Bilateral Stimulation, Expressive Arts Therapy, and Trauma: An Introduction

Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) is a widely used approach in many current strategies to address trauma. By the simplest definition, bilateral simply means “involving two sides.” Sensory integration is often associated with bilateral techniques that assist individuals in organizing specific sensations via methods found in occupational therapy. In the process of reparation from psychological trauma, various forms of bilateral stimulation or movement seem to be effective in engaging cross-hemisphere activity in the brain (Shapiro, 2001) and in art therapy possibly because it reconnects “thinking” and “feeling” (Malchiodi, 2003/2011/2020) via the sensory-based processes involved in art making. These applications seem to have an impact on recovery from traumatic events because for many individuals, the limbic system and right hemisphere of the brain are hyperactivated by actual experiences or memories of trauma. In brief, specific processes found in bilateral stimulation may help regulate body and mind thus allowing explicit memory to be reconnected with implicit memory.
For more information see expressive-arts-therapy.think...​ Trauma-Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute Learning Center
The Institute website at www.trauma-informedpractice.com​
The website of Cathy Malchiodi, PhD at www.cathymalchiodi.com​
To find Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy: Brain, Body, and Imagination in the Healing Process, go to Guilford Publications for a free sample at www.guilford.com/books/Trauma...