Healing Trauma in Children with Clay Field Therapy
- 384 pages
- 14 hours of reading
"Treating trauma in children through creative play with clay"-- Provided by publisher





"Treating trauma in children through creative play with clay"-- Provided by publisher
A body-focused, trauma-informed art therapy that will appeal to art therapists, somatic experiencing practitioners, bodyworkers, artists, and mental health professionals While art therapy traditionally focuses on therapeutic image-making and the cognitive or symbolic interpretation of these creations, Cornelia Elbrecht instructs readers how to facilitate the body-focused approach of guided drawing. Clients draw with both hands and eyes closed as they focus on their felt sense. Physical pain, tension, and emotions are expressed without words through bilateral scribbles. Clients then, with an almost massage-like approach, find movements that soothe their pain, discharge inner tension and emotions, and repair boundary breaches. Archetypal shapes allow therapists to safely structure the experience in a nonverbal way. Sensorimotor art therapy is a unique and self-empowering application of somatic experiencing--it is both body-focused and trauma-informed in approach--and assists clients who have experienced complex traumatic events to actively respond to overwhelming experiences until they feel less helpless and overwhelmed and are then able to repair their memories of the past. Elbrecht provides readers with the context of body-focused, trauma-informed art therapy and walks them through the thinking behind and process of guided drawing--including 100 full-color images from client sessions that serve as helpful examples of the work.
Focusing on trauma healing, this book serves as a comprehensive training manual for art therapists and mental health professionals. It details the sensorimotor methods of the Clay Field art therapy discipline, encompassing essential elements such as setting, theoretical foundations, practical applications, and illustrative case studies. By integrating these components, readers gain valuable insights into effective therapeutic practices for both adults and children.
This book explains: How drawing abstract shapes such as a vertical or a circle can evoke archetypal life pattens How to express strong emotions safely in a non-verbal way How the body-mind connects us to mythic depth How to journey through the twelve phases of transformation such as birth, success, surrender, death and rebirth into wholeness Guided Drawing is a unique art therapy technique; a creative way to tell our Greater Story. Archetypes are evoked through the mindful repetition of simple abstract shapes, often with both hands and closed eyes. In trusting one’s inner guidance the unconscious can reveal painful memories, destructive powers, but also unexpected wisdom and abundant healing. Decades of development have created this invaluable tool for therapists, students and artists that combines Jungian Analytical Psychology, transpersonal approaches, bodywork and art.