Using Accelerated Resolution Therapy to Overcome Shame in Recovery

Sep 8

Understanding the Role of Shame in Addiction Recovery

Shame is more than just a painful emotion. It shapes how people view themselves and their ability to change. While guilt tends to focus on actions, shame attacks a person’s identity, leading them to believe they are inherently flawed, unworthy, or broken.

For individuals recovering from addiction, shame often shows up in many ways: feeling embarrassed about past behaviors, hiding struggles from loved ones, or believing they don’t deserve forgiveness. These beliefs create barriers to recovery, fueling secrecy, isolation, and even relapse.

Therapies that only focus on behavior change often miss addressing the shame that lingers beneath the surface. Without directly working through shame, recovery may feel fragile or incomplete.

Why Traditional Approaches May Fall Short

Traditional talk therapies can be effective in helping clients recognize unhealthy thought patterns, but when it comes to shame, talking alone can sometimes deepen the pain. Retelling traumatic or regretful stories repeatedly may reinforce negative self-beliefs instead of releasing them.

This is where trauma-focused therapies like Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) offer a unique advantage. ART doesn’t require clients to share their full stories in detail. Instead, it helps individuals reprocess distressing memories at a neurological level, so the emotional weight of shame is lifted without retraumatization.

How Accelerated Resolution Therapy Works

ART is a trauma-informed, evidence-based therapy that uses guided eye movements combined with visualization techniques to help clients reprocess difficult memories. During an ART session, the therapist gently guides the client through sets of rapid eye movements while they focus on a distressing memory or emotional trigger.

The process helps the brain “recode” the memory so that it no longer triggers the same emotional intensity. Importantly, the factual memory remains, but the associated feelings—such as shame, fear, or guilt—are transformed.

This allows clients to recall past experiences without being overwhelmed by self-blame or negative self-judgment.

Reframing Shame Through ART

Shame often attaches itself to memories of failure, rejection, or regret. In ART, clients are invited to replace the painful imagery associated with these memories with new, empowering images that reflect healing and self-acceptance.

For example, someone who feels intense shame about a relapse may carry the mental image of disappointing a loved one. Through ART, this image can be replaced with one that reflects resilience, forgiveness, and hope—such as being surrounded by supportive people or envisioning a successful recovery milestone.

This re-imagining process doesn’t erase the past but changes its emotional impact. Shame loses its grip, making space for compassion and confidence to grow.

The Link Between Shame and Relapse

Shame is one of the strongest predictors of relapse. When people believe they are “bad” or unworthy of recovery, they may turn back to substances as a way to escape those feelings. Unfortunately, relapse often deepens shame, creating a painful cycle that is hard to break.

By targeting the emotional roots of shame, ART helps disrupt this cycle. Clients no longer feel defined by their past mistakes but are instead empowered to view themselves as capable of growth and healing. This shift not only reduces relapse risk but also strengthens long-term recovery.

Building Self-Compassion Through ART

One of the most powerful outcomes of ART is the cultivation of self-compassion. As clients reprocess shame-laden memories, they often experience a shift in perspective. Instead of seeing themselves as failures, they begin to recognize their strength in surviving hardships and their courage in seeking recovery.

This newfound self-compassion becomes a protective factor, helping individuals navigate the challenges of sobriety without falling back into self-criticism. Self-compassion encourages resilience, openness to support, and the ability to forgive oneself—all vital for long-term healing.

ART in Combination with Other Recovery Supports

While ART is powerful on its own, it can also be integrated with other supports for recovery, such as:

12-Step programs or mutual aid groups: ART helps resolve shame that may surface during steps involving self-reflection or amends.
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT): ART can work alongside medical supports to address the psychological and emotional components of addiction.
Therapy for co-occurring disorders: ART is effective for trauma, depression, anxiety, and PTSD, which often underlie addiction struggles.

By combining ART with other recovery strategies, clients receive a more holistic approach to healing.

Why ART May Be Right for You

If you are in recovery and feel weighed down by shame, ART offers a way forward that is compassionate, effective, and fast-acting. Unlike therapies that require reliving painful experiences in detail, ART allows you to heal without being retraumatized.

Many people report noticeable relief in as few as one to five sessions, making ART not only powerful but efficient. For those who feel stuck in cycles of self-blame or who fear relapse triggered by shame, ART can be a transformative resource.

Taking the Next Step

Shame does not need to define your recovery. With Accelerated Resolution Therapy, you can release the emotional burden of the past and embrace a future rooted in healing, self-compassion, and strength.

If you are ready to explore ART as part of your recovery journey, I would love to help. I offer Accelerated Resolution Therapy both in person in Philadelphia and virtually across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Florida.

Click here to schedule a consultation and begin your path to lasting healing.

Peer-Reviewed Sources

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
Badour, C. L., & Feldner, M. T. (2013). Trauma-related shame and guilt as mediators of relations between PTSD symptoms and problematic substance use. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 27(6), 611–617.
Kip, K. E., et al. (2016). Brief treatment of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by use of accelerated resolution therapy (ART). Behavioral Sciences, 6(2), 25.
Najavits, L. M. (2002). Seeking Safety: A treatment manual for PTSD and substance abuse. Guilford Press.
Resick, P. A., Monson, C. M., & Chard, K. M. (2017). Cognitive processing therapy for PTSD: A comprehensive manual. Guilford Press.
Sloan, E., Hall, K., Moulding, R., Bryce, S., Mildred, H., & Staiger, P. K. (2017). Emotion regulation as a transdiagnostic treatment construct across anxiety, depression, substance, eating and borderline personality disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 57, 141–163.
Tangney, J. P., & Dearing, R. L. (2002). Shame and guilt. Guilford Press.