What is new under the sun, as they say.  Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a new treatment that is being studied with a military grant at the University of South Florida (USF) to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  Therapists trained in this therapy are able to end treatment in an average of one to five sessions. ART also helps with many other mental health problems and can give clients insights that can  results in changed behavior.

How is ART with used with couples issues?

How can this therapy be effective in changing behavior to help relationships? Generally, after an initial couples session, the ART therapist will see each partner individually to work on the “baggage” they have brought with them into the relationship. Each partner brings their own issues into a relationship – often stemming from childhood and what they viewed in their families of origin. Once they partner with someone and become a couple they still have their individual issues and now their joint issues as well. Taking care of the individual problems will aid the couple as a whole.

How do you know what issues to work on?

Asl yourself some questions. Who does your partner remind you of? Which care giver has the same traiyd that your partner has? Can you see the good traits as well as the ones that make you angry and hit your hot spots? Are you feeling like your partner is too messy or needs to keep things overly tidy? Who was like that when you were growing up. Many times a female will pick someone who has the negative, as well as positive, traits of their father while the converse is true with males – they pick someone like their mother. There are exceptions to this in which a partner may remind someone of their same sex parental traits.

How do I Prepare for this new therapy?

ART uses eye movements to access both the left and right brain at the same time. You will follow the ART therapist’s fingers – or an object – that will help your eyes to move in a way that will help you process information. Some believe this emulates Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase of sleep. In the REM phase of sleep, it is believed your mind’s “computer” is cleaned out. Information is synthesized to help you resolve issues. In fact, some information may be deleted and new connections may be made to aid you in problem solving.

You will prepare information for this process by putting your problem in the form of a “scene” as if you were watching a scene in the movie theater. So, if you are having a problem getting along with your partner, your scene may be a fight you had with your partner that represents your issue. You don’t even need to talk about the scene, just view it in your mind – pretty incredible – a therapy without much talking about the problem.

Once you have your scene, what’s next?

The ART therapist will sit near you and instruct you on what you will be thinking about. At times you will concentrate on sensations in your body and during other times you will focus on your scene. The therapist will know how to lead you through the process, having you use the appropriate amount of eye movements, to obtain the desired results.

What are the results of this therapy?

Everyone has a unique experience, although there are some things that are commonly experienced by most everyone. For example, if you have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with all its negative flashbacks, or any images that are troublesome, the therapy can aid you to actually erase those images from view. That sounds amazing and unbelievable, but it does work.  Once you’ve erased the negative images you can replace them with positive images and the part of your brain that is responsible for sensations will now respond to the positive images. We call that part of the brain the Amygdala. The Cortex is the part of the brain that holds the facts about your issue and that remains the same. You may even gain more information and make new connections about your problem so you never lose your memory, rather it is kept in that part of your brain that holds the facts about your problem. So, you see, whenever you recall something, you are dealing with two different parts of your brain.

Clients will get clarity about a problem from their ART session and can practice new behaviors in their minds. There is a deeper sense of reality in using this therapy, although it does not involve any form of hypnotism. The brain waves for hypnotism and the use of eye movements are different.

 Examples of Outcomes from use of ART as a treatment modality

In using ART, we find that patterns of behavior can be altered in positive ways. For example, a client who does not have the patience they need may find they now have more patience in relationships. They can often see the other person’s viewpoint much more easily even after one session. Dealing with the two parts of the brain, the Amygdala and the Cortex, as well as the left/right brain eye movements, aids the client in being able to make changes both intellectually and emotionally.

A client who was more concerned and angry every time he came home from work because there were dishes in the sink, may now be able to recognize the importance of family time and let some things go more easily. The anger itself is not helpful and repeating patterns of anger makes no sense. Getting tasks done can be discussed differently and at a time when all are come but after using the therapy this person was able to drop their anger and see the importance of family relationships versus his need to keep things constantly tidy. He was happy with the results. Approaching those he loved about the overall patterns also provide to be a better strategy than coming home expressing anger every day. He could not feel that emotionally as well as knowing that intellectually, after one session of ART.

