Guided Drawing® is a bilateral drawing technique (created and taught by Cornelia Elbrecht, BA, MA (Art Ed), AThR, SEP) that integrates body mapping in a trauma-informed manner. This workshop takes core components of this process to help guide healers and helpers in nurturing themselves with the same care and compassion that they offer their patients, clients, family members, friends, etc.

Participants will be supported through use of meditation before engaging in movement of hands, arms, and even whole body when appropriate. We will use rhythmic, repeated scribbles and shapes to convey inner tension and bodily patterns of tension and pain. This process can alleviate physiological symptoms and release embedded emotions. To safely structure the experience, universal shapes like lines, circles, or squares may be introduced.

Adults engage in this practice with their eyes closed, using both hands on large sheets of paper at the same time. Instead of focusing on drawing a specific image, they express their immediate feelings through rhythmic drawing. This process helps them release tension, set boundaries, or soothe themselves. It empowers participants by showing them that they can take actions to improve how they feel.

As the name suggests, Guided Drawing encourages people to listen to their inner guidance, helping their bodies restore self-esteem, balance, and health. This is not an art process, but rather, a way to use mark-making to help document our movements and release our feelings onto an external source.