Every so often, someone reaches out asking if I can “just do one ART session” to fix their trauma, anxiety, or fear. I understand why. Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) has a reputation for being fast and effective. But therapy doesn’t work like that, not real therapy.
Even the most advanced methods like ART or Brainspotting cannot replace the need to truly understand who you are, what you’ve been through, and what triggers you. If I don’t know your history or patterns, doing one session would be like trying to rebuild an engine without looking under the hood.
Healing takes time because trauma usually develops over years. It is made up of layers, like an onion. A simple fear of public speaking, for example, might come from past embarrassment, learned messages from others, or deep beliefs like “I’m not good enough.” One ART session might peel away a layer of the problem, but the person can still struggle with the issue.
I’ve had clients who stayed with ART for months and told me they don’t regret it because it changed how their mind works and how they see themselves. Therapy takes patience on both sides. I’ve also seen people stop after one or two sessions, saying “this doesn’t work,” when really there were just more layers to uncover. This post is for prospective clients who want to set healthy expectations and for anyone who may have given up too soon.
It’s also important to understand that I can’t be limited to using only ART. Some clients have said, “We’re only doing ART,” but that’s not how real healing works. Sometimes I use Brainspotting or talk therapy to uncover the deeper roots of a problem, to find the right targets. We’re often working with years of feeling not good enough, not belonging, or being unseen. Using all of my tools allows me to help clients reach the core of what’s driving their pain.
Therapy also involves learning new skills that trauma often blocks, such as communication, emotional regulation, and confidence in work or social situations. Even with cutting-edge methods, real healing can take months of consistent therapy, not just one or two sessions. When a client is focused on working through the core issues rather than using session time only to vent, significant progress can be made in months, not years.
A lot more can be achieved when a therapist invests deeply in methods with strong research support, rather than approaches that gain popularity through social media or trends without sufficient evidence. Techniques like ART and Brainspotting can accelerate progress, but they work best as part of a thoughtful, integrated process led by a skilled therapist who truly knows the client.
Arthur Bilbrey LMFT - Transformative Trauma Therapy 