Changing Co-depend behaviors is possible through the use of ART. ART also incorporates another form of therapy called Gestalt to go back in time and look at issues from the past. The amygdala, which is responsible for sensations, is involved in being able to go back and erase negative comments that were made by parents – negative messages – and make them positive in a client’s mind. This is very useful in bringing about changes in co-dependent and other types of behaviors. We are a product of our past and cannot ignore the usefulness of straightening out past needs that were not met. The ability to “fix” the past in our minds is incredibly useful and doing it with the use of ART’s protocols can result in changes in behavior.

For example, in a client’s mind, they can go back and confront a parent who acted inappropriately; perhaps using physical violence or verbal threatening behavior. Now they can, in their mind, place themselves in that scene and come to the rescue of that earlier person who was being abused. They can change those images and their emotional response will also change. They will not be triggered in the future to behave in a dysfunctional way.

Client’s Responses to ART Treatment

Clients are often amazed at the quickness of this therapy. It often helps with physical sensations as well. Clients may find, for example, they no longer get headaches that may have been associated with their trauma. The triggers, as mentioned above, may not be there any more. They can often do activities they could not do. Phobias can disappear and they may be able to drive over that bridge they could not drive over before – often after one or two sessions.

Where can I get this treatment?

There are only two-hundred therapists trained in this model at the present time. They are mainly located in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Florida. We are looking to train many more. The therapy is being studied with a military grant by the University of South Florida and that study is almost completed. If you are interested to learn more about Accelerated Resolution Therapy you can visit the web at www.acceleratedresolutiontherapy.com or ARTworksNOW.com

About the author

Laney Rosenzweig is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 1990 in the mental health field and is the founder of Accelerated Resolution Therapy. She is employed at the Wheeler Clinic, a provider of behavioral health services for children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Laney receives referrals from Military One Source to counsel military and their families.

If you are interested to learn more about Accelerated Resolution Therapy  you can visit the web at www.acceleratedresolutiontherapy.com or ARTworksNOW.com.

For example, John may be sitting and waiting for his wife Mary to come home from work. A string of automatic thoughts may pop into his head such as “She is always late; she never comes home on time. She is probably late on purpose” Naturally, if John has this pattern of thinking, he will get angry and when Mary walks in the door, he may refrain from hiding his anger and they then get into a heated battle or power struggle.

In this example, John has engaged in overgeneralizing-he takes one or a few instances of Mary being late and generalizes her lateness to a common everyday occurrence. He also engaged in assuming and jumping to conclusions that Mary is purposefully late.  What if Mary was late because she was thinking the following: “John likes to eat steak for dinner. I will stop at the store and surprise him tonight for dinner”. Thus, a simply menial occurrence, become a bigger issue than needs be.

For couples to get out of this trap two suggestions come to mind. One, for John to catch his thinking and check to see if it is actually true or completely true before overreacting to Mary. Two, is for these two individuals to communicate with each other rather than making assumptions. It sounds so simple to actually check with each other rather than assuming, but so many couples assume on a regular basis and believe their assumptions as truth!

A healthier interaction between and John and Mary would be for John to catch his thinking when he starts to feel distress and anger. If he was able to ask himself, “Is there another way of looking at this? Is there another reason that Mary is late rather than she is late on purpose?” If John can identify that he assuming, he may then approach Mary differently rather than start yelling at her when she gets in the door. To be fair, Mary also made an assumption that John would like to be surprised and eat steak for dinner. If she had told John that she would be late, perhaps the situation may have been abated as well.

Whenever we hear ourselves, saying the words always or never, we can be sure that we are making over generalizations about something since an occurrence is rarely always or never.  If couples can get in the process of taking notice of their thinking, their lives can be filled with less arguments and conflict with one another. It is important for couples to take the time to communicate with each other on a daily basis. All it takes is 10-15 minutes per day, to talk with each other.

Life gets hectic with work, kids, household duties etc, which is why it is even more important for couples to communicate face to face, not solely through texting. When couples rely on texting to communicate, they lose valuable information gained through non-verbal communication such as eye contact, body language and tone of voice. To increase communication, couples need to schedule time to talk with each other at the end of the day and to make this a routine practice in their lives.

