Insomnia Alleviated with Accelerated Resolution Therapy: Two Case Studies

Insomnia is a common disorder among persons with cancer that depletes physical and emotional resources needed to cope with cancer and its treatment. Acceleration Resolution Therapy® (ART®) is a trauma-based psychotherapeutic intervention that uses a mind-body approach to process memories and experiences to positively influence current thought patterns, emotions, and behaviors. ART has been shown to improve sleep in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder, but there is little evidence evaluating ART as an intervention for insomnia. The purpose of this article is to describe our clinical experience with using ART for the treatment of insomnia in cancer. We describe two cases of patients with advanced or relapsed cancer who were treated for insomnia with a single session of ART. Both participants showed improvements in sleep after a single ART session. One participant experienced improvements in sleep duration. The other participant was able to consistently sleep through the night when she had not been able to do that in the past. ART may be a nonpharmacological option for management of insomnia among persons with cancer, though more research evidence is needed.