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What is Sandplay therapy?

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Sandplay therapy was created by Dr Margaret Lowenfeld in the late 1920’s and was inspired by her work with children who had gone through the trauma of World War I in Poland.

Her work was further developed in the fifties by Dora Kalff, a Swiss Jungian analyst who is credited with the method as we know it today.

 

During a sandplay session, the client uses objects, toy figures and sometimes water which are then placed freely into a sandbox creating scenes that reflect the person’s inner thoughts, struggles, and concerns. After the client is done placing the items in the box, the counselor and the client sometimes discuss the client’s choice of objects, the arrangement of the items in the box and the possible meaning(s) of the scene. Based on this discussion, the client can decide to make changes (adjustments) to the world he has created if he feels it is needed.

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How does it work?

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Sandplay is a very creative, intuitive and spontaneous process which gives us access to our deeper emotions. It allows us to see where the real issues or blockages are as well as identify and call upon the resources we need to overcome / face the situation in a symbolic way. By making changes in the scenes the clients have created in the sandbox, they are often empowered to make similar changes in their real world.

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For whom?

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Sandplay is especially well suited in working with kids as they have a difficult time expressing their inner feeling with words.  

Adults as a complement to other approaches when situation is too overwhelming to put into words or has thought about it for too long... 

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