About the author

A native of New Jersey, Dr. Dawn Raffa attended undergraduate school at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, receiving a B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy.

She attended graduate school at Rutgers University earning a Masters of Social Work and then went on to complete her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Walden University.

She has been a licensed therapist since 2000 and she is a member of NASW, NJPA, APA and the Mid-Jersey Collaborative Law Alliance.

To know more about Dr. Raffa, visit her website, www.dawnraffaphd.com.

For many years, individuals sprinted into my office, speaking fast, watching the clock, and sometimes appearing more exhausted when they left than when they entered. After spending some time on my own journey to live more in the present moment through meditation, I decided to try it with my patients that day. My first patient was a woman who walked quickly into my office, ready to begin what I knew would be a long soliloquy of the troubles in her life.

Before she started, I asked her to take 5 minutes for deep breathing, relaxing, and focusing on the present moment. I found an amazing thing happened after the 5 minutes ended. When we started our session, my patient appeared calm, relaxed, and less frustrated than what her body language suggested when she walked into my office. She told me that during her 5 minutes of silence and breathing, her thoughts focused on the pleasantness of the present moment and she didn’t feel as upset as when she entered. She was able to use the silence to focus her thoughts on the serenity and pleasantness of the moment and not on bad relationships, dysfunctional family members, questionable friendships, deadlines, or expectations.

When was the last time you gave your brain a little vacation? Can you remember the last time you gave your thoughts permission to just savor the present? Did you think this was even possible? Well it is, and for centuries individuals who practice meditation, yoga, and silence have experienced the peace that comes from focusing on the present. What does this involve? To focus on the present means to let go of the past – it is behind us, so we must forgive others and ourselves for mistakes made. We must also trust the future – it is the result of our actions today and can’t be anticipated.

A commonly quoted verse from the Bible is: “For as he ^[a]thinks within himself, so he is” Proverbs 23:7. Dr. Wayne Dyer says it like this, “The thing you focus your thoughts on is the thing you will create”. Finally, Dr. Deepak Chopra says we have 60,000 thoughts per day, but 95 % of our thoughts each day are the same thoughts we had yesterday. How do we silence our thoughts and the opinions we have about our lives day after day, year after year?

Below are 5 suggestions for finding your bliss by embracing the present moment.

1. Observe Silence

Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart. Mother Theresa

One of my favorite parts in the movie, “Eat, Pray, Love” is when Liz (the main character) goes to New Delhi for a spiritual retreat. Upon her arrival she meets her new roommate who is observing silence. Liz attempts silence throughout the movie, but only achieves it once she lets go of the past by forgiving the mistakes she made with her ex-husband. Her peace of mind is restored and she was soon ready for her own time of silence. Why do we need silence? If we have 60,000 thoughts per day, our mind is on a constant marathon of endless activities of internal and external stimulus. A marathon of endless thoughts saps our energy and strength which can create obstacles to experiencing a more fulfilled life.

Silence requires discipline to turn off the noise and to allow ourselves the time to sit in the present. Present moment thinking is practiced in various forms of meditation, deep breathing, and yoga, to help individuals find wellness by balancing the mind, body, and soul. The goal is to spend time allowing all of our senses to experience the harmony that is occurring in the moment and allowing our thoughts to rest from activities.

As we focus our thoughts on the present moment, several things happen to our bodies – our minds are quieted, our heart rates decrease, and our stress system slows. Our mind feels at peace and our bodies feel relaxed. Feeling more relaxed allows you to see that the pressures of your life may not be as precarious as you once believed.

2. Carpe diem (seize the day)

Several years ago Sarah Ban Breathnach created the book, “Simple Abundance” and encouraged us to write 5 things that we were grateful for each day. Well, as with many people starting this exercise, it may be difficult to remember all of the blessings that happened that day. Many of us used the same 2 or 3 generic thoughts each day to get started and struggled to fill in the rest of the lines. As we continued on our quest in gratitude, we eventually learned to pay attention to every thing and every moment, and soon we found that filling our list with 5 thoughts flowed as easily as breathing.

