undergo an initial assessment. This usually involves completing a questionnaire followed by an interview. These processes aim to collect as much information as possible. Your teen will be asked to identify specific traumatic events that they would like to address during treatment. Teens with complex trauma have faced multiple, long-term traumatic events. These include child abuse, domestic violence, and assault. These traumatic events will be addressed individually during therapy sessions.
During orientation, your teen will also be introduced to the treatment process. They need to get used to following the therapist’s hand movements. Additionally, orientation helps break the ice and make your teen comfortable to share their experiences.
Active Sessions Involving Desensitization and Imagery Rescripting
During therapy, your teen will be directed to visualize traumatic situations while they follow the therapist’s hand movements. While narrating their experiences, your teen will also focus on the emotional and physical sensations they experience. Following the therapist’s hand movements helps diminish negative sensations.
During these sessions, your teen will be directed to visualize the traumatic event differently. They will imagine the whole scenario using new images to replace negative memories. Using bilateral eye movements, your teen can modify and replace traumatic memories with new versions.
Closeout and Post-Session Reflection
At the end of each session, your teen will reflect on how they feel after treatment. They will check whether their traumatic memories still adversely affect them. They will also check whether they can seamlessly shift from traumatic memories to the rescripted version of the memory.
Treatment at NexStep Teen Academy
If you are considering seeking professional help for your teen, NexStep Teen Academy is the perfect place. NexStep Teen Academy is a premier mental health facility in Arizona. We offer high-quality outpatient treatment for teens aged 12 to 17. NexStep’s highly qualified staff ensures your teen receives high-quality treatment at an affordable price. We utilize various treatment approaches to help teens with mental health issues. Our comprehensive approach enables us to use evidence-based and holistic therapies to ensure thorough treatment. If you need more information, contact NexStep Teen Academy today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How is ART different from EMDR and traditional therapy?
ART and EMDR share many elements. However, ART uses a directive approach to help teens with PTSD. This means that teens are directed to perform certain actions. On the other hand, EMDR uses open-ended guidance. EMDR also revisits traumatic memories to desensitize the brain, while ERT focuses on imagery rescripting.
Is ART safe for teenagers?
Yes, ART is safe for teenagers. It is suitable for patients of all ages.
Does ART require teens to talk about their trauma?
ART does not require teens to talk about their trauma. It encourages visualization and narration rather than in-depth discussion about traumatic events.
What is Teen Accelerated Resolution Therapy?
Table of Contents
Mental health treatment is a slow and steady process. One day, it seems your teen is progressing, while sometimes it feels like they are regressing. This can be heartbreaking for any parent. Teens with post-traumatic stress disorder tend to have trouble getting over their mental health challenges. Trauma is a complex emotional response to distressing events. As such, it can be hard to treat. Teen Accelerated Resolution Therapy is a relatively new psychotherapy approach. It helps teens replace negative thoughts with more positive ones. This can be beneficial for treating PTSD. From its name, it accelerates the pace of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions.
At NexStep Teen Academy, our aim is to help parents, caregivers, and teens understand accelerated resolution therapy. This article will explore how the treatment works and its benefits. Additionally, it will highlight the mental health conditions that can be treated using accelerated resolution therapy (ART).
What is Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
ART is a psychotherapy approach that uses visualization and rapid eye movements to help treat trauma. It accelerates trauma treatment by assisting teens to replace negative images of their trauma with positive ones. This approach reduces treatment time significantly. Typical trauma treatment may take months or years. With ART, your teen may overcome symptoms of trauma in one to five sessions.
History of ART
ART was developed in 2008 by Laney Rosenzweig. It combines aspects of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Research on the effectiveness of ART is still ongoing, but it has shown promise in treating trauma-related conditions like PTSD.
How ART Works
ART uses eye movements to help teens reprocess their trauma. During a therapy session, your teen will be directed to visualize a traumatic event. The ART practitioner will then move an object from side to side as your teen continues to describe their traumatic event. Your teen’s eye movements allow the brain to reprocess the traumatic event and store the memory appropriately. Traumatic events are usually stored in the amygdala, the part of the brain that controls emotions. ART allows the brain to transfer traumatic memories to the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for long-term memory.
After describing the traumatic event, your teen will narrate what they wish happened in the situation. This is done while the therapist encourages bilateral eye movement using their hand or a torch. The visualization of more positive memories replaces the negative memories, which helps teens overcome symptoms of PTSD.
