ART ) : Clinical Considerations , Cautions , and Informed Consent for Military Mental Health Clinicians

Although there has only been one randomized controlled clinical trial of ART for the treatment of PTSD1 and several case reports/case series,2-5 ART has firm roots in traumafocused psychotherapies that have an extensive evidence-base.6,7 Though the structure and protocols of ART are different, the principles and theory behind other trauma-focused therapies, particularly EMDR, completely support the approach ART takes to trauma recovery. ART incorporates the same core components of A-level trauma-focused psychotherapies accepted as standard of care, such as CPT, PE, and EMDR, including desensitization through imaginal exposure, in-vitro/in-vivo exposure, cognitive restructuring, and relaxation.6,7 However, ART delivers these components in a unique way that appears to represent an important evolution in the development of trauma-focused therapies.