Veterans Journal: Suffering veterans find relief with accelerated resolution therapy
Veterans who suffered both traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have found relief from their trauma symptoms using accelerated resolution therapy (ART) in an average of four sessions, and at about the same rate as those who did not have brain injuries, according to a recent study published in Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, a journal of professional studies and articles.
The findings indicate that ART, an innovative and rapid treatment for psychological trauma, is a suitable treatment for a significant and growing population of veterans who are coping from the effects of brain injuries and PTSD, according to principal investigator, Dr. Kevin E. Kip, a professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida, College of Public Health. To learn more about Dr. Kip, go online to https://acceleratedresolutiontherapy.com/tag/kevin-kip/.
“This is a very challenging group because they have a concussion history and have experienced significant psychological trauma,” said Kip. “Yet this combination of conditions is also increasingly common. About 70 percent of veterans who have received ART treatment have suffered a concussion at some point.”
The study also showed that Special Forces veterans who underwent ART for trauma experienced significant improvements in their symptoms. ART provides some desirable treatment advantages for Special Forces veterans. Specifically, unlike traditional talk therapy, clients treated with ART do not need to divulge details of their traumatic experiences (verbally or in writing), which makes it ideally suited for processing of trauma details from classified operations that cannot be disclosed within a therapeutic session.
ART is an innovative treatment that empowers clients to resolve traumatic memories through a combination of relaxation techniques and memory visualization. The treatment employs a series of horizontal eye movements to enable clients to effectively rewrite troubling memories. ART provides effective relief from the strong physical and emotional reactions associated with PTSD, trauma, anxiety, and depression.
Since ART was developed in 2008, there have been six research studies completed and several more are in progress. These studies have produced more than 10 published papers about the therapy in scientific peer-reviewed journals including those written by researchers at the University of South Florida. The ART research conducted to date has been federally funded by the Department of Defense and is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health. In 2015, ART was recognized as an evidence-based therapy by the SAMHSA National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.
Restaurateur and entrepreneur Chris T. Sullivan formed and is funding ART International Training and Research, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to making ART more widely available to individuals in need of professional help in order to ameliorate the devastating effects of PTSD and other psychological traumas. The nonprofit is headed by executive director Kelly Breeding and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
An abstract of Dr. Kevin Kip’s manuscript can be viewed online at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/capr.12210. To learn more, contact Julie Scharper at jscharper@hillmanpr.com or call her at (410) 409 -9346.
Brain injury group
hosting May breakfast
Did you know that the tradition of the May breakfast began in Rhode Island? Learn more at the Brain Injury Association of Rhode Island’s May Breakfast and open house on Wednesday, May 1, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Stop by and meet the staff and tour the Brain Injury Resource Center at 1017 Waterman Avenue in East Providence while enjoying breakfast treats and learning more about its services to veterans and other brain injury survivors, their families, caregivers, health-care professionals and advocates. This group is the only nonprofit organization in the state dedicated to brain injury.
To reserve a spot for the breakfast or for more information, send an email to robyn@biari.org. or call (401) 228-3319.
High school to host
fundraiser clambake
Ponaganset High School’s third annual fundraiser clambake is about a month away. The bake is a special class project where students discuss and analyze the history of the traditional clambake and explore why it is still an important part of New England tradition. They will then prepare and serve a traditional New England clambake on May 17, at 6:30 p.m., at the school at 137 Anan Wade Rd. in North Scituate. All proceeds will support the school’s successful Wreaths Across America program in December.
The menu includes all-you-can-eat chowder, soft shell clams, cod fish, red bliss potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet onions, corn on the cob, Saugy hot dogs, two kinds of sausage and watermelon. Tickets cost $30 and must be purchased by May 1 by calling the PHS clambake hotline at (401) 338-6015 or going online to https://bit.ly/2Z3hmQf.
Meetings
— Veterans of Foreign Wars Gatchell Post 306, 6 p.m. Monday, April 15, 171 Fountain St., Pawtucket.
— American Legion William Shields Jr. Post 43, 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 15, 662 West Shore Rd., Warwick.
— R.I. Special Forces Association Chapter 48 business meeting, 7:30 p.m. with optional dinner at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 17, Gregg’s Restaurant, 4120 Quaker Lane, North Kingstown.
— Vietnam Veterans of America James Michael Ray Memorial Chapter 818, social gathering at 6 p.m. followed by meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18, Lincoln Senior Center, 150 Jenckes Hill Rd., Lincoln.
— U.S. Submarine Veterans Rhode Island Base, 7 p.m., Thursday, April 18, R.I. Aviation Hall of Fame building, 6854 Post Rd., North Kingstown, and all qualified submariners are welcome.
— U.S. Navy Seabee Veterans of America Island X-1 Davisville, 9 a.m. Saturday, April 20, Seabee Museum, 21 Iafrate Way, North Kingstown.
— Fleet Reserve Branch 42, 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 20, Seabee Museum, 21 Iafrate Way, North Kingstown.
Send veterans’ meeting and news items to George W. Reilly at VeteransColumn@gmail.com
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