Healing boundaries: a teenager's experience of art therapy integrated with Somatic Experiencing

ABSTRACT Background Sensorimotor Art Therapy acknowledges the importance of Somatic Experiencing (SE) in its development as a physiological technique to treat trauma. Both disciplines seek to regulate the nervous system, favouring stress management and affect regulation. This article promotes the integration of SE within psychodynamically-oriented art therapy pathways, so that psychological and physiological techniques can compliment each other. Context This paper is based on an interview with 13-year-old Federico Gentile (pseudonym). He has had weekly individual art therapy sessions for two years. Art therapy began 15 months after he began living with his adoptive parents. Approach Trauma can be defined as the rupture of a boundary on many different levels (physiological, psychological, social). A common thread throughout the sessions was the testing and repairing of boundaries. The therapist herself found it necessary to break two boundaries: giving the user a gift and integrating SE techniques from outside our field. Outcomes The young boy (as lived-experience-author) explains how he sees and defines himself describing which interventions helped him be ‘more controlled now’ and see his life ‘in colour, instead of just grey’. Conclusions Treating trauma requires a complex approach, focused in the here and now, ignoring the mind’s theory of ‘should’ and responding to the body’s ‘felt sense’. Implications for Research SE has enhanced my ability to work physiologically, integrating bodily sensations with affect and imagery. Further research could offer guidelines towards an integrative approach that could be useful to other psychodynamically trained art therapists working with attachment trauma. Plain-language summary Trauma has physical as well as psychological consequences and therefore needs healing in both these aspects. A form of art therapy known as ‘sensorimotor’ that focuses on bodily sensations and muscular (motor) responses has been developed for this purpose (pioneered by Cornelia Elbrecht), based on knowledge gained from Somatic Experiencing (pioneered by Peter Levine). I am trained in Sensorimotor Art Therapy and have found that further training in Somatic Experiencing is helping me introduce this outlook into my art therapy practice, allowing me to shift my focus when necessary from the art materials to the body, exploring the body’s response as it interacts with the materials. I believe this could be useful to other art therapists who wish to broaden their horizons in this direction. I interviewed 13-year-old Federico Gentile (pseudonym) in order to present his experience of art therapy from his perspective. At the time of interview, Federico had done art therapy with me for 2 years. We began sessions 15 months after he began living with his adoptive parents. I find it helpful to think of trauma as an experience that goes beyond our limits in many different ways: it challenges our physical, mental and social limits of toleration. As such it is no surprise that our therapy was centred around testing limits. As the therapist, I overstepped two limits: giving the boy a gift and integrating Somatic Experiencing techniques from outside our field. Federico talks about specific things in art therapy that helped him be ‘more controlled now’ and see his life ‘in colour, instead of just grey’. There is no one answer to healing trauma and sometimes, when we are beyond our limits and don’t ‘know’ what’s right, we can only respond by ‘feeling’ what’s right. Somatic Experiencing helps us contact and trust that ‘feeling’.