The Eight Frame Colored Squiggle Technique

Abstract

In this art therapy adaptation of the squiggle technique, the client draws eight colored squiggles on a paper folded into eight frames and then develops them into images utilizing a full range of color. The client is encouraged to write titles on each frame and use them to compose a story. This technique often stimulates emergence of meaningful graphic and verbal content in the first session. Significant psychological and perceptual aspects of the process are discussed, including the client's tendency to correlate spatial placement with meaningful imagery and the inclination to try to balance opposites. Case examples illustrate some results of this technique from a Jungian perspective.