SOMATIC BODY MAPPING is a therapeutic, body led, creative and ritual process that allows you to explore and visually communicate the stories that you live in and through your body.
It involves painting a life-size representation of your body onto canvas and using creative marks, images, symbols, natural materials and words to map: places in you that are full of life, places that pain, and places that hold hope and potential for the future.
In the process of creating the somatic body map you will discover new links between these places in you and gain a deeper understanding of your own power to create health within you and through your way of living in this world.
SOMATIC BODY MAPPING INTENSIVES take place in an intimate and confidential small group setting and interweave drawing and painting with body & movement meditations, guided visualisation, ritual and personal story telling.
No previous experience is required and there is no need ‘to be artistic’ – in fact many workshops in the past have been with participants who had never before painted or even held a colouring pencil in their hands! Somatic Body Mapping Intensive workshops run over one weekend and take place at The Dojo in Bath throughout the year. They can be attended as a one-off experience or in preparation for the Somatic Body Mapping Mentorship.
The SOMATIC BODY MAPPING MENTORSHIP is designed for somatic, creative and psychotherapists who already have first-hand experience of body mapping and would like to develop the skills to facilitate this transformative process for others. It is aimed at professionals with an established practice or work context into which they wish to introduce somatic body mapping.
I currently offer an Individual Mentorship Program which is tailor made, usually one year long and composed of a series of online and, where possible, in person mentoring sessions. These sessions include teaching of fundamentals, facilitation exercises, creative reflection, planning for practice, and supervision.
I also offer Somatic Body Mapping as part of larger events and projects. As co-founder of Art2Be I have developed the FAMILY ART PROJECT in Kenya which combines body mapping workshops with peer / family work and public awareness campaigns to support people who experience discrimination in their society. This comprehensive approach enables participants to explore their identity, and to find, trust and use their voice more confidently in private and in public life.
BODY MAPPING EVENTS have also taken place in the UK, Kenya, Germany, Austria and the USA. They include campaigns, workshops and exhibitions with pregnant women, mothers and children, children with special needs, LGBTI peer groups, HIV/Aids support groups, women and men living with cancer, as well as professional groups of psychotherapists, social, health and legal workers.
Partner organisations include the German Corporation for Development GIZ, British Council, UNICEF, TICAH (Kenya), MUNDI Global Education Centre (UK, www.mundi.org.uk), Centrespace Gallery Bristol, SOAS Univeristy London, Bath Spa University, University of Bath, Goldsmiths College London, Bates University (USA), The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing (USA), Wiener Aids Hilfe (Austria), Deutsche Aidshilfe (Germany), and Moi Teaching Hospital and Women’s Hospital Nairobi (Kenya).
