Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) for Brief Treatment of Combat-Related Psychological Trauma

Methods Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a disabling anxiety disorder that is highly prevalent among members of the Armed Services who have served in combat operations.1 Evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapies for PTSD include Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) which lead to clinically improved outcomes in ~50% of all treated cases2-4 and typically require between 8-15 treatment sessions. Pharmacological approaches to treating PTSD do not resolve the cause of PTSD and patients frequently experience side effects and withdrawal. Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a new exposure-based therapy that uses eye movements and is designed to be brief (i.e. 1-5 treatment sessions).