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Sandplay is “hands on” psychological work, and is an adjunct to talk therapy. It is a powerful therapeutic method that facilitates the psyche’s natural capacity for healing.

 

In a “free and protected” space provided by a trained sandplay therapist, the client creates a concrete manifestation from his or her imagination using sand, water, and miniature objects. In this way Sandplay helps honor and illuminate the client’s internal symbolic world, providing a place for its expression within a safe container.

 

With sufficient time and understanding, a sandplay experience can lead the client into layers of experience that are pre-verbal and long forgotten to the conscious mind. Through the tangible emergence of personal and archetypal symbols in the tray in a safe environment, the client moves toward a sense of balance and wholeness.

Harriet Friedman and Rie Rogers Mitchell