How is Sandtray Play used in a session?

The Sandtray session involves several stages including an initial gathering of information by the
therapist about the client's situation, feelings, and challenges.

The client then "builds" a Sandtray by placing figurines and objects in the tray. The therapist
facilitates a discussion around the objects that reveal the client's story.

All of these stages help uncover the truth behind the challenges so that clarity replaces confusion.

Why is Sandtray Play powerful?

Sand Tray play is client-centered and not interpreted by the therapist whose function is to witness
and hold the space for the maker. The World maker tells the story of their World making their own
fluid interpretations or conclusions that may change for them over time.

The power of the free and spontaneous play process is many as it accesses the player(s), or World
makers’, preverbal primary process, which is that of image. While taking us back to how we
originally experience the world around us, the play process also incorporates the use of our other
senses, sound, touch, smell and even taste. The play allows the maker of the World to be in the
past, the present and the future to experience them on the physical and spiritual planes of
existence.

Sand Tray play is sacred play, the bridge from the internal mind, Psyche or the Soul, to the external
mind, Ego. It allows us to extract the internal world of the unknown for which there may be no
words and bring those experiences into view where words and consciousness may be found to
understand the internal or unconscious experience.

Is Sandtray Play right for me?

 

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 Developed in the early 1900's, Sandtray Play has now been incorporated into many other fields
outside of the psychological community, such as education and the business world.
Sandtray Play's many uses are appropriate with individuals, couples, families, and groups for
psychotherapy, personal growth, problem solving, goal setting, visioning, team building, any
transformational settings, or workshops.

Sandtray Therapy     
What is Sandtray Therapy?
     Sandtray therapy, more commonly called Sandplay therapy, is a form of therapy that was first
developed by Dr. Margaret Lowenfield, a child psychiatrist in London who was looking for a way to
help children express the "inexpressible". She recalled reading the writings of H. G. Wells, in which
he described his observations of his two sons playing with miniature figures on the floor and had
realized that they were using the toys to work out their problems with each other and other members
in the family. She obtained several miniatures and put them on shelves in her office. The first child to
see them, took several of the miniatures, brought them to the sandbox and began playing with them
in the sand. She realized that using the figures in the sand was helpful to the child and she made this
her standard practice in working with children. This became known as the World Technique.

     Later, Dora Kalff, a Jungian Analyst in Zurich who had trained under Carl Jung, heard about the
work of Dr. Lowenfield. She was very interested in learning about the World Technique and went to
study under her. She soon recognized that the use of the World Technique helped children work out
their feelings of anger, sadness and fears. In addition, she saw that it helped children resolve
developmental issues, and provided for the process of individuation and transcendence, which are
classic goals of depth psychology and Jungian therapy. She became the first therapist to use the
technique with children in her practice, which later became known as Sandplay.

     Sandplay is now used by therapists around the world in their work with children, adolescents,
adults of all ages, families and couples. Some therapists even use sandplay in group therapy! The
process of sandplay therapy is to use sand and miniatures to make a world of your own in the sand. I
like to compare it to art therapy, where you make pictures or craft projects to express your feelings
or represent aspects of your personal experiences and world beliefs. In sandtray therapy, you do the
same thing, except there seems to be something more transcendent about this process. This is my
opinion of course!

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    When you first do a sandtray, I ask you to chose figures and place them in the sand. You are
allowed to add water to the sand to make it wet if you like, so that the sand is moldable. I encourage
you to "allow the figures pick you," and not to set out to make a specific picture, "just let what your
psyche guide you." It is a strange instruction I know, but when people get into the process, they
quickly figure out what this instruction means. They find themselves drawn to certain figures,
repelled by others and some they just don't seem to see at all. As they arrange the figures in the sand,
the magic begins to take place. A picture is formed; one that only the "sandplayer" truly knows
about. Often a sandplayer doesn't even have an idea of what he is making, he just lets his
subconscious guide him and the end result is a very meaningful representation of what is happening
just underneath the surface. The figures take on meaning that is highly specific to each individual
sandplayer. A person typically knows when he is done with the tray. It is an instinctual. As you peer
into the tray, the meanings of the tray become more clear. Sometimes people have no idea what
meaning is contained in the tray. This is okay too. Your psyche knows and will use the process to heal
itself. This is the beauty of sandtray - just the very act of creating a sandtray with an experienced
therapist who witnesses your sandplay is, in itself, the therapy. At the end of the process, your
creation can be discussed in therapy, Sometimes you may find that you do not want to share anything
about the tray, but just allow the material to set in your mind awhile. This is also fine. There are no
rules to the technique. The only rules are what you make. At the end, I give you a picture of your tray
to keep.

     Some people prefer not to use the figures, but instead use the sand itself to make the picture. This
is fine too of course. Each sandtray is highly personal to each sandplayer. Everyone develops their
own style and preference as they use the technique. The trays typically have tremendous significance
for the person making the tray and the process helps one resolve many underlying psychic conflicts.
Through therapy, the use of sandplay is an excellent use of projection that allows you to express
things non-verbally. My experience has told me that while talking in therapy is very valuable,
sometimes there are things that cannot be expressed through verbalization. Another outlet is
required for these things. This is where sandplay is so helpful. It allows you to get to express the
things you have trouble speaking, or do not even know need to be said.

