Accelerated Resolution Therapy: A Brief, Emerging Evidence-Based Treatment for PTSD

Abstract

In both civilian and military settings, emerging therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are an area of intense scientific interest and need. Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is an emerging, innovative exposure-based treatment for symptoms of PTSD that is delivered in just one to five sessions and requires no homework or skills practice, thereby reducing patient's commitment time and practi-tioner's intervention time to approximately one-fifth of the time required for traditional first-line evidence-based therapies for PTSD. The ART protocol uses the evidence-based components of imaginal exposure, imagery rescripting, and smooth pursuit eye movements. ART addresses the cardinal PTSD features of distressing emotions, thoughts, sensations, and images in particular, by viewing the development and maintenance of PTSD symptoms as a consequence of a failure of a traumatized individual to exhibit extinction of the affective component of the memory. As of this publication date, there are two completed empirical studies of ART and multiple other studies are in progress. The two empirical studies of ART completed among both civilians and military personnel with symptoms of PTSD provide strong indica-tions of efficacy. However, controlled trials against current first-line evidence-based therapies have not been conducted and long-term post-treatment empirical research data do not exist for ART. These data are considered essential in fully evaluating and quantifying the potential benefit of ART as a first-line treatment option for civilian and military PTSD.