Workshops

Rachel Borntrager’s “Soma-Line Method” workshops reflect her central philosophy: “Art to honor wholeness.” With more than a decade as a professional artist and nearly the same depth of experience in therapeutic spaces, Rachel brings together the two modalities to process the body’s emotions and physiological responses to life’s experiences. 

“Trauma can register within our bodies on a cellular level,” says Harvard Medical School in their introduction to somatic therapy. This new approach to mental health work focuses on the body and the emotions that can become trapped in our bodies. By using movement and breath to process the stories of our lives, we release emotions and lessen their power over our physical being. 

Rachel’s Soma-Line Method workshops aim to provide new ways of understanding how our bodies need art. With a background in art, music, and therapy, Rachel aims to help participants understand more of the synesthetic nature in art and creative practice as a way of moving through complex life experiences. Through the use of line and color, Rachel guides participants through mapping their “current state of being” or their “memory” or “double-memory” Soma-Line paintings.

Soma-Line Method workshops are often collaborative events, in which Rachel joins with therapists, healthcare professionals, and also other local artists.