Carpe diem comes from a Latin poem by Horace and encourages us to “Seize the Day, putting as little trust as possible in the next (day)”. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary explains it as, “Seizing the moment allows us to exert wisdom by taking each day as a gift from God, by accepting both the good and the bad, and being prepared for everything. Enjoying each day as it comes also implies a grateful heart on the part of the believer and a willingness to accept hardships when they come.”

3. Let Go

I had a professor in grad school who often said, “The past is to learn from, not live in”. Wow. This quote encourages us to let go of anything that challenges us from living in the present . Many people use events from the past to write personal stories about why they can’t fulfill dreams today. If your personal story is preventing you from living the life you want today, change your story.

Instead of a story that says “you can’t because you parents didn’t or your community doesn’t, change that story to reflect thoughts that embrace where you are today as you move towards where you want to be tomorrow. Remember, the best thing about life is that each day we get a new opportunity to get it right. Each day we have an opportunity to make our lives whatever we want it to be. If we spend our time looking backwards, we will miss everything that is good today. To live fully, we have to learn to embrace each moment, now.

4. Go with the Flow

Many of us hear phrases like “go with the flow” and instantly cringe at the notion. The very thought makes us feel like we are not possessing complete and total control over our lives.  Going with the flow is not a war cry to never have a plan in place for things you want to accomplish, but it is allowing yourself to embrace the many twists and turns that are the result of life. Life often throws us curve balls, so what do we do with them? We pick them up and toss them back. Learn to embrace “what is” by going into a situation with an open mind to all possibilities.

Embrace change and become more flexible, understanding that nothing in life stays the same. Staying in the moment allows us to focus our attention on what is happening now and realize that every moment of every single day may not be as terrible as we sometimes think. Through the clouds, often sunshine peeks through. We may fail to see it if we are only focused on the clouds. Ask yourself right now, am I currently feeling peace in this moment?

5. Cultivate personal happiness

I find that most people would list their number one goal in life is, “To be happy”. I hear this daily in my practice and agree it should be a priority. I generally follow-up with questions asking how “happiness” would look to them and how would they know when they were “happy”. Of course, the definitions and answers to my questions are as varied as the number of people on the earth. I say to first Make You a Priority. What do you want for your life? Find the thing that makes you feel alive, worthy, Holy, and fulfilled. What speaks to your heart? What do you dream about doing or becoming most days of your life?

If the things you are doing today or the people you are associated with do not support how you see yourself, do something else. Spend time listening to yourself, you are smarter than you may think. You have the answers for your life, so pay attention. My Grandmother use to encourage me to spend time after prayer in silence, listening for a still voice as my guide. That voice would often come and it sounded just like my own voice, but the inspiration in my heart would be an energy I hadn’t felt before my time of silence.

What is this moment saying to you and how will you answer?

About the author

Dr. LaRay Imani Price is a clinical psychologist specializing in women’s psychological health and wellbeing with a focus on women’s cancer survivorship and female veteran issues. She is a native of California, but has spent the past 20 years living throughout the United States.

To know more about Dr. Imani, visit her website www.womeninnerfitness.com.

There are warning signs we can all look for in individuals who could manifest certain negative behaviors, both to themselves and/or others. Looking for subtle or major changes in behavior is a good start, and sometimes we even need to listen to our “gut” if someone’s behaviors feel “off” or trouble us in some way.

For example, a child, adolescent or even adult who begins to exhibit isolative, acting out, or even depressed and sullen behaviors could be going through a period of great difficulty. Perhaps they begin to draw or write things “disturbing” or inconsistent with their personality, or become the bully or focus of a bully. Or perhaps the person is saying or doing something that is starting to scare people, parents, friends or even teachers.

These are some of the possible signs of impending trouble and should be addressed instead of thinking “they will work it out themselves.” These behaviors are not the only “red-flags” and one needs to be aware of any changes. Consequently, absence of these behaviors is not a sure sign someone will not engage in negative behaviors.

