Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) at Healing Springs Ranch

What Is Accelerated Resolution Therapy?

At Healing Springs Ranch, our dedication to supporting and guiding clients in obtaining lasting healing is backed by our commitment to utilizing various comprehensive treatment approaches, including accelerated resolution therapy (ART). ART is an evidence-based form of psychotherapy that offers a unique approach to trauma treatment and mental health recovery. It combines positive elements of several therapeutic modalities such as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), psychodynamic therapy, gestalt therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and more to both enhance and accelerate the therapeutic process.

Understanding the Need for ART Therapy for Treating Trauma

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines trauma as any event or circumstance that results in physical, emotional, and/or life-threatening harm. It can occur as a one-time event or surface as a result of multiple events that occur over time. Further, SAMHSA notes that “[t]rauma is a common experience for adults and children” as it “has no boundaries regarding age, gender, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.” Said differently, most of us will inevitably be impacted by traumatic events throughout our lives.

Some examples of circumstances that can be considered traumatic and cause trauma include the following:

• Physical abuse, including violence and assault
• Loss of a job
• Divorce/break-up
• Verbal abuse
• Life-threatening injuries and chronic health conditions
• Spiritual abuse
• Bullying
• Addictions, including both substance addictions and process addictions
• Loss of a loved one
• Natural disasters

The Impact of Trauma on Mental and Emotional Well-Being

It is important to understand that while some people may define any of the aforementioned examples as traumatic, others may not, as these experiences have subjective effects on every person who experiences them. The impact of traumatic events on a person's overall well-being is extremely complex. Likewise, such impact depends on a wide range of factors, including how they are uniquely affected by the traumatic event, their access to social supports, their knowledge and implementation of healthy coping and life skills, and the responses of their community at large.

That said, some common initial reactions to traumatic events can include, but are not limited to:

• Confusion
• Sadness
• Anxiety
• Dissociation
• Physical arousal
• Numbness

While most of these immediate reactions to trauma will resolve with time, some individuals may experience long-term consequences across multiple domains of wellness. Specific emotional effects can include experiencing emotional extremes, such as hypervigilance or numbness, alongside mood swings and other forms of emotional dysregulation. Traumatic events can also provoke troublesome cognitions, such as cognitive errors, inappropriate guilt, and intrusive thoughts that can impair a person's overall quality of life and lead to the development of mental health disorders.

Some other ways that trauma can impact mental and emotional well-being include:

• Informing flashbacks and nightmares
• Perpetuating negative emotions
• Diminishing a sense of self-worth
• Triggering social withdrawal
• Informing avoidance behaviors
• Causing difficulties in relationships
• Impairing an individual's ability to experience joy or pleasure

The Relationship Between Trauma and Substance Abuse

Trauma is among the most well-known risk factors for mental and behavioral health disorders, as well as engagement in destructive behaviors in general. For many, the pain that surfaces from traumatic events can be too much to process or bear. In an attempt to cope, numb, or avoid this pain, some may turn to self-destructive behaviors like gambling, sex, alcohol and other drug abuse, and other forms of self-harm.

Indeed, the relationship between trauma and destructive behaviors like substance abuse is extremely complex. Yet, when we view substance abuse and other addictive behaviors as attempts to cope with present pains, we recognize that these behaviors serve an underlying function of protecting the individual from further harm. Thus, to overcome addictive behavior, we must identify the root cause of it and release any existing underlying pains to establish long-lasting sobriety and recovery.

Why Traditional Therapy Methods May Not Be Enough

Whether or not addictive behavior is present in an individual struggling with trauma, effective trauma treatment must be sensitive to the unique experiences and needs of each client. When treating trauma, traditional treatment methods may fall short for a few reasons, including limited opportunities to utilize an individualized treatment approach.

