Total Eclipse of the Art

With last week’s mini earthquake in NYC and the surrounding tri-state area, and today’s solar eclipse literally on the horizon, it can feel both exciting and unsettling to experience natural phenomena that are outside of our control. Today during a session I was inspired to try a bilateral drawing exercise and was reminded how good it can feel to get out of our comfort zones–especially within the safety of the art therapy space. 

Bilateral drawing engages both the dominant and non-dominant hand in the simple act of scribbling while adapting a mindful, nonjudgmental attitude of curiosity to focus on the sensory, tactile aspects of mark making, and what is emerging emotionally or creatively. I learned several bilateral techniques from a skilled art and yoga therapist, Karen Gibbons, many years ago, and felt inspired to bring it in this morning as a creativity development activity and “ice-breaker” to get us in a creative mindset. There are many ways to try this, in my case we first scribbled with both hands and then used a new color and dominant hand to bring out a representational image from the abstract, reflecting on the entire process after. 

Intentionally doodling with both hands can feel fun and a bit strange, but also has many therapeutic properties. From a clinical standpoint it can aid in tolerating anxiety and building self compassion around perfectionistic tendencies and a harsh inner critic. Additionally, bilateral stimulation engages both hemispheres of the brain, connecting "thinking" to feeling," which can feel deeply grounding and promote self- regulation, including for those who have experienced trauma. If you’re in need of some extra grounding, creative inspiration and/or self care these days, grab yourself a piece of paper, two different colored pencils/crayons, and give it a try!

Art and Post by Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT LPAT PMH-C

---