I am also a massage therapist or at least went to school and graduated number one in 2 schools. The main difference is ART uses tissue translation and not deep compression. It is a very precise tool in the hands of someone who is experienced. Deep tissue is great when done properly. I think many tissue problems can be fixed with good tissue work, ART is just another tool in a practitioners tool box. Guys like Mike Prebeg, Steve Radovich, Mark Scappaticci have all transcended to higher levels beyond just ART. I have watched Prebeg work in person and it was amazing.