Sandplay therapy employs the use of numbers and the placement of sand in a section concealed by the sandbox. The therapy creates an impression of the world that is equivalent to the client’s inner state. The play is liberated and artistic because the unconscious progress can be viewed from three perspectives in addition to the pictorial view that resembles a dream scenario.
The therapist can achieve personalization of visions through sequential arrangement of the images as explained by C.G.Jung, which eventually causes the procedures to be induced to ensure the desired results are achieved.
The approach which analytical psychology tries to employ, which Jung identified as the course of individualization, can be defined as the steps that human beings go through to find themselves.
By finding themselves, the humans are able to overcome the doubts and actually incorporate those other arguments with this concept. Being aware of one’s self is the most crucial element of human beings, and according to Jung, the course of finding one’s self commences at birth.
Sandplay applies to both adults and children, and is useful in directing the path to follow if it is necessary to unveil the attributes of unconsciousness. The therapist issues clients numeric figures, which they use to refer to their inner being and thus, act as connectors between their inner-self and the real world. Sandplay tries to fill the vacuum created by lack of finding oneself and success implies that the vacuum is close to being eliminated.
Sandplay empowers the client to overcome the obstacles that define our formation and the worries, and be able to build a commendable bond with the play. When the play carries the client, it becomes possible to experience the inner image of oneself.
It is then obvious that there is creation of a bridge that connects the two worlds: internal and external. The pressure depicted by the images molds the sandbox. The sandbox unveils the fantasy, which strives towards boundlessness, and assumes a definite shape.
The definite shapes dictate the extent that the desire can go. The shapes create a barrier for the desire such that it remains confined. This means that the desire can explore the area within the compartment.
The therapist presents a wide array of numbers to the patient to help him/her choose the appropriate cluster of numbers for building the world that is close proximity. On the other hand, the client can decide to designate one particular number in this process. Clients are fond of this approach because it enables them to figure the issues that are bothering them.
However, it is important to note that the procedures are placed in a sequential manner such that what is not known is at the front line followed by what is known. The element is expected to dictate the path to be followed by the procedures. When the play is in progress, the client is under obligation to adhere to the rules laid out by the elements at the forefront.
The play assumes the role of a negotiator between what can be seen and what cannot be seen and thus, it has extra ordinary attributes for it to be effective in this role. It is also said to be neutral because it does not discriminate any side.
The other significant bridging element revolves around the body and its soul. The picture is portrayed in the sand to enable us identify the relationship that exists between the two entities. It is apparent that the procedure undertaken during molding session can be very intensive and thus, is capable of arousing strong feelings if the elimination of the vacuum is realized in the form of a cute mandala.
It is necessary to create a free but manned area to facilitate the landing of inner forces once expelled. This liberated area makes the client develop a strong feeling of attachment and hence eliminate the fear of rejection.
Similarly, the therapist has a mandate of creating room for the mentioned area and defines its outline. By forming the outline of the free area, the therapist implies that he/she is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the client and the boundaries used to contain the situation to ensure it does not get out of hand.
This initiative helps to build the client’s trust towards the therapist, and without it, the therapy cannot achieve any results. By building on trust, the probability of failure is not hidden but it is rather brought into the limelight and then manipulated in favor of the client.
At analytic stages of Sandplay, the procedures commence and during this period, various characters represent the areas that lack awareness. The landscape first implies that the problem is in close proximity to self-realization, but is hindered by the traces of the challenge.
On many occasions, analyzing the first step can help in predicting the answer and the appropriate approach for implementing the answer to realize the guaranteed. By predicting the challenge’s possible route, we are able to create answers and place them in strategic routes.
The visions that follow guide the entire session towards engulfing the intensity of awareness with the aim of preventing it from escaping while at the same time penetrating into the inner compartment of the individual to explore the subsequent landscape.
The images develop a lot of resistance to exploration as a sign of what lies ahead. In most cases, the patient becomes cooperative at a later phase, which suggests that vacuum has already been filled – Jungian terminology refers to it as self. The psychic encounter ensues and it causes internal ignition of one self and later on causes the spirit to communicate with the body.
The desire of wanting to fill the vacuum diminishes because it discovers that the need was met prior to demand. This realization forms the bond between awareness and lack of awareness. The encounter stirs the processes that favor change.
In essence, we can say that completeness of desire and realization of oneself, which is comprised of body and spirit, becomes an ambition and uses the situation as the platform for initiating change rather than an opportunity for showcasing abilities.
The above argument is based on the possibility of internal progress and thus, we can be certain that the client’s connection with the changes of the internal vision enhances the approach, and avails an artificial appearance to them.
Judging from previous encounters, having inclusive dialogue with the clients and explaining to them the concepts of the sandplaying therapy can actually induce clients to be cooperative while going through the treatment sessions, which is essential in achieving the objectives of the therapy. The sandplaying therapy relies on the relationship between the two entities that is the therapist and the client.
For the purposes of enhancing the healing process, it is important to bond with the areas that are yet to be realized in oneself. The issue of self-discovery requires oral communication prior to the end of the sandplay session.
It is therefore necessary to wait until the procedures involved in sandplaying are long over and the client has survived the procedures because if this were not so, communication would jeopardize the whole process. The focus of this kind of therapy is to mold and identify the visions in the sand and their alignment with inner fears.
In this light, the encounter is an approach of self-discovery that strives to explore unrealized areas by unearthing what lies under these green areas even if it is not experienced orally. The internal encounters regularly take place after there have been changes in the environment of the individual.
Therefore, it is wise for a therapist to take his/her time in studying the characters and their corresponding meanings, trace the characters to their origin, and call upon sandplay when the need arises. The therapist should also be on the look out for characters that are new during the procedures of sandplay because early detection can help in combating the problem.