Being aware of behavioral changes and changes in mood and attitude is very important as is knowing what to do, such as contacting a school or clinical psychologist or even a crisis or help line for further aid.

Increasing our awareness of those around us and even those in our homes can provide clues that could help prevent tragedy, and sometimes we may need to play the “detective” if you will. This goes even more for friends than parents. Just by watching and noticing differences in your friends or child’s behavior could be a cue, a sign of something coming. Like a dark sky and clouds providing warning before a storm, tragic events are seldom spur-of-the-moment.

There is often evidence that can be missed to all but those closest to the person, and it is these people who can often make the greatest change and prevent a catastrophe. There are national and local preventions lines and other services where one can relay concerns and learn how to help. Often, subtle changes in a person’s attitude or behavior may not indicate much, or they may mean everything. It is important to be aware of your friend’s behavior as well as their wishes and actions.

For example, someone steals a gun, says they are better of dead, and/or talks of killing others or themselves, those are considered warning signs and cries for help. If your friend or classmate was “balling their eyes out” and pleading for help, you would likely help them. Unfortunately, many people, young and old, do not often use such extreme language and behaviors.

Instead, their cries for help are often dismissed as them “having a bad day”, “being a loser” even if their acts put others or themselves in danger. Of course, this is not to say people cannot have a bad day, but that is where communication and being a “detective” can help.

Aside from increasing our awareness, one of the most important things we all can do is increase our communication with each other. In today’s world, however, this term is often overused and misunderstood. Communication in this sense is meant to explain the need for children, parents, adults, basically everyone to really talk to each other and hear what the other person is saying, the quality of the communication being key.

It means not just trying, but really making the time to sit down, without distraction, and asking how the other feels or what they are thinking about. It may seem easy, but it can be harder then it seems. Of course many children will not seem to respond to this this, but by doing it not just on one day, but across years, children can learn to communicate with parents and others.

With all people, young and old, it is important to keep these lines of communication open, asking with genuine caring, and not being judgmental or even shocked at responses given. We may even have to come out of our “comfort zone” as well, communicating and approaching people who appear are not “doing so well” or seem isolated.

They do not even have to be family, but perhaps a teen or someone at school who seems distressed, upset, or just “lost”. Asking directly may prove to be the best course of action, knowing how to handle the response is just a crucial.

Handling a response that one does not expect can be troubling, but often letting the person know they are not alone and that help exists is important. Help in the form of school counselors, professional counselors, clergy, parents, and even help prevention lines can be the first step in preventing tragedy. It is important to note that while many people fear asking about such sensitive topics like suicide or homicide, that more than likely you will not be putting an idea into someone’s head.

These things are thought about more than people may think and if someone does answer “yes”, try to hold your concern and instead let them tell you “what’s going on”, then gently promote seeking help. If the risk of homicide or suicide seems very real and immediate, you may have to take a big step and report this yourself. Again, help lines and calls to 911 are easier to deal with than having to cope with the aftermath of a tragedy that could have been prevented.

Parents, in the wake of a tragedy can take a few basic steps to help reduce trauma for their children and even themselves. Media coverage and watching/listening to the news relentlessly can be traumatic, even if the person was not a direct witness to such events. It is important to monitor what your children are watching on TV and talk to them as needed.

Discussions around such delicate subjects need to be tailored to each child’s age and maturity, not over asking about events, but addressing concerns they have or manifest, such as school refusal, fear of leaving home or of losing ones family. If one is unsure, contacting a professional such as school counselor or other professional can be helpful.

As mentioned above, this is by no means a comprehensive piece and only to be used as an outline and not a substitute for professional help. Contacting school or other professionals can be very helpful in preventing and dealing with tragedy. If your concerns are dire and immediate it is recommended that you contact the crisis hotlines that can be local or nationally based, or even 911.

For example, services like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-talk (8225) could be an option and even 911 can provide assistance. With little to no lag or wait time, these minutes can literally mean the difference between life and death.

