Restorative Embodiment and the Art of Body Mapping
Body mapping is a form of somatic narrative that captures our lived experiences.
In “The Body Holds the Healing,” I described a concept that is central to expressive arts and somatic therapies—restorative embodiment. In contrast to other somatic therapies, restorative embodiment is what we centralize in expressive arts therapy. The core of expressive approaches is grounded in active participation in novel experiences that reacquaint individuals with curiosity, playfulness, efficacy, and pleasure (Malchiodi, 2022). In other words, embodiment is not only defined as the development of physical awareness but also as an expansion of the capacity to inhabit one’s body and mind in soothing, invigorating, and recuperative ways.

Movement, rhythm, sound, enactment, and play are all forms of embodiment that have the potential to be restorative for body, mind, and spirit. In expressive arts therapy, there are many approaches that focus directly on the body to support restoration through specific strategies and prompts. One of these approaches is called “body mapping,” a guided process of visual and narrative exploration through creating a life-size body portrait.

What Is Body Mapping?
Body mapping is a form of expressive arts therapy that capitalizes on the body as a theme for narratives of lived experiences.