     There is no mystery to the process, although it may feel this way. All people learn early in life to
use the earth, water and toys to work through conflicts and resolve developmental issues. As we grow
older, we set aside the use of projection on toys and learn to speak about our concerns. Hopefully we
learn to communicate our thoughts and feelings to others and to verbally resolve our differences. But
there can be something lost in the process, which is rediscovered in sandplay.

     Many adolescents and adults initially feel silly using the sandtray in therapy, because they fear
they are being asked to "play in the sand." This is a normal initial concern. But, in my experience,
when they engage in the process, they realize that they are not being asked to "play like a child," but
rather to use a powerful therapeutic technique that puts them totally in control of their own healing
process. They learn to use this as a tool of self-expression, one which they have been denied by the

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growing up process, but that their spirit actively seeks out. Many of my clients have reported that
they felt the sandtray was able to reach the areas in their psyche that needed healing and expression
but were never able to be reached through traditional means of talk therapy. This was my own
experience of talk therapy as well. When I learned the technique and had to use it for myself, I
discovered doing sandtray work helped me do what talk therapy couldn't, which is why I love it so
much! Even I seek out sandplay therapists when I see a therapist, because I have personally found it
so helpful in my own life! I don't ask my clients to do anything that I wouldn't, and haven't, also used
myself.

 
 
       Other forms of therapy I use include art therapy, modified play therapy techniques that are
appropriate to teens and adults, bibliotherapy and I integrate videos into therapy if appropriate.
There are times that I will ask a client to try something new. I may ask a client to draw a picture, use
a crafts technique or do a collage for example. I do have expressive toys that teens use during
therapy. These toys are appropriate primarily for adolescents, and adults sometimes also enjoy using
them at times. Art and "play" therapy techniques are used to supplement the therapy and provide
alternative modes of expression as talk therapy can be limiting for many people. I have stuffed
animal puppets throughout the office that many people find comforting or engaging. I may use
puppets in a creative capacity, however I do not ask teens or adults to act things out using puppets, as
therapists do with children. In addition I also have many creative therapy games and an extensive
library of books about various topics of interest to my clients. I do not usually loan my books out, but
rather use them for clients to look at and purchase on their own if they think it will be helpful. I do
sometimes assign homework as well, or do it during the session.

Number and Structure

A Mathematician's View of Archetypes

Professor Dr.rer.nat. Wolfgang Everling, Hamburg,

e-mail: cweverling.hamburg@t-online.de

Summary
Listening to a lecture on The Archetypal Meaning of Numbers at the Vancouver ISST Conference 1999 and
viewing the supporting slides it struck me that most of the presented meaning of numbers was not inherent in their
values but in the structure of arrangements associated with them. This lead the speaker to present a multitude of
graphs for each number, the choice and distinction of which was not fully discussed.

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The same misleading approach is taken in a book on The Mysterious World of Numbers by Otto Betz. It arranges
articles headed by and writing about one number each in the style of a symbol dictionary. Yet each article
compiles a variety of different -- and sometimes contradictory -- meanings all attributed to the same heading
number; the reader is left without guidance which of these meanings may apply to his case in question.

Carl Gustav Jung discusses numbers as archetypes extensively in his Ufo study [A Modern Myth - objects seen in
the sky (1958), therein Sections 3.-5. (Collected Works 10, § 724-780)]. What he in fact desribes - e.g. in
paintings - are various structures and rarely a meaning of the numbers themselves. The summary § 805 states
that 'natural numbers are ordering archetypes' - where ordering again is a structure. He puts this in parallel with
the Self as an Archetype.

In my own field of Computer Architecture I am aware of a similar situation: data are often understood as values
only, ignoring or forgetting about the algebraic structures into which they are embedded, i.e. the relations between
them and operations with them. These, however, are what determines the meaning and use of numbers. Their
mystification is of course inadequate in an era of worldwide computer use.

In this note I present some fundamental concepts of numbers and their natural algebraic structure. This
constitutes an Archetype of Numbers. Then I discuss examples of structures which -- by counting their elements --
may be associated with numbers but have archetypal meaning of their own. This differentiation may help the
Sandplay therapist to better appreciate the meaning of structures whenever they occur in a Sandplay process.

I would like to acknowledge that some remarks by Sigrid Loewen-Seifert on Symmetry in Sandtrays and Nehama
Baum's contribution to a podium discussion about Creation Myths in Vancouver 1999 were additional incentives
to write this note.

Concepts

Numbers
Although our education prejudices us to consider the sequence 1,2,3,4, . . . as the natural numbers there are
many other options to define numbers.

The most general notion for a system of numbers is its being a set of objects which are related and
permit operations on them. Already for the natural numbers several meaningful sequences have been
used by various cultures such as

marks in a wood or knots in a rope: |,||,|||,||||, . . .

the Hebrew alphabet which I cannot read at all
the Greek alphabet which I at least know to pronounce: alpha, bet-a,
gamma, delta . . .
Roman numbers: I,II,III,IV, . . .
or recently for computers: 000001, 000010, 000011, 000100, . . .
Mathematicians have carefully extracted the properties common to all these examples and formulated them as
rules, or axioms:
A Every number x in the set has one and only one number corresponding
to it; it is called its direct successor, written in shorthand as s(x) (read: s
of x)
B There is a particular number -- denoted by c from constant -- in the set
that is not a successor

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 C No number is the direct successor of more than one number
D Every number other than c is the direct or a later successor of c
You may easily check that all of the above examples follow these rules. They are so straightforward that
whichever culture sets up a system for counting will end up with a system obeying them - unless it falls short of
them like the Polynesian system: One, Two, Three, Many. Hence the axioms constitute in a precise sense what
might be called the collective archetype of all natural number systems.

