Online Therapy Across Massachusetts, Washington State, & Oregon
Heal from Partner Betrayal Trauma in 1-5 Sessions
Stop Living in Survival Mode
It’s 3am and you’re awake again. Not because of an alarm or a noise, but because your brain decided to replay that scene: the one where you found out. Maybe you find yourself checking their phone while they sleep or they’re in the shower.
Morning comes, and your partner kisses you goodbye as they leave for work. They mention they’re running late to a meeting. As they rush out the door, your heart is racing. What meeting? With who? You check their location again.
At lunch with a friend, you’re nodding along to their story when suddenly your mind isn’t there anymore. You’re seeing them together, imagining details your mind fills in like a movie director. Your friend asks if you’re okay. You say you’re just tired.
Evening used to be your favorite time together. Now you watch them watching TV, studying their face for signs of... what? Guilt? More lies? When they laugh at their phone, your chest tightens. "Who’s that?" you ask, trying to sound casual. They show you. It’s their mom. You don't believe them.
In bed, they reach for you and your body recoils. Not because you don't love them, but because different images crowd in: images of them touching someone else this same way. You pretend to be asleep.
You’re experiencing symptoms of partner betrayal trauma:
Intrusive thoughts — Unwanted thoughts of the betrayal, even when you’re trying not to think about it
Hypervigilance — Constantly scanning for signs of deception, checking phones/emails, or being overly alert to potential threats, whether in this relationship or the next one
Sleep problems — Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing nightmares related to the betrayal
Emotional numbness — Feeling disconnected from emotions, relationships, or activities that once brought joy
Anxiety and panic — Sudden, intense fear, racing heart, or other physical symptoms when triggered by reminders of the betrayal
Trust issues and relationship avoidance — Difficulty trusting others, withdrawing from relationships, or feeling unable to form new relationships
Physical symptoms — Headaches, stomach issues, muscle tension, or other physical problems that developed after the betrayal
This isn’t as good as it gets. You can feel like yourself again.
You’ve done a lot of work to feel better…
Whether you’re rebuilding your relationship or starting over on your own, you’ve probably processed your partner’s betrayal verbally until you’re exhausted.
Maybe you've tried couples therapy, individual therapy, support groups, anxiety medication, or countless podcasts about healing from betrayal. You've read every book and joined online communities.
But despite your efforts, the trauma symptoms persist. You still wake up with racing thoughts. You still feel triggered by everyday situations.
This is exactly when Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) becomes most effective: it addresses the neurological impact of betrayal that just talking about the betrayal simply can’t.
How Partner Betrayal Trauma Changes After ART…
After 1-5 ART sessions, many people who have experienced partner betrayal trauma describe their healing journey like this:
Sleep returns — You sleep through the night without grinding your teeth. The nightmares stop. You don't even think about their phone on the nightstand.
Triggers quite literally stop triggering you — You drove past the place it happened three times this week and only realize it later. It doesn't register anymore; it’s just another building you pass.
The detective work disappears — You forget your partner’s phone password because you haven’t used it in months. And it isn’t because you are resisting the urge to constantly verify, it’s because that urge is simply gone.
Your body stays calm — Your body doesn't gear up for threat because it doesn't detect any. Conversations are just conversations.
Intrusive images stop intruding — You realize you haven’t had mental movies in weeks. Not because you're blocking them; they just stopped showing up.
Places are just places again — You choose that restaurant for lunch because it’s convenient and has great tacos. The fact that your spouse went there with the affair partner is now a historical fact, not a trigger; similar to knowing what year it opened. The facts exist without the emotional charge.
Your gut works normally — Your instincts react to actual present-moment information, not past trauma. No second-guessing needed.
You naturally focus forward — Planning next month’s trip. Starting that project. Your brain automatically orients toward the future because the past is truly in the past.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy: 1-5 Sessions for Partner Betrayal Trauma Relief…
What Makes ART Different From Other Approaches?
While traditional therapy focuses on talking through the partner betrayal and understanding it intellectually, ART targets the actual images, emotions, and sensations stored in your brain that trigger you. Using guided eye movements (similar to what your body naturally does during sleep), ART works directly to “reprogram” how distressing memories are stored in your brain so they no longer trigger automatic physical and emotional reactions.
Think of it like reorganizing a filing system in your brain. Right now, partner betrayal-related memories are filed in your “immediate threat” folder, causing your nervous system to react as if danger is present every time they’re accessed.
ART helps move these memories into a different filing system: one labeled “past events that no longer require emergency response.” The facts remain the same, but your brain’s automatic reaction changes completely.
And the best news is that this neurological change is automatic. It’s not something you have to consciously choose or work at maintaining.
But Does It Really Work for Partner Betrayal? The Evidence Resoundingly Says Yes.
