I’ve been wanting to run a Guided Drawing workshop for some time now, but the restrictions of the pandemic and the new ways of interacting have meant a rather long delay. As I write this, I’m aware of wanting to connect and speak personally to whoever is reading this. A longing to share thoughts and feelings…
Guided Drawing is a bilateral drawing method, i.e. using both hands simultaneously in rhythmic movements to make marks on paper, using chalks, paint, crayon and pastels. It is a sensorimotor art therapy, developed from the findings of a woman called Marie Hippius in the 1930’s. Hippius formed an understanding of the effects emotions were having on individuals handwriting. She called Guided Drawing, ‘meditation in motion’.
Guided Drawing is a body focused form of art therapy, by which I mean, the emphasis is on internal orientation, such as tension in the shoulders or butterflies in the stomach. This is very much a process bias form of art therapy, the focus is on how it feels. Once we feel these movements, we can begin to be aware of their sensory resonance in the body. As this happens affect arises and we can respond emotionally.
The drawing process mirrors the tension and collapse in the muscles and viscera, as well as the powerful emotions associated with our limbic heritage. Guided Drawing does not ask for a story however, but rather assists in reducing stress and regulating the nervous system.
I am really excited to be hosting four Guided Drawing workshops in June and July, please see the flyer below for details and I look forward to welcoming you. I’ve also added a short film to show Guided Drawing in action.
Lisa Snook - Art Psychotherapist 