Rule B is at the basis of Nehama Baum's remark that the bible does not write of a first day -- after the separation
of day's light and night's darkness -- but just of a day: the element c plays a unique role without referring to other
numbers. Also, rule A gives a reason why the bible continues by writing of another day, the corresponding one, --
whereas the second day (from Latin: secundus - the following) is an adequate expression only with the naming
convention at the end of rule A.

Maps
As an abbreviation for correspondence of one and only one element of a set to every element of a set the words
mapping or even shorter map are in use. In a road map, to every point of the country's soil there corresponds one
and only one point of the printed paper. Colors for roads, forests, rivers etc. are used to make the correspondence
recognizable. In particular, each of the corresponding elements of a map can be taken from the same set as the
one to which it corresponds. The set is then said to be mapped into itself. This is the case for the above number
systems where for each element the corresponding one is written right next to it. Rule A now reads: There is a
map s of the numbers into themselves.

Another type of map has one and only one element corresponding to every pair of two elements of a set. Addition,
for example, is a map + by which the sum x+y corresponds to the pair of x and y; it is usually called an operation
rather than a map. Apparently the map s can also be described by using +: for all numbers x holds s(x)=1+x.

Relations
The . . . one and only one element . . . in the concept of maps is restrictive but opens the way to efficient
computation. . . . to every element of a set is also particular.

In general, sets may show a much looser structure which can be described as a correspondence between some
elements of a set and some elements of another set. For this type of correspondence the wording relation
between the sets is in use; if both sets are the same, it is called a relation within the set.

Most familiar - in a literal sense! - to all of us are the various relations within a set formed by members
of a family and expressed as

A ancestor of, offspring of,

B parent of, or more explicitly: x is parent of y, father of, mother of,
C child of, daughter of, son of,
D has as father, has as mother
E spouse of, sibling of,
F akin to (with the common English synonym 'relation of'!),
G member of the same family as,
These examples show that many structures of different characteristics can be seen in a single set:
--- In case A, the ancestor of an ancestor of x is again ancestor of x. The same characteristic has offspring of. A
relation with this property of going over chains of elements is called transitive.
--- In all cases of A through D, if x is in the relation to y then y is definitely not in the same relation to x. A
relation with this property is called asymmetric. If with x in the relation to y always also y is in the relation to x,

6
 then the relation is called symmetric. E through G are symmetric relations (this must not be confused with the
geometric notion of symmetry as discussed below). A relation may be none of these! Just think of the relation
loves in the set of a couple with a child loved by both but loving only one parent.
--- Case D is a map. In fact, a map is just a special form of relation.
--- Cases E, F and G also seem to be transitive: a sibling of a sibling is again a sibling. But there is the small
defect that nobody is considered his own sibling! Only with the wording of case G every member of the family
is in relation with itself, and the relation is transitive.

A relation where each element x corresponds (only or also) to itself is called reflexive. Identity and similarity
of various degrees are reflexive relations. If no element corresponds to itself, the relation is called irreflexive.
--- All three cases E, F, G give to the set the structure of a classification: the correspondence reaches all
members of one class but does not go beyond the class boundaries. E.g., spouse of puts each couple into
one class and leaves the unmarried people alone in theirs. sibling of makes classes of such siblings and
again may leave some members of the set alone.
--- When the set is a family cases F and G form only one class, the whole family. F and G within a family are
therefore called complete in the sense that each element is in relation with every other element and (in G)
even with itself. This property is lost when the set is extended over more than a family.

Ordering
If the map s of the numbers is considered as a relation has the direct successor it follows from the rules that it is
asymmetric and irreflexive. The relation has the direct or later successor shows the same properties, and
furthermore is transitive. It is usually read: is less than, that is: understood as ordering the numbers by their value.

More generally every transitive, asymmetric and irreflexive relation is called an ordering. Whenever the idea of
direct successors applies the knowledge of the relation has direct successor suffices to determine the ordering
completely. This simplifies the visualization of orderings and makes it possible to sort ordered sets by pairwise
comparison - of figurine sizes, page numbers etc.

Geometric Structures
The striking fact about the slides presented in Vancouver was that they introduced a large variety of relations and
orderings without mentioning them. Their tacit introduction was due to the very use of graphs.

How to visualize relations

We are surrounded by relations in our daily or professional life. They occur between real as well as abstract
objects. Their appearance depends on the circumstances. As an example our private telephone directory starts
out as a map with names in alphabetic ordering, the corresponding elements name and number being written
close to each other on one line. Later we add more numbers to one name, losing the uniqueness of maps but still
maintaining a relation between two sets. Also, in adding new names the alphabetic ordering may be lost.

