Are you feeling more stressed than usual these days? You are not alone! Our modern world exposes us to information about tragedies, catastrophes, and stressors from all around the world. Compared to just a few decades ago, the average person is exposed to hundreds of times as many data points now as in the 1980s. Digital data moves quickly, and much of it is designed to elicit an emotional response in us. This places a huge amount of strain on our analog brains. Our nervous systems are being pushed to their limits by the overflow of information while trying to keep us out of harm’s way. Accelerated Resolution Therapy helps reset the nervous system by processing physical sensations in the body and changing visual associations to threats. Stress reduction has long-term benefits that affect quality of life in the present and longevity into the future.
Our brain screens every piece of information that comes into our awareness to determine whether it poses a threat. Our nervous system’s fight-or-flight response reacts instantaneously, bypassing rational thought, and primes the body for a rapid escape. This is important when the threat in our environment is real, such as a speeding car approaching us or a loud noise indicating a gunshot or explosion. But now our brains are working overtime to keep our bodies primed to escape threats that are not an immediate physical risk, like those we encounter while doomscrolling or watching the news.
We feel this in our bodies as increased heart rate and breathing, stomach issues, headaches, shaking in our hands or feet, and difficulty focusing our attention. Alternatively, if our mode of protection is to freeze, we may feel sluggish, heaviness in our limbs, and brain fog. Over time, our bodies change to continually process high levels of stress hormones, and we end up feeling either stressed or exhausted all the time. We often call these ongoing symptoms anxiety, depression, PTSD, or they get diagnosed as a physical malady. These are all signs the nervous system needs rest and repair.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy for Stress Management
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) can help to quickly reset the nervous system in two ways. First, eye movements and bilateral brain stimulation are very calming. Throughout the session, while focusing inwardly on bodily sensations and applying bilateral stimulation, people feel tension and stress move and release within their bodies. The heart rate slows, and muscles relax. Breathing becomes more regular. The body calms, and so does the mind. The soothing effect on the nervous system is felt deeply and meaningfully throughout the body.
Second, the associations between perceived threats are reduced. Imagine your brain keeps a “memory + feeling + threat” file on everything you’ve experienced in your life. As you perceive a thought or feeling now, your brain matches it to a memory or felt sensation from the past. This can create a feedback loop that keeps your nervous system on high alert. With ART, we can change the visualizations in the mind to create new, more positive associations. Like cleaning out the old files, the brain has less threat material to search and fewer negative associations to process. This further allows the nervous system to rest and repair.
Because ART works directly with how the brain stores and processes distressing experiences, it often reduces the emotional intensity tied to those experiences without requiring individuals to relive them in detail. This can feel empowering, especially for people who have avoided seeking help because they fear revisiting painful memories.
In addition to formal therapy, incorporating small, consistent habits into daily life can support the nervous system and reinforce the benefits of ART. Practices such as mindful breathing, limiting exposure to distressing media, spending time in nature, and maintaining regular sleep patterns all help signal safety to the body. When paired with therapeutic interventions like ART, these habits create a supportive environment for healing and resilience. Over time, this combination can help retrain the brain to respond to life’s challenges with greater calm, clarity, and balance.
It’s important to reduce stress. In the short term, quality of life is better when lived in a positive state of mind rather than a stressed-out one. Good days make life more meaningful and enjoyable. Seeing each day as a gift rather than as a burden allows us to appreciate the time we have and use it well. In the long term, scientific research shows that ongoing stress affects our physical and mental health. Stress makes us more susceptible to some chronic health conditions, like heart disease, high blood pressure, autoimmune illnesses, and other diseases. Those affect both quality of life and longevity, so managing stress now can have a positive impact on your future.
If you are feeling the effects of chronic stress, explore how Accelerated Resolution Therapy can help you reset your nervous system to find relief.
Michal Klau-Stevens, LCSW, MPH, is the owner of Azure Psychotherapy LLC. She specializes in treating trauma, supporting substance use recovery, and working with women before and during pregnancy and during early parenting years. She is a Master Accelerated Resolution Therapy Practitioner and a Certified Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Provider. Licensed in CT and MA, she offers office sessions, telehealth, and in-home services in select locations.
COMMENTS