While the research on ART for partner betrayal trauma is still emerging, the results from broader trauma studies are directly applicable and profoundly promising.
In other words, your brain’s response to partner betrayal is a trauma response, and ART is designed to resolve it fast.
Here’s what the science tells us:
Rapid results: Most clients see significant relief in 1-5 sessions, not months or years. This isn't just a claim; it's what the data shows. The efficiency of ART means you can stop spending your life managing symptoms and start living it again.
Exceptional completion rates: 94% of people who start ART, complete it. Compare this to ~60% for traditional talk therapy. People stick with ART because they feel that it’s working quickly, which is crucial when you’re exhausted and can’t imagine another long-term therapy commitment.
Profound neurological change: Studies on ART consistently show effect sizes (a measure of treatment strength) that are 2-4 times stronger than traditional therapy. This isn't just “feeling a little better”; it’s measurable, lasting change in how your brain and body respond to triggers.
It works for the tough cases: ART showed a 61% major improvement rate in combat veterans with PTSD: a population that often struggles with other therapies. This demonstrates its power to handle severe, stubborn trauma responses, like those often seen after betrayal.
The research confirms what we see in practice: ART effectively calms the overactive threat response that betrayal trauma creates, allowing your nervous system to finally return to a state of safety.
ART vs. EMDR for Partner Betrayal Trauma
Both ART and EMDR use eye movements to process trauma, but ART offers some advantages for betrayal trauma:
ART:
More structured and directive
Focuses on replacing disturbing images with positive ones
Typically faster results (1-5 sessions vs. 6-12+ for EMDR)
No homework or between-session processing required
Each session is complete in itself
EMDR:
Less directive, more free-association-based
It can sometimes leave you feeling worse (this depends on the person and what they are processing)
Focuses on desensitizing traumatic memories (whereas ART makes them more positive, not just neutral)
Requires stronger therapeutic relationship-building
A 90-minute Accelerated Resolution Therapy session is $500.
While this is a significant investment, the average ART treatment length is 3.7 sessions. This makes ART not only one of the most effective trauma treatments available, but also one of the most efficient, saving you both time and financial resources in the long run.
Total investment for most clients: $500-$2,500.
ART is an investment in your freedom and well-being.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
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I specialize in all types of betrayal: partner betrayal (infidelity, affairs, emotional affairs, pornography addiction, financial deception), family betrayals (parent affairs that destroyed your family, sibling betrayals, inheritance disputes, family business conflicts, discovering family secrets, etc.), friendship betrayals (best friend betrayals, social group exclusions, confidences violated), and professional betrayals (business partnership deception, workplace affairs that affected you, mentor violations of trust).
The common thread is that someone you trusted fundamentally violated that trust, leaving you with symptoms of betrayal trauma. Whether it was a spouse, parent, sibling, best friend, or business partner, your nervous system responds the same way, and ART addresses that trauma response directly.
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No. You don’t have to share any of the specifics. ART works with the images and sensations stored in your nervous system, not the verbal story. You can keep the details private and still process the trauma completely. Many clients find this privacy one of the most relieving aspects of ART.
This is especially helpful for people who are processing a business betrayal or work trauma and they have signed an NDA.
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That’s completely normal. ART helps your nervous system calm down so that you can think clearly about those types of decisions. Right now, trauma is making every decision feel urgent and next to impossible.
After ART, you’ll still have the same choices to make, but you’ll be making them from a regulated place instead of from panic, rage, or numbness.
Many clients say they couldn’t even think about the relationship question clearly until their nervous system settled.
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Based on ART research for trauma generally, most issues resolve in 1-5 sessions, with a 94% treatment completion rate.
While there isn’t specific published research on betrayal trauma and ART yet, complex trauma typically takes 4-5 sessions, while single-incident traumas often need just 1-2.
We'll start with one session and assess from there. You’ll know after the first session if ART is working for you because most people feel noticeably different before they leave.
About Allyson Clemmons, LICSW
Real healing happens in the nervous system, not just in conversation.
After 15 years in traditional talk therapy, I now specialize in helping people who have tried multiple approaches but aren’t finding lasting change. Using ART's bilateral eye movements (similar to what happens naturally during REM sleep) we’ll work directly with how traumatic memories are stored in your brain. Most clients experience their breakthrough in 1-5 sessions instead of months or years.
If you’ve hit a wall with other approaches and want freedom from symptoms (not just management), you’re exactly who I work with.
Licensed in Massachusetts, Washington State, & Oregon
100% Online
Contact Me or Self-Schedule Your ART Session Below
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For questions, please contact me using the form here.
heal the root cause in 1-5 sessions
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heal the root cause in 1-5 sessions —