Arranging your shelf of sandplay figurines you have a similarity relation in mind and use it for a relation close-to:
Items that are similar like trees, houses, cows, birds, are categorized and placed close to each other. It may also
be the similarity of material or color that makes you group them. If you sort similar figurines by their size, you use
a further relation next smaller in addition to the classifying similarity.

More abstractly, we mark points on paper to denote the elements of a set. In fact, what we have in mind
is a map from the set to the point set. A relation within the set is then visualized

--- either by the mere arrangement of the points, as is the case for the ordering relation in my earlier examples
of alphabets and number systems; here all successors of a number are seen to its right
--- or by drawing a line from the point denoting x to the point denoting y whenever y corresponds to x in the

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 relation considered. The roles of x and y can be kept apart by an arrow ending at y. This detail may be
omitted, and a simple line may be used whenever the relation is symmetric or its orientation is somehow
indicated by arrangement.
E.g., it is omitted in a family tree where generations are distinguished by their distance from a root. This example
also shows that a single graph may visualize multiple and different relations. On the other hand, different graphs
may visualize the same relation; it may become an intricate problem to decide whether this is the case for two
given graphs.

Sample Graphs
Two of the figures shown in Vancouver were clearly of this style, both showing arrangements of the set of digits 1
through 9 and relations within it (see Figures 1, 2).

Under the drawing rules established in the previous section both figures display relations with far more
correspondences than the map s of subsection Numbers. In Figure 1, Marie von Franz accentuates a central 5
among nine elements and gives equivalent roles to 1 and 9. The author's intention could easily be clarified by
showing arrows instead of symmetric lines (see the Figures 1a, 1b). Only Figure 1b obeys the archetypal rules B
through D - with c = 1 - but violates A for x = 9.

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Figure 2, however, not only indicates a symmetric relation but also includes a correspondence of 8 with 1 and vice
versa. Even if arrows were shown, the arrow from 8 to 1 would violate the archetypal rules A and B: 8 would have
more than one direct successor (viz. 1 and 9), and 1 would be direct successor of 8.

It must be understood that all graphs for the natural numbers which go beyond that of the map s do no longer
display a collective archetype but rather a personal intention of their author!

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A reference to the I Ging trigrams [Wilhelm] for another ring of eight elements - also given in the Vancouver
presentation - does not really help: the set of trigrams is not one of numbers but of threefold alternatives. A
meaningful relation of the trigrams is the correspondance to the three others with just one line changed.

This mathematically inherent, hence archetypal, relation is the same as for the eight corners of a cube. To each of
these correspond the three corners adjacent by an edge. A ring arises by walking all eight corners, visiting each of
them precisely once. Try to walk over edges only, or using diagonals as well, and notice the immense variety of
possibilities!

Computer engineers are especially aware of this structure of binary encoding and its efficiency. Its technical
necessity, however, limits the precision of all computations and is the source of the notorious Year Two Thousand
Problem. When counting, engineers prefer to walk corners as I mentioned it, switching exactly one bit upon each
step.

Relations suggested by geometric arrangement

The graphs of Figures 1, 2 suggest even more relations than indicated by their connecting lines. You might call
them intuitive meanings since the latin verb intueri means to look at, to consider. In fact they are based on our
associations, habits or even prejudices which are usually not made conscious.

As an example, von Franz' Figure 1 does already display the ordering by the map s since we habitually read a
graph from left to right as we do with text. If we were strict in reading rowwise, we would find the sequence
1,9,2,8,3,7,4,6,5 instead; this is prevented by the graph's lines.

But every graph on paper has a second dimension which we use downwards. Von Franz also suggests a relation
is below in which corresponds 2 to 1, 3 to 2, 4 to 3, 5 to 4 but also 8 to 9, 7 to 8, 6 to 7 and 5 to 6. This is another
ordering not implied by the rules A through D that cannot claim to be collectively archetypal. Note that it is not a
'linear' sequence.

Finally the same graph displays a relation which is the first truly metric structure as it is based on measurements
(greek: metron, latin: metrum; geo-metric because historically first the soil was measured), viz. its symmetry. This
relation has as partner across an axis of symmetry and at the same distance from it pairs 1 with 9, 2 with 8, 3 with
7, 4 with 6 and 5 with itself. It is a symmetric relation in the sense defined earlier and again not implied by the
axioms.

For this relation the limitation to finitely many elements is essential. Figure 1 restricts itself to 1 through 9 as they
are digits of the decimal system, our particular way of writing large numbers. Its base 10 apparently derives from
our ten fingers and may in that sense be a collective archetype. There are many examples, however, that other
bases like 12 (for babylonian time scales, still present in the hours and as a dozen), 24 (greek letters), 5 (with the
roman numbers), 20 (still present in the french soixante-dix and quatre-vingt) and 2 or 16 (for computers) are
equally valid choices.

Hence, the choice of the 9 considered as largest number is arbitrary. The fact that every decimal number upon
division by 9 has the same remainder as the sum of its digits is not peculiar to the 9: a simple school exercise
extends this property to any base and the digit just one below it!

Also, this remainder taken from a date of birth will not be independent of the individual's culture as its naming after
Dora Kalff - mentioned in the Vancouver presentation - might suggest. I wonder whether it remains the same
when the date is counted, for example, in the Chinese or Jewish calendar.

