How Accelerated Resolution Therapy Helps with Complicated Grief

Sep 19

Understanding Complicated Grief

Grief is a natural response to loss, but for some, it becomes prolonged and disabling, known as complicated grief. Symptoms may include intense sadness, persistent yearning for the deceased, difficulty accepting the loss, and impaired daily functioning.

Unlike typical grief, complicated grief does not gradually improve over time. The emotional pain remains acute, often accompanied by anxiety, depression, and intrusive thoughts. Traditional grief counseling may provide support, but individuals struggling with complicated grief may require more targeted interventions.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy addresses the underlying emotional patterns and trauma that contribute to complicated grief, offering a pathway to relief and adaptive processing.

How Trauma Influences Grief

Complicated grief is often intensified by unresolved trauma or emotionally charged experiences surrounding the loss. Traumatic memories can amplify sadness, guilt, or anger, making it difficult for the brain and nervous system to integrate the loss adaptively.

When grief becomes “stuck,” the individual may repeatedly relive painful moments, experience emotional numbness, or struggle with intrusive memories. ART works to release this emotional intensity and reframe the memories that maintain persistent grief.

What is Accelerated Resolution Therapy?

Accelerated Resolution Therapy is a brief, evidence-based psychotherapy that helps individuals process distressing memories and emotional patterns efficiently. Using guided eye movements and imagery rescripting, ART allows clients to reprocess traumatic or emotionally intense experiences without reliving them fully.

For individuals experiencing complicated grief, ART helps:

Reduce the emotional intensity of painful memories
Reframe maladaptive beliefs about loss and self
Improve emotional regulation and coping skills
Restore hope and a sense of forward movement

How ART Addresses Complicated Grief

ART targets the emotional and cognitive mechanisms that sustain complicated grief:

Processing unresolved emotions: ART allows clients to access and release intense feelings such as sadness, guilt, or anger associated with loss.
Transforming intrusive thoughts: Imagery rescripting helps reduce repetitive, distressing thoughts about the deceased or the circumstances of the loss.
Enhancing nervous system regulation: ART promotes physiological and emotional balance, reducing hyperarousal or emotional numbness.
Supporting adaptive meaning-making: Clients can reframe their experiences, allowing for acceptance and continued connection to life.

By addressing both emotional and physiological dimensions of grief, ART provides comprehensive support for healing.

Imagery Rescripting for Loss

Imagery rescripting is a key component of ART. Clients visualize distressing experiences while guided eye movements help reprocess the associated emotions.

For complicated grief, this may involve:

Reframing feelings of guilt or self-blame
Processing traumatic circumstances surrounding the death
Reducing fear of moving forward or forgetting the loved one
Transforming painful memories into neutral or healing narratives

Imagery rescripting enables clients to engage with loss safely, reducing emotional intensity and promoting adaptive coping.

Regulating the Nervous System During Grief

Grief is not only psychological but also physiological. Intense emotional experiences can trigger heightened stress responses, including increased heart rate, muscle tension, and fatigue.

ART works directly with the nervous system to release stored stress, restore balance, and support emotional resilience. This dual focus on brain and body allows for deeper healing and a more sustainable resolution of grief.

Cultivating Self-Compassion and Hope

Complicated grief often erodes self-compassion, leaving individuals feeling stuck or unworthy of happiness. ART encourages a shift toward self-kindness and empowerment by reframing distressing experiences and emotional responses.

Clients often report:

Greater acceptance of their grief process
Reduced self-critical or judgmental thoughts
Increased ability to engage in daily life and relationships
Renewed hope and emotional flexibility

These shifts support long-term resilience and help individuals navigate life after loss with greater ease.

ART Compared to Traditional Grief Counseling

While traditional grief counseling offers valuable support, ART provides unique advantages for complicated grief:

Rapid symptom relief in a limited number of sessions
Focus on underlying trauma and emotional patterns rather than only discussing loss
Integration of emotional, cognitive, and physiological processes
Trauma-informed, non-pharmacological approach

This makes ART especially effective for individuals who feel stuck or overwhelmed by persistent grief.

Who Can Benefit from ART

ART is appropriate for individuals experiencing complicated grief who:

Struggle to move forward after a significant loss
Have trauma or emotionally charged experiences related to the death
Experience persistent intrusive thoughts or emotional numbness
Seek rapid, evidence-based relief without medication

By addressing the root causes of persistent grief, ART supports meaningful healing and adaptive emotional processing.

What to Expect in an ART Session

During an ART session, a therapist guides the client through sets of eye movements while focusing on memories or thoughts associated with the loss.

Clients remain fully aware but experience a reduction in emotional intensity, enabling them to reframe their experiences safely. Sessions typically last one to two hours, with noticeable benefits often emerging after just a few sessions.

Long-Term Benefits of ART for Grief

Beyond immediate relief, ART provides long-term benefits, including:

Reduced emotional intensity associated with loss
Decreased rumination and intrusive thoughts
Improved emotional regulation and coping skills
Enhanced self-compassion and hope
Ability to engage fully in daily life and relationships

By addressing both emotional and physiological dimensions, ART promotes sustainable healing and resilience after loss.

Taking the First Step

Complicated grief can feel overwhelming, but recovery is possible. Accelerated Resolution Therapy offers a rapid, evidence-based, and trauma-informed approach to help individuals process intense emotions, reframe negative patterns, and cultivate hope.

If you are struggling with persistent grief, ART can help you navigate loss while reclaiming emotional balance, resilience, and a renewed sense of purpose.

Start your ART journey today by completing my intake form.

Peer-Reviewed Sources

Kip, K. E., et al. (2012). Randomized controlled trial of accelerated resolution therapy for treatment of symptoms of PTSD. Behavioral Sciences, 2(2), 183–195.
Shear, M. K., et al. (2016). Complicated grief and related bereavement issues for DSM-5. Depression and Anxiety, 33(3), 190–206.
Boelen, P. A., & Prigerson, H. G. (2007). A prospective study on mental health service utilization and mental health outcomes in grieving individuals. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75(2), 203–210.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.).
Shapiro, F. (2017). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures. Guilford Press.