Sandplay therapy is one of the most powerful approaches to reach for the depths of Self. The creator is gifted an opportunity to express something that is often unexpressable in words.

Wheter I am witness or builder, I am touched again and again by the invitation to enter a symbolic world.

Dora Maria Kalff (1904 - 1990), Jungian Psychologist and student of Margaret Lowenfeld, developed in the late fifties the therapeutic method called "Sandplay Therapy". It is based on the Depth Psychology of C.G. Jung and on the "World Technique" originated by Margaret Lowenfeld, an innovative pediatrician and founder of one of the first psychological clinics for children in England in 1928. Lowenfeld set up the classical tools later adapted by Sandplay Therapy, a tray filled with sand and miniatures allowing to represent inner psychological contents in the creation of a three- dimensional world.[1]

Although originally began as a technique to use in child therapy, sandplay therapy is now used with children and adults. Patients are invited to create and/or destroy scenes in the sandtray as a method to non-verbally communicate a piece of their story. Kalff taught that the sandtray scene and the witnessing of the therapist together provides a “free and protected space” for development and healing to take place. The healing is guided by the patient’s psyche rather than the therapist. In 1962, Kalff began to train therapists. Eventually the International Society for Sandplay Therapists (ISST) was established using Kalff’s principles and techniques. There are also numerous regional chapters around the world.

Sandplay therapy is sometimes a process in and of itself, in which the patient works primarily in the sandtray. Often the scene is created in silence or relative silence, with the therapist as participating through witnessing and “holding” the space. The patient is typically asked if s/he wants to say anything. The approach bears a deep respect for silence and the non-verbal and sensory. Thus, words while welcomed, are not necessary. At times, sandplay is an adjunctive tool that supplements Jungian analytic work. 

I am a certified teaching member of the International Society of Sandplay Therapy. This society prescribes a specific training program for therapists that includes familiarity with Jungian work and the symbolic. It also includes a therapist experiencing her or his own personal sandplay process. It is crucial that the therapist is comfortable with the power of silence, as well as the mystery of the unconscious. 

As an analyst, I incorporate sandplay work into my practice. I am constantly astounded by the power of this approach. I am reminded of the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” I often want to replace it with “An image is worth a thousand words.”   

[1] https://www.isst-society.com/history - written by Dr. Martin Kalff, son of Dora Kalff, website accessed May 2, 2019.