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Numbers and graphs
Statements about meanings of individual numbers (digits, that is) almost always are based on graphs
associated with them. Most of these are polygons with as many corners and edges as the number
concerned.
1

For the number 1 (or more generally c,

not being a successor) this reduces to a single point -- not a very
impressing graphic symbol indeed. As any stroke like | , / , -- or \ rather suggests a correspondence only
a big dot or a circle remain as simple alternatives. The circle is less adequate since it displays a sharp
distinction between the circumference and its interior, or else: a boundary and its contents.

A pair of corners permits only one straight connecting line. Hence the polygon has less edges than corners. Some
variants are

The abstract graphs in this Figure 3 already make evident that the same number 2 leads to different meanings.
The first graph stresses a contrast or opposition. An arrow instead of a line would give it an ordering. A different
association is that of growth into trinity or a family of three. The second and third graphs are symmetric and
suggest a pairing of equal or equivalent objects by a symmetric relation. Arrows would order the objects or direct
the relation and would destroy the symmetry, as would do reading the graph from left to right or, even more
strongly, a vertical arrangement.

In this context, the lecture mentioned dipoles, i.e. sets of two poles. A pole in geography is a point on the axis of
earth's rotation. North and south pole are in this sense equivalent (second graph). The wording dipole, however,
was introduced by physics describing magnetism. The poles of a magnet contrast strongly (first graph), although
an ordering has never been agreed upon.

Still other graphs made up from two elements are frequently referred to. The next example are pairs of cycles.
These may be of different or equal diameter, and they may be disjoint, touching outside, intersecting, or one
containing the other, either touching or not. A multitude of different meanings arises here, some of which the
eclipse two days before the Vancouver conference may have shown to you.

For me personally, the intersection of two equally sized circles became significant when I read Christine's paper
discussing the Mandorla [Remus-Everling]. This 'almond' figure has two axes of symmetry and two corners
pointing in opposite directions, e.g. heaven and earth, which it may as well join. Expanded into a fish by extending
both cycles beyond one of the corners - as early Christians did as a secret code for greeting - it becomes less
symmetric and oriented into one direction.

To sum up: it cannot be the number 2 itself which carries all these different meanings.

more than 2

With more than two corners, a polygon has as many edges. If only the regular polygons, having all corners
equally distant on one circle (for the case of 8 see Figure 1), were associated with meanings they would

11
correspond to the numbers uniquely. However, meanings are often derived from other polygons, e.g. stars which
relate corners at multiples of that equal distance.

While for 3 this always results in the same regular triangle, numbers beyond 3 produce more patterns, viz. (in
addition) a cross from 4, Leonardo da Vinci's human five star from 5, the David star or three intersecting lines
from 6 (see Figure 4), two patterns from 7, two squares or four intersecting lines or a third pattern in the case of 8,
three overlaid triangles or the enneagramm or a third pattern from 9, etc.

Intersecting stars occur for even numbers only. Prime numbers produce one path walking through all corners,
while for divisible numbers the path may fall into as many parts as amounts the divisor.

In all these examples the mere number does not determine the meaning.

Even for 3, where the regular polygon is unique, you may turn it whatever way you want: there is always one
element prominently opposed to two equivalent ones. The reason is the intuitive geometric ordering along
dimensions!

In many cases this is what is meant: just think of a couple with child, or even trinity. This relation could be
stressed by two arrows for the ordering relation is parent of instead of just three edges. The meaning of being
dynamic is often attributed to 3 as a consequence of this necessarily oriented structure.

And besides the regular triangle there is still an infinite class of triangles with other shapes: isosceles
(i.e. symmetric but not regular), orthogonal (rectangular), skew to any degree. All of them count three
corners, but they associate with very different notions and emotions.

In the case of 4 only the square supports a meaning of completeness. Mandalas associate squares with an outer
and inner circle, -- symbols of unity. The cross and any non-square rectangle rather form two pairs, and so does a
trapeze with less symmetry; but what is complete in that? Finally there is an infinity of other 4-polygons.

It is worthwhile to note that the regular 4-polyhedron in three dimensions is a pyramid made up of
regular triangles. If this means completeness, it does so by topping a triple with one more element.

In a similar way a pyramid with square base is topped by a fifth element, prominent like the head in da
Vinci's five star. This again is more of a structure than implied by just the number 5. Considering
operations like adding 1 to 4, the addition of 2 to 3 or of twice 2 to 1 may carry different meanings
[Jung, CW 10,loc. cit.].

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A variety of graphs with a count of six is collected in Figure 4 above. The first of its three polygons is regular as in
a beehive and indicates completeness. The second splits into two dynamically opposing parts [Jung, CW 10, §
771], the third into three degenerate polygons, viz. lines. The arrangement to the right alludes to six as being a
perfect number, equal to the sum 1 + 2 + 3 of all its divisors (the next larger perfect numbers are 28 =
1+2+4+7+14 and 496=16x31).

- two continued, four broken - describe the

In Figure 5 the six bars of the I Ging hexagram The Approach
Sandtray with earth on top and a lake below. This hexagram - one out of 64 - is also counted second
among the twelve Chinese months, just about to transform into equilibrium and peace.

even more . . .

