I have certificates in two specific sensorimotor art therapy techniques: Clay Field and Guided Drawing (also known as bilateral drawing).

Sensorimotor art therapy shares many of the aims and theoretical foundations of Somatic Experiencing. It differs in its practical application through artistic materials and its central focus on the sensorimotor base of the nervous system (peripheral nervous system, mid-brain, cerebellum and brainstem).

It is "trauma-informed" and applies Stephen Porges' polyvagal theory and recognizes Bruce Perry's three levels of brain functioning (Regulating, Relating, Reasoning).

Practical examples:

Elaboration of counter-productive learnt beliefs in the autonomic nervous system:
Learnt belief: When I say "no" something bad will happen/the person will no longer love me.
Result: I can't say "no" and the idea of making others respect my boundaries evokes fear.
By experiencing actions performed with artistic materials, my arms and hands can begin to define tangible boundaries. Clay offers a different response from the one I've become used to receiving. My muscles experience my strength and my brain registers this sensation. The memory of danger is replaced with a memory of effectiveness. The next time I find myself needing to say “no”, there is the possibility that instead of activating a threat response (that would inhibit a "no"), I mayl instead be able to choose whatever voluntary action I desire.

Finding satisfaction in your actions:
For many different reasons the body can become a dangerous space to inhabit. This phenomenon can manifest itself in many different ways: I find that my mind often goes elsewhere, I can't sit still, I have a feeling of emptiness inside, difficulty sleeping... anxiety, depression, emotional dependence, a sense of uselessness in life, agitation, hyper-activation, lack of motivation. One aspect could also be that of never feeling satisfied. This phenomenon, which does not necessarily correspond to the life goals a person has actually achieved or not, can be explained on a sensorimotor level by the following.

The peripheral nervous system is organized into two branches: the motor one which produces action (muscle movement) and the sensory one which brings the resulting sensation to the brain (the five senses). These two systems are closely linked in a loop (cycle) whereby the five senses bring information to the brain, which responds accordingly with an action, which in turn produces a new sensation, which results in another action etc. If the body has become a dangerous place, a phenomenon can be triggered by which the brain struggles to bring the sensations reported by the sensory system to consciousness. The result is that, not receiving feedback, my actions fail to produce satisfaction. This lack of satisfaction can manifest itself at different levels in life.

With sensorimotor art therapy, you can slowly teach the brain and body to stay with the sensations and little by little come into contact with the kind of deep satisfaction from one's actions that some call the joy of living, the simple pleasure of existing and witnessing that that splash of paint was made by you!

That's the theory! My service users have reported positive results.