About the author

Timothy W. Hughes, Psy.D

Compass Point Comprehensive Psychological Services

Compasspointcps.com

(203)-249-7151

1. Practice Adaptability

Children are born with the ability to adapt and be flexible.  This fluid approach is valuable to support a child through a crisis, natural disaster and tragedy.  Adults often fear change and yet life is about evolving.  Does this mean that people fear life?  In my ten years of work as a drama therapist, I have experienced that people fear what they cannot control or predict.

The saying: “we are creatures of habit” helps us to make sense of our year, months, days, hours and minutes.  Our egos view time as something that belongs to “us” and we grow resentful when we feel someone has “wasted” our precious time.  The truth is that time does not belong to us.  We don’t own it.  We are a part of it.

2. Practice Acceptance in the Moment

Acceptance is the first step to any kind of change.  When we accept the uncontrollable nature of the unknown, we grow more empowered and resilient to adapt accordingly. As an actor and a drama therapist, I am trained to live in the unknown.  Actors respond to each other in the moment and to the reactions of the audience.

Similarly, as a therapist, I do not fixate on a plan.  One powerful piece of advice from a mentor of mine is: YOU are enough.  I struggled with this concept out my desire to control moments.  I encourage you to accept that YOU too are enough, even in times when you think you are not.

3. Accept What You Don’t Want to Acknowledge

Accept the world’s darkness as well as light.  When we accept the dark parts of ourselves, we can have compassion for situations and our children during difficult times.  The truth is, we all have internalized fears, like our fear of change and the unknown. Fear is the root of anger, resentment, vulnerability, bitterness, pain, and suffering.  Our children need us to accept our fears for them to fully experience theirs.

4. Provide Physical and Emotional Support

Children who experience trauma may develop somatic symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, and muscle pains.  They may regress and act younger as a way to seek attention and avoid suffering.  Support them with your loving affection and by modeling emotional intelligence through validating their experience.

5. Allow the Present Moments to Guide Your Actions

When you stay present with your own thoughts, feelings and the needs of others, you allow your intuition and insight to guide your next specific action.  Being present and responding to our children is vital on a moment-to-moment basis.  This skill is even more important to practice during times of crisis and tragedy.

6. Have Compassion and Hope

After we accept our fears within the present moment, we then must challenge ourselves to have compassion for others and ourselves.  Through darkness, hope prevails.  Even in tragedy, crisis, and a natural disaster hope will emerge as a result of our community and nation’s responsive actions.  Teach your child about having compassion and hope, even in times of darkness.

7. Focus on “Being” not Doing

Instead of highlighting what anyone should “do” in times of crisis, a natural disaster, or crisis I encourage you to focus on “being”.  Children need us to be present and supportive of their fears.  Share your feelings about the difficult situation and allow the next moment of action to come from your not knowing.  Work through the discomfort with your child.  When you respond as a human “being” not a human “doing” it sends a positive message to our children that THEY are enough.

8. Speak a Child’s Language: Creation

The same way that adults use words to communicate, children communicate through play, art, music, and dance.  During traumatic times, children have a vital need to express their experience in non-verbal ways.  Give them the space and encourage them to do so.  I was a part of an evidence-based creative arts therapy program for a number of years, serving children exposed to domestic violence.

Quantitative research proved that the children who completed the program decreased in their trauma related symptoms such as: anger and anxiety. Children who have experienced trauma benefit greatly from engaging in the creative arts to express their pain safely. Evidence shows that when individuals do not express themselves they are prone to projecting their pain onto others, themselves and the world.  Create with your child and learn to speak their language.

About the author

Brooke Campbell is the Founder and Director of Creative Kinections, LLC with locations in New York City and New Jersey.  She is a licensed creative arts therapist, registered-board certified drama therapist, professional actor, director, and writer.  Brooke recently contributed a chapter for a book about trauma and drama therapy, which is pending publication.  Brooke holds a Masters in Drama Therapy from New York University.  As an actor, she is a proud member of the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and Actors’ Equity Association.

www.CreativeKinections.com

www.facebook.com/CreativeKinections