The majority of graphs in further cases would be irregular and skew. From 4 on, the number of edges may
become greater than that of the corners. Also, it may be less, as show the letters M, W or the main stars of
Cassiopeia.

Structures in Sandplay
Counting certain classes of figurines in a sand picture is straightforward. It is one of many ways to discover
structures in the tray. Accordingly it will rarely be applied to a chaos. On the other hand, structures can present
themselves immediately to the viewer or the patient forming them. Their appearance is generally understood as a
development away from chaos.

The sand, especially when wet, permits to be formed in all three dimensions width, depth and height. All of us
know impressing uses of the third dimension. Similarly the notion of relations is not limited to planar arrangements
of a set. Convenience and habit may make us prefer them but my mentioning of cube and pyramid already goes
beyond them.

When I restrict the following discussion to two dimensions it is for brevity's sake only. I leave it to you to extend it
to your own three dimensional examples.

Planar structures

13
Sequences
A particular structure mentioned in Vancouver has in fact only one dimension: the sequences of similar figurines,
objects or couples. They are also addressed as series or chains. They may follow curves or walk up and down,
may be ordered or not by size or significance: still their essential relation is successorship as the s for numbers.

Classification
An important element in sand pictures are lines or objects that partition the tray. The objects in each partition may
be similar or related by their meaning as a family, as friends parted from enemies etc . . .

The relation generated by partitioning always has the properties of a classification as defined in subsection
Relations.

Classification may overrule counting. If a class in the tray is made up of all objects of some type that can be found
on the shelf, the number is not determined by an unconscious meaning but by the peculiarity of the therapist's
collection.

In this context let me warn you against the confusion of 8 with the mathematical notation of a lemniscate for
infinity. The lemniscate is a pretty modern amendment of small greek alpha - alluding to the first letter of all -
which earlier centuries had used. It probably was chosen because it can be written by a never ending motion, as
can 0, 6, 8 and 9. Yet infinity should not be interpreted as another number but rather as the set of all numbers,
giving it a very distinct nature!

Polygons
Similarly, opposite or just different objects can always be viewed as the corners of polygons. They become
polygons by imagining lines between them.

The lecture showed several beautiful sandtrays with regular arrangements. As discussed above, the
arrangements alone do not determine the actual relation between the objects: the larger their number, the more
different relations are conceivable. And irregular arrangements can also be expressive.

Symmetry
Besides repetition in sequences, symmetry is the most noticeable esthetic structure in architecture: just think of a
temple in any culture or of the decorating arts for examples showing these two structures.

Symmetry was already defined in subsection Sample graphs as a relation within arranged objects. The axis of
symmetry for planar arrangements is replaced by a plane in three dimensions.

The definition of symmetry is readily extended to structures as objects: if some figurines show a structure on one
side of the axis of symmetry, the corresponding figurines show the same but mirrored structure on the other side
of the axis and at the same distance from it. Hence there is a relation corresponds to a mirrored structure . . .
between structures.

Congruence
Another possible relation between structures within one arrangement is that of congruence or covering by
appropriately moving a whole structure while maintaining its shape and size. If the required motion is a rotation of
the whole arrangement around a pole, the wording rotational symmetry is used.

A hierarchy of structures
The sand picture is thus constructed - whether consciously or not - by structured composition of substructures
which themselves are constructed in the same way, and so forth. Each substructure plays its role in the meaning

14
of the tray. Its repetition during the process may be another significant relation within the set of sand pictures, i.e.
a structure of the therapy.

Conclusion
The above remarks explain my doubts to consider individual numbers as archetypal. It is rather the multitude of
varying countable structures which tradition has decorated with deeper meanings. Even the Pythagorean
cosmology thinks in structures when referring to numbers as 'an organizing system of the universe' [Betz]:
structures are the organs of an 'organization' - also in my field of Computer Science.

As Sandplay by its very nature generates structured worlds the therapist should aim to see these structures as
clearly and differentiated as possible. Counting and numbers may only serve as signposts along this way.

References:
Betz, Otto Die geheimnisvolle Welt der Zahlen Kösel Verlag München (Neudruck 1999)
Jung, Carl Gustav Gesammelte Werke (Collected Works) Walter Verlag Solothurn/Düsseldorf (1995)
Remus-Everling, Christine Die Mandorla Zeitschrift für Sandspieltherapie 4 (1995)
Wilhelm, Richard I Ging - Das Buch der Wandlungen Diederichs Verlag (1923)

For access to the Dante web site and art exposition click here

Jungian Sandplay Therapy

In the early 1950's , Carl Jung urged his protégé Dora Kolff to develop an approach in working with
children. Out of Kolff's research came the integration of several psychological schools of thought
leading to the birth of Jungian Sandplay Therapy. Although Sandplay therapy has long been
valued as a treatment for both children and adults, it is particularly accessible to children. Walk
into any sandplay room and you'll see why.

Sandplay rooms are filled with miniatures that symbolically represent the world at large. Typically
you will find animals (wild and domestic), people (varying ages and cultures), homes, vehicles,
caves, dinosaurs, soldiers, trees, rocks, mythical and spiritual figures, bridges, fences, lighthouses
etc. With little prompting, children seem to instinctively take the miniatures off the shelf and play
with them in trays filled with actual sand (dry or wet). They tell stories; they create images; the
sand, the tray, and the miniatures combine to engage the active imagination, launching a healing
journey.

