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Bilateral Drawing for the Self

Janine Moffat

I attended a course on bilateral drawing that allowed me to find another approach when working with clients or myself in thinking about self-exploration and reparation. Also, for some clients this guided approach can look more into their trauma by involving movement and this repetition to help reduce possible feelings of being stuck, withdrawn, or dissociative, creating a shift from the difficult sensations in the body to a different, self-empowered focus. Although in this blog I am going to talk more about how any individual can use this technique in working to self-regulate.


Self-regulation means being able to soothe and calm the body’s reactions to stress, and having the ability to control emotional, sensory, and somatic responses, and bilateral means ‘involving two sides.’


The process is seen as drawing with your eyes closed eyes, using both hands on large sheets of paper, using the direct expression of one's felt sense. In rhythmic repetition, you can release tension and pain, assert boundaries, or soothe and nurture your soul. This experience can allow us to do something for ourselves and these actions can have an impact on this felt sense which can be deeply empowering.



By using art in this way, we are engaging both sides of our brain, reconnecting these thinking and feeling parts together, which can be a grounding or self-regulating experience for many people. Starting by using a material that’s comfortable for you drawing rhythmically to express inner tension, blocking, or pain held in the body. Then begin to apply more massage movements listening to our needs, this can be done with a different material, usually finger paints. Allowing physiological symptoms to be eased, and the embedded emotions released. Some other lines or squares can be introduced during or after this process to help provide a structured and natural boundary for this experience.


Overall, this approach encourages listening to our inner guidance, to what the body needs to restore self-esteem, balance, and health. It is through the rhythmic repetition and not the image itself that we can express this felt sense. The rhythmic repetition creates inner flow and trust in the self.


“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.” (Elbrecht, 2018)



Elbrecht Cornelia. 2018. Healing Trauma with Guided Drawing; a sensorimotor art therapy approach to bilateral body mapping.

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