Neurographic art

Domain VIII · Creative & expressive arts therapies · Pavel Piskarev · 2014 · Russia

What it is

Neurographics (нейрографика, also "Neurographica" in English marketing) is a structured drawing method created by Russian psychologist Pavel Piskarev (doctor of psychological sciences; the publisher also calls him a psychologist working with expanded states of consciousness), dated to 2014 by most…

Format

• Neurographics is a set of drawing algorithms, not a phased course of therapy. The "phases" are the stages of one drawing, repeated as a series.
• Session count and format.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• What it is. Neurographics (нейрографика, also "Neurographica" in English marketing) is a structured drawing method created by Russian psychologist Pavel Piskarev (doctor of psychological sciences; the publisher also calls him a psychologist working with expanded states of consciousness), dated to 2014 by most sources. Kitaeva describes it as an art-therapy and art-coaching method used in counselling, psychotherapy,…
• Professional frame. Neurographics is not a regulated profession and no statutory registration exists for it. Institute certificates (user, specialist, instructor) are private credentials. They do not confer a protected title such as "art therapist" (UK HCPC/BAAT; US ATCB/AATA). A psychotherapist uses it as a drawing exercise inside their own licensed scope and existing ethics. Offering it under the name…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status, as the sources give it. Claims about the brain, such as "new neural connections", the premotor cortex and "reprogramming", are the founder's and practitioners' own theory. Kitaeva names "insufficient evidential data" as the research problem. Her own study (24 vs 23 women already…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• comparison and shame about "good" drawings; members interpreting each other's drawings. Set a rule that only the maker interprets.
• fresh sharp crossings created by these lines; round them (4.4). Working sign: the drawing looks unified and the client's posture opens.
• wish-fulfilment framing (the handout promises health effects and "synchronising with space"). Keep it a planning and reflection exercise tied to real steps.
• Buslova notes that drawing many lines to the edge can leave a chaotic tangle that feels hard to control. Choose АСО-2 or reduce the number of lines in that case.
• a client choosing only dark colours, or refusing colour. Note it and ask about it, but do not interpret it diagnostically. Working sign: engagement and visible pleasure or relief.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.