Accelerated Resolution Therapy vs. EMDR: A Somatic and Neuroscience-Informed Look at Two Powerful Trauma Therapies

Struggling with trauma symptoms that just won’t go away? Discover the differences between Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and EMDR, and learn how somatic and neuroscience-informed care at Embodied Wellness and Recovery can help you regulate your nervous system, process trauma, and reconnect with yourself and others.

What Happens When Trauma Gets Stuck in the Body?

Do you ever feel like your trauma is “locked in,” resurfacing in your body, relationships, or even sleep patterns? Maybe you find yourself reactive in ways that feel confusing or disconnected from what’s actually happening in the moment. This isn’t just in your head; it’s your nervous system doing exactly what it was wired to do: protect you. But when trauma isn’t fully processed, that survival energy can stay lodged in the body and brain, cycling in patterns of hypervigilance, shutdown, or emotional overwhelm.

Trauma-focused therapies like Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are designed to help the brain and body reorganize these unprocessed memories so that you can finally access a felt sense of internal safety. While both therapies use bilateral stimulation to regulate the nervous system and process trauma, they differ in structure, pacing, and approach.

So how do you choose between ART and EMDR, and why are somatic and neuroscience-informed perspectives so essential to long-term healing?

What Is Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)?

Accelerated Resolution Therapy is a relatively short-term, protocol-driven trauma therapy that uses voluntary image replacement and eye movements to change how distressing memories are stored in the brain. Developed by Laney Rosenzweig, ART incorporates elements of traditional psychotherapy, guided imagery, and somatic awareness. It allows clients to replace disturbing visual memories with calming ones without needing to talk through every detail of the traumatic event.

Rather than reliving the trauma, clients re-script the memory through a process that blends visualization, body awareness, and rapid eye movements, offering quick relief for symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, or irritability.

What Is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a more widely known trauma therapy created by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. It is based on the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, which suggests that trauma becomes stored in the brain in a fragmented, unintegrated way. EMDR helps clients revisit traumatic memories in a systematic 8-phase process, using bilateral stimulation (usually eye movements) to facilitate reprocessing.

Clients work through the emotional, cognitive, somatic, and sensory aspects of trauma, often identifying core negative beliefs like “I’m not safe” or “I’m unlovable,” and replacing them with adaptive beliefs like “I am safe now” or “I am worthy.”

ART vs. EMDR: A Side-by-Side Look

Aspect ART EMDR

Length of Treatment 1–5 sessions for symptom resolution 8–12+ sessions, especially for complex trauma

Memory Processing Style Voluntary Image Replacement Adaptive reprocessing of memory networks

Verbal Disclosure Minimal; trauma can be processed without sharing details Clients often verbalize traumatic content during reprocessing

Client Involvement Client actively chooses replacement images Client follows internal cues while therapist guides the process

Theoretical Framework Memory reconsolidation and somatic imagery Adaptive Information Processing model

Ideal Use Cases Single-event trauma, phobias, image-based distress Complex PTSD, attachment trauma, negative core beliefs

How These Therapies Work With the Nervous System

Trauma disrupts the autonomic nervous system, which governs your fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses. Both ART and EMDR use bilateral stimulation (e.g., guided eye movements) to help regulate arousal states and reintegrate fragmented memories.

However, ART often offers faster relief, especially for clients who feel flooded by their trauma stories or have difficulty verbalizing distress. By focusing on visual imagery and body cues, ART can quickly calm the sympathetic nervous system and signal safety to the brainstem.

EMDR may take more time, but its depth and adaptability make it especially effective for clients with complex trauma, developmental wounds, or negative core beliefs rooted in childhood.

According to Polyvagal Theory (Porges, 2011), when we process trauma in a contained, safe way, we shift out of sympathetic overactivation or dorsal shutdown and into the ventral vagal state, the state of connection, regulation, and healing.

A Somatic and Attachment-Informed Lens

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we believe trauma therapy isn’t just about changing thoughts or images; it’s about helping you feel safe in your body again. Whether you’re dealing with PTSD, emotional neglect, or relational wounds, trauma is stored not just in the brain but in muscle tension, breath patterns, heart rate, and even digestion (van der Kolk, 2014).

Both EMDR and ART can be enhanced by integrating somatic therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and relational work. Our therapists are trained to help you notice what’s happening inside without judgment and gently titrate toward safety and connection.

Which One Is Right for You?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Choosing between ART and EMDR depends on your goals, trauma history, and nervous system needs. Some clients benefit from a few sessions of ART to stabilize symptoms before moving into EMDR for deeper work. Others find ART alone provides lasting relief, especially when integrated with body-based practices like Somatic Experiencing or trauma-informed yoga.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we’ll work with you to create a personalized trauma healing plan that honors your pace, your story, and your whole self—body, mind, and heart.

Common Questions

Can I do ART or EMDR online?

Yes. Both modalities can be adapted for virtual sessions using guided eye movements or tactile stimulation techniques.

What if I don’t want to talk about my trauma?

ART may be a better fit, as it requires minimal verbal sharing. EMDR may also be tailored to feel safe and empowering.

Do I need a diagnosis to start ART or EMDR?

Not at all. Many clients seek therapy due to symptoms like anxiety, hypervigilance, or emotional numbness; a diagnosis is not required to begin healing.

Retain Your Brain and Reshape Your Relationships

Whether you feel stuck in survival mode, disconnected from your body, or exhausted from constantly trying to "hold it all together," there is a path toward regulation, relief, and reconnection. Trauma therapies like EMDR and ART are grounded in neuroscience and compassion, helping you retrain your brain and reshape your relationships with others, and with yourself.

Want to Learn More?

If you’re curious about how trauma therapy can support your journey, reach out to schedule a free 20-minute consultation. Our team at Embodied Wellness and Recovery is here to provide support and guidance, gently, skillfully, and with respect for your body’s innate wisdom. Contact us today, and begin your journey toward embodied connection, clarity, and confidence.

📞 Call us at (310) 651-8458

📱 Text us at (310) 210-7934

📩 Email us at admin@embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

🔗 Visit us at www.embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

👉 Check us out on Instagram @embodied_wellness_and_recovery

References

1) Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

2) Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press. 

3) Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books.