How Long Does ART Last?
Treatment using ART can last between one and five sessions. There have been studies conducted about the efficacy of ART for PTSD. According to research, teens with PTSD benefit from one to five-hour-long treatment sessions. On average, most PTSD symptoms improved after around four sessions.
What Does ART Treat?
While ART is typically used to help treat PTSD, it can be used to treat the following mental health conditions:
Research on The Efficacy of ART
ART research is still ongoing. However, one notable example involving a control group was conducted by the University of South Florida. The study was conducted on active military personnel and veterans with PTSD. According to the study, ART showed impressive response rates at 61% and a 94% completion rate. These results are higher than traditional PTSD treatment, which has low response and completion rates at 49% and 70%, respectively. The research also demonstrated that, on average, patients require 3.7 sessions to improve their PTSD symptoms.
How Does ART Help Teens?
ART can help teens in numerous ways. These include the following:
Emotional and Psychological Benefits
ART helps reduce symptoms of PTSD. PTSD can have debilitating symptoms like night terrors, flashbacks, and panic attacks. ART allows the brain to reprocess negative emotions and improves symptoms of PTSD.
Additionally, ART helps teens learn emotional regulation techniques. It does this by combining psychodynamic, EMDR, and CBT approaches. CBT helps teens regulate their emotions by finding healthy outlets for negative feelings. By combining these approaches, ART equips teens with emotional regulation techniques to help them cope with triggering events.
Cognitive and Behavioral Benefits
ART strengthens emotional resilience. Narration of traumatic events can help your teen tolerate the negative emotions that arise during treatment. By becoming emotionally resilient, your teen’s behavior will become more positive. Treatment reduces the likelihood of panic attacks and flashbacks.
Physical and Neurological Effects
ART can help your teen by improving their memory processing. Trauma affects the brain’s normal functions. ART helps to transfer incorrectly stored memories to their rightful place. This improves brain function and allows teens to store memories appropriately.
Advantages of ART
ART has specific benefits. These include the following:
What to Expect in an ART Session
ART is a methodological treatment that follows a step-by-step process. These include the following:
Initial Assessment and Orientation
When you first bring your teen for treatment, they will undergo an initial assessment. This usually involves completing a questionnaire followed by an interview. These processes aim to collect as much information as possible. Your teen will be asked to identify specific traumatic events that they would like to address during treatment. Teens with complex trauma have faced multiple, long-term traumatic events. These include child abuse, domestic violence, and assault. These traumatic events will be addressed individually during therapy sessions.
During orientation, your teen will also be introduced to the treatment process. They need to get used to following the therapist’s hand movements. Additionally, orientation helps break the ice and make your teen comfortable to share their experiences.
Active Sessions Involving Desensitization and Imagery Rescripting
During therapy, your teen will be directed to visualize traumatic situations while they follow the therapist’s hand movements. While narrating their experiences, your teen will also focus on the emotional and physical sensations they experience. Following the therapist’s hand movements helps diminish negative sensations.
During these sessions, your teen will be directed to visualize the traumatic event differently. They will imagine the whole scenario using new images to replace negative memories. Using bilateral eye movements, your teen can modify and replace traumatic memories with new versions.
Closeout and Post-Session Reflection
At the end of each session, your teen will reflect on how they feel after treatment. They will check whether their traumatic memories still adversely affect them. They will also check whether they can seamlessly shift from traumatic memories to the rescripted version of the memory.
Treatment at NexStep Teen Academy
If you are considering seeking professional help for your teen, NexStep Teen Academy is the perfect place. NexStep Teen Academy is a premier mental health facility in Arizona. We offer high-quality outpatient treatment for teens aged 12 to 17. NexStep’s highly qualified staff ensures your teen receives high-quality treatment at an affordable price. We utilize various treatment approaches to help teens with mental health issues. Our comprehensive approach enables us to use evidence-based and holistic therapies to ensure thorough treatment. If you need more information, contact NexStep Teen Academy today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
ART and EMDR share many elements. However, ART uses a directive approach to help teens with PTSD. This means that teens are directed to perform certain actions. On the other hand, EMDR uses open-ended guidance. EMDR also revisits traumatic memories to desensitize the brain, while ERT focuses on imagery rescripting.
Yes, ART is safe for teenagers. It is suitable for patients of all ages.
ART does not require teens to talk about their trauma. It encourages visualization and narration rather than in-depth discussion about traumatic events.