Guided Drawing with Adults
Drawing with both hands together “engages both hemispheres of the brain, connecting ‘thinking’ to ‘feeling’ which has an impact on trauma recovery.” Cathy Malchiodi.
What is it?
Guided Drawing is a version of bilateral or two-handed drawing, where clients use both hands simultaneously to create marks with crayons, pastels or paint on paper.
As in Clay Field Therapy®, Guided Drawing is not image based - there will be no artwork to take home, and there is no right or wrong in terms of what is created visually.
It is a sensorimotor process, based on tuning into body sensations, then finding a rhythmic movement with art materials to explore and express these. The rhythmic repetition is the key feature: as the client makes the motor movements with the hands they receive sensory feedback through the nervous system into the body.
What happens in a session?
The table is set up with large pieces of paper taped down in front of the client and a selection of coloured crayons, chalk pastels and later on, paint. After settling in, clients are invited to select a crayons or pastel with each hand, close their eyes and focus inwards, noticing any internal sensations. They may find areas of discomfort, tension, pain, ease or flow, in different parts of the body.
Next they simply experiment with both hands together on the paper to find rhythmic patterns which “feel" right, as a way to address or ease the sensation. Often clients find within this simple process that they are connecting with long buried emotions. In the safety of the therapeutic space, these are now able to be felt, acknowledged, named and released.
What are the benefits?
Some of the well recognised general benefits of bilateral drawing are that it can “bring people into the present, it helps to slow breathing, connecting them to the here and now. Clients can also use this exercise for themselves at any time when feeling stressed, overwhelmed or finding it difficult to switch off and relax.” Anna Sheather, Art in Coaching..
When a movement in a Guided Drawing session is found to be a satisfying way of expressing held-in emotions such as grief, frustration or anger, or simply the contentment of feeling safe and calm, the patterns are repeated over and over on the paper for as long as feels right.
During this process, clients will often experience waves of relief at finally allowing these feelings to be fully felt and released. The resulting regulation and settling of their nervous system can be transformational.
The “guidance” referred to in Guided Drawing refers to the inner guidance a client receives as they allow their body and hands to find the necessary movement. It is a simple but profound therapeutic technique, allowing for traumatic memories to be processed and un-coupled from the body without needing to talk about the traumas.
At the end of a session clients are encouraged to find just a few words that describe their experience, and add these to the page. This provides for some cognitive reflection, helping them to remember the process later on, and allows for integration of the internal shifts they have experiences.
Pictured: Words are added to the work at the end of a session, to remind the client of their process.
For a detailed description and discussion of Guided Drawing, see Cornelia Elbrecht’s 2024 essay: https://www.sensorimotorarttherapy.com/blog/embodiment-through-rhythm
In this essay Elbrecht explains the power of sensorimotor art therapy and working directly with the body and the felt sense:
“Rhythmic repetition in Guided Drawing teaches us to trust our own flow. It is an empowering way to unblock bracing patterns and reconnect dissociated parts. The simple rhythmic repetitions foster a sense of trust and inner truth that is more profound than any brilliant cognitive insight.”
Guided Drawing is very suitable as a first experience of Sensorimotor Art Therapy.
