March 14, 2024

RAMC psychiatrist Dr. Peter Gertonson was recently appointed a Clinical Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. In this role Dr. Gertonson teaches and supervises residents and medical students. Congratulations Dr. Gertonson!

Additionally, Dr. Peter Gertonson was recently trained and has begun practicing two evidence-based therapies – Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

ART is a psychotherapy where the therapist guides the patient, using eye movements, to replace negative images and sensations, usually surrounding trauma, with positive images the patient chooses.  One of the special aspects of ART is that the patient does not need to talk to the therapist about any details of the trauma. Although some trauma can be painful to visualize, ART sessions are calming for the patient and very often joyful.   

EMDR is a structured therapy that encourages the patient to focus briefly on a trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories. EMDR therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma, PTSD symptoms, and numerous other diagnoses.