by Kiki Abbott More
Sometimes we know something is wrong before we have the words to explain it.
Our shoulders tighten. Our stomach drops. We feel restless, heavy, numb, energized, or
frozen. We may know something is happening inside, but our thoughts can’t quite catch
up.
As an art therapist, this is one of the reasons I am so drawn to somatic-based art
therapy. I have spent much of my professional life working with people who have plenty
to say—but sometimes don’t have the words, or don’t yet feel safe enough to say them.
I have also come to appreciate that our bodies are communicating with us all the time. A
tight chest, a clenched jaw, a desire to move, a sudden heaviness—these experiences
can become invitations to slow down and become curious rather than something we
immediately try to fix.
Somatic approaches invite us to notice what is happening in the body—sensations,
movement, tension, temperature, breath, impulses, and shifts in energy. Art therapy
adds another language: colour, line, shape, texture, image, movement, and
metaphor.
Rather than asking, “What does this picture mean?”, I might ask:
“What do you notice happening in your body as you make this?”
A client might notice that their hand presses hard into the paper when they talk about
anger. Someone might choose very small marks when describing feeling overwhelmed.
Another person might discover that using expansive movement, colour, or texture
creates a sense of space and relief.
For me, the beauty of this work is that there isn’t always a need to immediately
explain or interpret the experience. We can notice it first.
We can make a mark.
We can change the colour.
We can tear the paper.
We can make the image bigger—or smaller.
We can pause.
We can notice what our body is telling us.
Somatic-based art therapy isn’t about forcing emotions out or interpreting every mark as
a hidden message. It is about developing a more compassionate relationship with our
internal experience.
After years of working therapeutically with people through words, I have come to deeply
value what can happen when we give the body and the creative process a seat at the
table.
Sometimes therapy doesn’t begin with finding the right words.
Sometimes it begins with noticing the body—and making a mark.
If you want to try art therapy with Kiki, you can book a free consultation here: kikifeltsensepsychotherapy@gmail.com
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