Guided Drawing® is a bilateral drawing approach that supports body mapping in a trauma-informed way. Clients draw rhythmically repeated scribbles to express inner tension, patterns of bracing and pain held in the body. In a second step they will apply massage movements according to their inner needs, often with finger paints. In this way physiological symptoms can be eased, and the embedded emotions released. Universal shapes such as a line, circle or square can be introduced in order to safely structure the experience. This embodied art therapy approach is informed by neurobiological insights into human stress responses.
Adults draw with closed eyes and both hands on large sheets of paper. Guided Drawing does not use imagery, but the direct expression of one's felt sense. In rhythmic repetition individuals can release tension and pain, assert their boundaries or soothe and nurture their soul. What clients experience in its immediacy is that they can do something to help themselves, and that their actions have a tangible impact on their felt sense, which can be deeply empowering.
As the name suggests, the approach encourages listening to inner guidance, to what the body needs to restore self-esteem, balance and health.
“Neuroplasticity has discovered that through creating new experiences, we can help the brain recalibrate itself towards responding adequately to the current reality, interrupting destructive habits and negative belief systems from the past. Such a process allows clients to rewrite their biography towards a more authentic, alive sense of self.” From Elbrecht, Cornelia. Healing Trauma with Guided Drawing; a sensorimotor art therapy approach to bilateral body mapping. 2018
Sensorimotor Art Therapy®
Clay Field Therapy®
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