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Why sand? Dora Kolff discovered something most parents already know intuitively - children love
to play in the sand. Indeed sand is used ritually as a healing and grounding medium throughout
the world. In Jungian terms, since sand mediates between the land and the water, it is seen as a
bridge between the conscious and unconscious mind.

Sandplay is a non-directive modality that can be used as a non-verbal therapy or as an adjunct to

verbal psychotherapy, which is typically how I use it in my practice. The beauty of sandplay is in its
uncanny ability to target what needs attention in the moment. This is especially useful for children
do not have the layers of defenses that adults have developed over time. Therefore if a therapy
can accurately target that which is creating an obstacle for growth and development in the present
- treatment can be accelerated. Here is one case example.

A 9 year old child comes in for anger management. His life is punctuated by loss, trauma, and
divorce. His trays depict many battles, no victors. There are so many miniatures flooding the tray,
it's hard to decipher. The trays show us what his inner world looks like. He can't talk about his
feelings because they are simply too chaotic. These trays go on for many months.

The initial role of the therapist in this case is to help hold the child's inner experience, to witness it
accurately with him. Once the chaos and pain can be seen, they become less frightening and a shift
becomes possible. In this process, we see how the trays themselves are containing vessels, the
trays communi-cating what is not available to his conscious mind, especially at such a young age.
Typically, children can not articulate what is making them anxious. There may be an underlying
anxiety that is not yet "known" or there may be pre-verbal anxiety. In these situations, talk
therapy may not get to the source of the anxiety which is one of the reasons why a non-verbal
therapy like sandplay can be so effective.

As time passes, his trays begin to differentiate. There is less flooding, more separation, less chaos
and a clearer sense of self emerges. Out of this process, this child becomes more communicative
(although still very private), better able to manage social situations in an appropriate manner, and
less angry with his mom. In fact, he learns (once again) to lean on mom and trust her ability to
help him manage the challenges of his life. This child made important strides during a particular
period of his life. Were all issues resolved? Possibly. Possibly not. What is clear, however is that the
work he did freed him up to attend to his developmental tasks allowing him to move forward at a
time when he was stuck.

In closing, Sandplay therapy is getting recognized in a more formal manner since 911.
Reasearchers at Columbia University are documenting its value. After 911, school social workers

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 and guidance counselors were desperate to find effective means of treatment for trauma. As
clinician and collateral providers learned about sandplay, its efficacy in helping children and teens
identify, process, and contain their fears, grief, and anxieties through symbolic expression became
evident. As a result, Sandplay emerged as a treatment of choice both for its capacity to heal and
it's gentleness.

Now more than 17 schools in lower Manhattan (and the entire school district of Montclaire N.J)
officially use sandplay and have found it to be useful for a wide range of issues from trauma to
learning disabilities, from language delays to normative developmental stress.

Transpersonal Sandplay Therapy Center

Presentation for Association for

Play Therapy Conference-1995

By Alison Van Dyk, M.A., M.A.

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I have chosen to present the theories of Dr. Margaret Lowenfeld and Frau Dora Kalff
together because I feel that they form a more complete picture of sandplay, sandtray
therapy, the world technique, etc, as we use it today. For convenience I will use the term
Sandplay to mean the totality of this method. Dr. Lowenfeld incorporated the theories of
early child psychiatry of Freud, Winnecott and others and added her own insights. Frau Kalff
introduced the theories of Carl Jung and Eric Neumann to her use of Sandplay. Thus we have
had two distinct and separate theories of this method which I will attempt to prove are
actually extremely compatible.

A history of Sandplay, Past, Present and Future has just be written by Rie R. Mitchell &
Harriet S. Friedman. I will not go into too much historical detail here as I am more interested
in focusing on some main theories and applying them to a case. Dr.Lowenfeld developed this
method in London in 1926, at the very beginning of the field of Child Psychotherapy. She was
trained as a Pediatrician before turning her attention to the emotional issues of children and
she had enormous influence on the Kindergarten movement in education by introducing sand
and water play into the curriculum. I am going to concentrate on three main contributions that
Lowenfeld made to this form of therapy, other than discovering it as a tool for the
observation of the child’s mind. The first is the quality of observation of the child which I will
call Child-Centered, the second is her theory of Pre-Verbal Thinking and the third is her
theory of "Clusters".

Frau Dora Kalff studied with Dr. Lowenfeld at her Institute Of Child Psychology in 1956 for
one year and then integrated what she had learned within a Jungian framework. This was a
natural development as she was in analysis with Emma Jung, and studied with Carl G. Jung in
Zurich, before exploring the Lowenfeld method. Her main contributions to this work are her
concept of a "Free and Protected Space" for the therapy process, the appearance of the
"Self" in the tray and her inclusion of Eric Neumann’s "Stages of Development" as an
important developmental background.

Let me begin with Lowenfeld’s "quality of observation" which I am calling Child-Centered.