Further, most traditional treatments focus solely on the cognitive processing of traumatic events through talk therapy. This can lead to neglect in addressing the physiological effects of trauma in the body and the inherent role of trauma in impairing the mind-body connection overall. Further, this can increase the risk of retraumatization as clients attempt to process their trauma solely through spoken narratives. Effective trauma treatment must be holistic and address the impact of trauma on the whole person – mind, body, and spirit – to facilitate lasting healing and recovery.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy at Healing Springs Ranch, Texas

At Healing Springs Ranch, we use ART in tandem with other traditional and integrative treatments to provide comprehensive care to our clients. For trauma treatment, ART may be used alongside therapies like emotional transformation therapy (ETT), psychodrama, mind/body groups, somatic experiencing, art therapy, and more. Our therapies are offered in both individual therapy and group therapy formats, allowing clients to develop essential life skills to enhance their healing and recovery.

Clients participating in ART will learn a variety of techniques and coping skills, including bilateral stimulation, guided visualization, and image rescripting, to reduce the intensity and negative impact of trauma-related symptoms. More specifically, ART works to support clients in eliminating fragmented traumatic memories, reducing physical and emotional reactions to traumatic events, and restoring a greater sense of safety and control in the world around them.

It is important to note that while the therapist is there to guide the session, the client is truly in control of where the session goes. Clients enrolled in ART can expect to be guided through various visualization techniques, specifically to replace negative images associated with traumatic events with more positive ones, as well as eye movements to decrease the intensity of painful visualizations and challenge feelings of being stuck.

Some of the unique factors that set our use of ART at Healing Springs Ranch apart from other treatment facilities include:

Integration With Comprehensive Treatment Plans

Individualized treatment goals identified for ART sessions are integrated into a client's overall goals for their mental health and addiction healing journey. ART is used in addition to a variety of other therapeutic modalities to ensure comprehensive care in treatment.

Led By Licensed Professionals

All of our therapeutic modalities are led by licensed mental health professionals. Clients can rest assured knowing that their treatment team holds great expertise in the treatment field.

Safe and Non-Judgmental Environment

All of our treatment approaches, including ART, are administered in a safe and non-judgmental treatment environment. Clients enrolled in a treatment plan at Healing Springs Ranch can expect to be treated with the utmost compassion and respect during treatment and long after their program ends.

Help Individuals Process Traumatic Memories

Traumatic memories are complex. With the help of ART and other trauma-informed modalities, clients can experience the validation and support of their therapeutic community to safely process traumatic memories and effectively integrate them into their daily lives. Moreover, with time, this will reduce potential engagement in self-destructive behaviors while enhancing overall quality of life.

Who Can Benefit From Accelerated Resolution Therapy?

ART is primarily used in the treatment of post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI - also known as PTSD) and unresolved symptoms that have developed out of traumatic events. Yet, ART has been applied in a variety of treatment contexts and can be customized to meet the individualized needs of individuals struggling with a wide variety of conditions and symptoms, including:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Phobias
• Panic attacks
• Grief and loss
• Substance abuse
• Codependency
• Poor self-image
• Family dysfunction
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Chronic pain

Benefits of ART for Individuals Experiencing Trauma

Meanwhile, some of the researched benefits of ART for those working to overcome trauma include:

• Improved self-esteem
• Reduced stress and anxiety
• Enhanced self-expression
• Reduced symptoms of depression
• Relapse prevention in addiction recovery

Getting Started With ART at Healing Springs Ranch

At Healing Springs Ranch, we focus on bridging the gap between mental health disorders, addictive behaviors, and trauma to facilitate lasting, whole-person healing and recovery for our clients. By using modalities like ART to identify, release, and resolve trauma, suppressed pain, and other underlying functions of self-destructive behaviors, we can provide clients with the opportunity to break free from the grips of destructive cycles for once and for all.

No matter where an individual stands on their journey to healing and recovery, we at Healing Springs Ranch can meet you where you are. Learn more about our commitment to providing comprehensive and integrative care for the treatment of trauma and other conditions that impair well-being by calling to connect with us today.