Roads to the Unconscious: A Manual For Understanding Road Drawings

Roads to the Unconscious is a book not only for art therapists, psychologists, social workers, counselors and mental health professionals but for all individuals eager to use the image-making process for self-discovery and personal growth.

The author explains how road drawings are capable of eliciting impromptu imagery that represents the person's origins, the history of his or her life process, experiences to date and intent for the future - even from a single drawing. In addition, the periodic upgrade and reparation of the road can serve as a metaphor for the person's capacity for change and reparation.

Based on psychodynamic principles, the focus is on insight gained through the image-making process. The road drawing technique permits access to inner alleys of the unconscious whereupon the person can familiarize and reintegrate these severed and unfamiliar pathways. This book provides an overview of the theoretical principles and rationale for the road drawing technique, as well as simple directions for administering the task. The author includes illustrations that demonstrate how the technique can be used to elicit graphic representation of the person's "road of life" and serve as a metaphor for the person's capacity for change and restoration.