ART & EMDRCounseling Center

What are ART and EMDR?

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are therapy approaches which utilize bilateral stimulation to assist in reprocessing painful or distressing memories. Bilateral stimulation refers to the rhythmic stimulation back and forth between the right and left hemispheres (or sides) of the body. Eye movement, mimicking the type of eye movements that occur during REM sleep, is the most typical mode of bilateral stimulation used in ART and EMDR. Other modalities such as tactile or auditory bilateral stimulation can also be used. Through pairing bilateral stimulation with guided visualization of past memories, therapists can assist clients in reducing levels of distress associated with these past events and increase levels of positive feelings and sensations. Processing in these therapies does not require a person to talk about their past traumas or memories, clients can share as many or few details with their therapist as they are comfortable with.

ART and EMDR can be used to treat a wide array of mental health concerns such as: trauma, anxiety, depression, phobias, grief, and addiction issues.

Both ART and EMDR are recognized as evidence-based practices by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA), under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Our therapists currently trained in ART include Hannah Godbout, PsyD, LP; Aaron Geringer, MS, LPCC; Sarah Mages, MSW, LICSW; and Jackie Ortmeier-Crance, MS, LPC. Aaron has additional training in EMDR.

For further information about these therapies, please see the the following videos and websites.

For further information about these therapies, here are their organization's official websites.
ART: https://acceleratedresolutiontherapy.com/
EMDR: https://www.emdria.org/