Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is an evidence-informed, trauma-focused approach that uses guided imagery, eye movements, and other experiential techniques to help reduce the emotional and physiological distress connected to difficult memories.
An ART session is highly somatic and experiential, and is focused on shifting the way a traumatic memory and the symptoms associated with it are experienced in the present. This can allow for trauma processing while maintaining a greater sense of control and distance from the original experience. What sets ART apart from many other trauma therapies is that you do not need to repeatedly talk through or relive the details of a traumatic experience while in session.
Who Can Benefit from an ART Session?
ART may be particularly helpful for people experiencing trauma-related anxiety, intrusive memories, emotional reactions, or persistent bodily sensations connected to past experiences. It can also be a good fit for people who are highly insightful, analytical, self-aware, or prone to overthinking; especially when understanding why you feel a certain way hasn't necessarily changed how you feel in your body.
Stepping out of the thinking mind and into a more body-based way of processing can feel unfamiliar or challenging, particularly for people who are used to relying heavily on insight and cognitive processing. ART sessions are always paced according to your needs and capacity, and you are in full control throughout your session.
What is trauma and how does it look?
Trauma is subjective, meaning two people can experience the same event and be affected in very different ways. What feels manageable to one person may be deeply overwhelming to another, depending on factors such as safety, support, past experiences, developmental stage, and the resources available at the time.
For some people, trauma is a single acute event. For others, it may be ongoing experiences such as childhood emotional neglect, relationship harm, systemic stress, or intergenerational and cultural trauma. However it shows up, the effects can often live in the nervous system long after the event has passed.
Sometimes trauma is obvious. Sometimes it looks like anxiety, perfectionism, relationship difficulties, burnout, or simply feeling like your nervous system is always working harder than it should have to. You don't need to have a particular diagnosis or a single defining event for your experiences to be worth exploring.
Trauma therapy in Calgary at Sunday Psychology is collaborative and strengths-based. The focus is on helping you feel safer, more regulated, and less alone in what you carry.
Trauma does not look the same for everyone. It can show up in thoughts, emotions, behaviours, relationships, and the body. You might notice:
Feeling constantly on edge, overwhelmed, or easily startled
Anxiety, panic, irritability, or difficulty regulating emotions
Intrusive memories, nightmares, or unwanted reminders
Avoiding certain people, places, conversations, or situations
Feeling disconnected, numb, shut down, or “not quite here”
Difficulty trusting others or feeling safe in relationships
Perfectionism, people-pleasing, or a strong need for control
Persistent shame, guilt, self-blame, or a sense that something is wrong with you
Sleep difficulties, fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, or other physical sensations
Feeling disconnected from your body or constantly monitoring what is happening internally
Trauma-Informed Therapy in Calgary
Trauma is not defined only by what happens to you, but by what happens within you in response to it. At its core, trauma can occur when an experience overwhelms the brain and body’s available capacity and resources to cope, process, or make sense of what is happening.