Guide
ART vs. EMDR: how two eye-movement therapies compare.
If you have been reading about trauma therapy, you have probably met both Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and EMDR, often in the same sentence. They are related, and the overlap is real. This guide sets ART vs. EMDR side by side in plain terms. Erin L. Smith, MSPC, LPCC, LPC, is certified in ART and also uses EMDR, so the choice is one you make together.
01ART vs. EMDR
What ART and EMDR have in common
Both are eye-movement therapies. In each, you hold a distressing memory in mind while following a guided back-and-forth movement, most often with your eyes. Both are used for memories that still hit the body with present-tense force, and ART is described as an approach in the EMDR family, so the resemblance is no accident. Each follows a structured protocol rather than open-ended conversation. In both, the clinician guides the process and checks in with you along the way, and you stay awake and aware of where you are.
02ART vs. EMDR
Session length and structure
The clearest difference is structure. ART sessions run about 100 minutes, longer than a standard therapy hour, because the protocol needs time to run all the way through. The approach is designed to be brief, though how many sessions a memory takes varies from person to person. EMDR usually unfolds in phases across a series of sessions, beginning with history and preparation before any memory is processed. Neither structure is better in general. One may simply suit your schedule, your history and your preferences more than the other.
03ART vs. EMDR
How each one works with the memory
ART works with the pictures your mind holds of an event, rather than the version of it you have learned to tell. It also includes a step in which you can choose to change how the scene plays out in your mind, while the facts of what happened stay the same. You are not rewriting the past, only how the memory runs when it comes up. EMDR tends to follow wherever your mind goes between sets of eye movements, with the clinician noting what surfaces and returning to the original memory as needed.
04ART vs. EMDR
Do you have to say it out loud?
If the thought of narrating the details is what keeps you from trauma therapy, this part matters. With ART, you are never required to say what happened out loud. Because it works with what you see on the inside, a memory you have never been able to describe can still be part of the work. You stay awake and in control, Erin guides the eye movements and checks in often, and the process stops when you say stop. EMDR does not depend on a detailed spoken account either, though you will usually describe briefly what you notice between sets.
05ART vs. EMDR
Choosing between them with Erin
You do not have to make this choice alone, or before you start. Erin is certified in ART and also uses EMDR, alongside talk-based methods such as CBT. She will explain what she would suggest for your situation and why, and neither approach is used without your agreement. Early sessions focus on the relationship and on what steadies you before any memory work begins, and ART often sits alongside ongoing talk therapy instead of taking its place. If a method is not helping once you try it, the plan can change.
Worth raising on the call
- One memory keeps replaying as a picture
- Saying the details aloud feels like too much
- You can set aside a longer session
- You want each option explained plainly
None of this is a diagnosis, and no outcome is guaranteed. It is a starting point for a conversation.
Questions
Common questions
- Is ART a type of EMDR?
- ART is described as an eye-movement approach in the EMDR family. The two share guided eye movements while a memory is held in mind, but ART has its own protocol, longer sessions, and a step for changing how a scene plays out while the facts stay the same.
- Which is better for trauma, ART or EMDR?
- Neither is presented here as better. They are different structures for related work, and the right choice depends on your history, what you hope will change, how long a session you can set aside, and what feels manageable. Erin talks through the options with you before anything is decided.
- Can I do ART by telehealth?
- Yes. Erin offers ART in person at her Georgetown office for people in Kentucky, and by telehealth for anyone physically in Kentucky, Arizona or Minnesota during the session. Either way, sessions run about 100 minutes, and the cost is confirmed at your free consultation.
In Erin's words
What she would say if you called today.
I am certified in ART, and EMDR is one of the methods I use. If eye-movement work makes sense for what you are carrying, I will explain what I would suggest and why, and we will decide together. Nothing is used without your agreement, and we stop when you say stop.
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Book a consultation with Erin
Fifteen minutes by telehealth, at no charge. You can describe what is going on, ask how Erin works, and decide afterward whether to book a first session. Scheduling opens in her secure SimplePractice portal.
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