The first time I heard of therapeutic sandtray was from a fellow graduate student whose therapist utilized it in treatment. It struck me as an odd technique, because my only reference was the desk Zen sandtrays with the little rakes and rock. Since then, I have come to understand how meaningful the therapeutic modality could be for clients and clinicians.
The earliest conceptualizations of utilizing therapeutic sandtrays date back to the early play therapy work of Margaret Lowenfeld, Sigmund and Anna Freud, Hermine Hug-Hellmuth, Melanie Klein, and Dana Kalff (Homeyer and Sweeney, 2017, pp. 9-10). Linda Homeyer and Daniel Sweeney name their method sandtray therapy (Perryman, Moss, and Anderson, 2016, pp. 186-187). There is strong evidence that …show more content…
Many conflicting emotions about my relationship with my family were revealed while designing my world; sadness, grief, deep love, and a mild anger. Although I chose some of the miniatures in haste, they turned out to be exactly what was needed to create the tray. When asked if I wanted to make changes, I instinctively began to recreate the scene to display the type of cohesiveness I desired. When my tray was complete, I felt a sense of strength that suggested I could successfully integrate my family, friends, faith, and school/work into a more cohesive life, instead of the compartmentalized one I currently live. My experience as the client was unexpectedly powerful, although the textbooks and classroom discussions had described this emotional exploration as one of the therapeutic benefits of utilizing sandtrays within a therapy setting (Homeyer and Sweeney, 2017; Perryman, Moss, and Anderson, 2016). I was grateful that I was working with a student whom I trusted; this demonstrated the role that a strong therapeutic bond can play while a working with a …show more content…
Homeyer and Sweeney (2017) prepared a comprehensive list of instructions that are helpful to the new sandtray therapist. Although it might prove useful for the clinician to create a personal checklist of steps to follow, it would be vital for the new clinician to understand the benefits of utilizing sandtrays in therapy. Despite the clinician’s interest level of the sandtray process, the client’s needs and readiness would always be the first priority.
After considering my client list, I identified six clients who were far enough along in their dialectical behavioral therapy work to be ready to integrate sandtray therapy into their sessions. Four of the women are domestic violence survivors with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. Their trauma responses to perceived threats, or triggers, must be closely monitored in order to fully benefit from sandtray use. There is the potential for the client to quickly go too deep into their buried emotions while using a sandtray, (personal communication, Cary McAdams-Hamilton, Faculty, Antioch University Seattle, October 15, 2016). According to Kestly (2014), human brains were able to sense danger through the process of neuroception (p 18). The trauma my clients experienced conditioned their brains to be hypervigilant, an increased usage of their neuroception. When danger was detected by the brain,
The earliest conceptualizations of utilizing therapeutic sandtrays date back to the early play therapy work of Margaret Lowenfeld, Sigmund and Anna Freud, Hermine Hug-Hellmuth, Melanie Klein, and Dana Kalff (Homeyer and Sweeney, 2017, pp. 9-10). Linda Homeyer and Daniel Sweeney name their method sandtray therapy (Perryman, Moss, and Anderson, 2016, pp. 186-187). There is strong evidence that …show more content…
Many conflicting emotions about my relationship with my family were revealed while designing my world; sadness, grief, deep love, and a mild anger. Although I chose some of the miniatures in haste, they turned out to be exactly what was needed to create the tray. When asked if I wanted to make changes, I instinctively began to recreate the scene to display the type of cohesiveness I desired. When my tray was complete, I felt a sense of strength that suggested I could successfully integrate my family, friends, faith, and school/work into a more cohesive life, instead of the compartmentalized one I currently live. My experience as the client was unexpectedly powerful, although the textbooks and classroom discussions had described this emotional exploration as one of the therapeutic benefits of utilizing sandtrays within a therapy setting (Homeyer and Sweeney, 2017; Perryman, Moss, and Anderson, 2016). I was grateful that I was working with a student whom I trusted; this demonstrated the role that a strong therapeutic bond can play while a working with a …show more content…
Homeyer and Sweeney (2017) prepared a comprehensive list of instructions that are helpful to the new sandtray therapist. Although it might prove useful for the clinician to create a personal checklist of steps to follow, it would be vital for the new clinician to understand the benefits of utilizing sandtrays in therapy. Despite the clinician’s interest level of the sandtray process, the client’s needs and readiness would always be the first priority.
After considering my client list, I identified six clients who were far enough along in their dialectical behavioral therapy work to be ready to integrate sandtray therapy into their sessions. Four of the women are domestic violence survivors with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. Their trauma responses to perceived threats, or triggers, must be closely monitored in order to fully benefit from sandtray use. There is the potential for the client to quickly go too deep into their buried emotions while using a sandtray, (personal communication, Cary McAdams-Hamilton, Faculty, Antioch University Seattle, October 15, 2016). According to Kestly (2014), human brains were able to sense danger through the process of neuroception (p 18). The trauma my clients experienced conditioned their brains to be hypervigilant, an increased usage of their neuroception. When danger was detected by the brain,