Lowenfeld developed her World Technique as a method of studying the processes of a child’s
mind as he or she placed the toys in the tray with sand. Her interest was in giving that child
her full attention and communicating to that child, that what was made was important. In this
way she entered into the child’s world. She created a method where the child was able to fully
express him or her self. She did not try to fit what she observed of the child’s mind into an
already existing theory, as was practiced by her psychoanalytic contemporaries Melanie Klein
and Anna Freud. Instead, she carefully noted down what the child did and said and made in
every session. Lowenfeld translated a quality of "being there" and understanding what was

18
expressed in a very profound and fundamental way. No attempt was made to alter the play,
influence the choices the child made or to modify the child’s behavior. She held a belief in the
healing power of play and she was convinced that if given the opportunity, children will
express what is important and what is healing for themselves. In the tray, the child is
confronted with his own thinking and feeling made manifest. Lowenfeld considered the
communication through the Sandplay process to be first a communication from the child to his
or her self, i.e. objectifying an inner reality and then secondly, from the child to the
therapist. In order  to define her method as distinct from psychoanalysis, she even went so
far as to say that there was no transference in her form of therapy. However, taken out of
this context, this statement has been seriously misquoted and misunderstood, most of all by
the horrified psychoanalysis's of her day. If you take into consideration Lowenfeld’s
orientation as a researcher, then her method of objectively studying the child’s mind without
influencing the child directly, as verbalizing transference issues in psychoanalysis inevitably
does, then Lowenfeld’s position becomes more understandable and therefore, more credible.
Lowenfeld also began exploring her method in a clinical setting where therapists followed
their child patients from room to room, depending on what the child chose to work on: water
play, doll house area, painting, drama area, etc. Children often had different therapists from
one session to the next. However, as time went on, it became evident that the continuity of
the same therapist was important and gradually the treatment changed into what we have
today, a traditional client - therapist relationship. This evolution has also been misunderstood.
A Lowenfeld Therapist of today is trained in the importance of the client therapist
relationship and practices a Child-Centered approach.

Frau Dora Kalff, in formalizing her method of therapy, used the term "Free and Protected
Space". "Free" refers to her concept that the child must feel free to express whatever
necessary in the process of treatment. She believed in the innate healing abilities of the
psyche and she saw the Sandplay process as a method by which the client could rediscover and
reintegrate split off parts of themselves, what has been repressed, what has been feared.
The concept of "Protected Space" has both the obvious meaning that the child will come to
trust the therapist as a safe person and also that the Therapist will not tell anyone what the
child has communicated. This latter issue of confidentiality was strictly adhered to by Kalff
and today the rules of confidentiality are similar from country to country. If you put
Lowenfeld and Kalff’s method together, as I have explained them, you can see that they are
actually more similar than different. And taken as a whole, I believe, both perspectives closely
describe a modern Sandplay Therapist’s approach.

Before, I present a case which will give you the experience of what Lowenfeld meant by
Preverbal Thinking and "Clusters" or what Kalff meant by the "appearance of the "Self", I

19
need to explain both of these concepts. Preverbal Thinking was the term that Lowenfeld gave
to what she considered to be her discovery of a part of the mind. She believed that the
Sandplay process accessed a different form of thinking than that used for logical, rational
thinking used by language. She was referring to what today we would call Right Brain Thinking
which had not been defined in the early thirties. Lowenfeld maintained that the infant
thought in pictures before the acquisition of language. She called this thought Pre-verbal
therefore to distinguish it from what we now understand as Left-Brain thinking which is
logical, rational and verbal. Lowenfeld believed that this was the form of our earliest
memories as infants and that precisely for this reason, many of our early memories fade as
language acquisition takes place. She was convinced that artists, creative writers, musicians
etc. called on this aspect of thinking when creating a work of art. Her favorite example was
the artist Chagalle. If you imagine his pictures, you will remember that he has people flying
and animals appearing in dream like sequences, not rationally logical at all. Pre-verbal thinking
has it’s own set of rules. There is no time or space but many concepts are presented together
and are multidimensional. If you look at the sandtray work of your clients from this viewpoint,
you will suddenly realize that it is constructed with Pre-verbal thinking, not rational thinking.
In other worlds, Lowenfeld believed that to understand this form of language was much like
learning to understand dreams. And there is a common element at work here. We dream in
images and dreams have a different logic as well. The writer Proust is another example of Pre-
verbal Thinking. His memories of walking down a garden path and suddenly a smell or sight
would evoke a specific time when he remembered a whole event of feeling, touching, smelling,
tasting, seeing and movement combined. This is the experience of the young child. Lowenfeld
was convinced that children could not possibly put their experiences into words but they could
convey them in Sandplay. She was particularly intent on the tactile quality of the sand, water
and toys which she felt was key to accessing Pre-verbal Thinking. Lowenfeld had a deep
distrust of verbal communication as she herself spoke several languages. She believed that
Preverbal thinking was essentially idiosyncratic and that the meaning for instance of a white
bull was specific to the maker which only he could explain. For this reason she was careful to
elicit from the child the meaning to them of the placement of figures in the sand. This
method of story telling or verbalizing what the tray contents mean to the maker is in direct
contrast to Kalff’s Jungian approach. Lowenfeld believed that her discovery of this aspect of
thinking was a major contribution to child therapy.

The concept of "clusters" is critical, I believe, to understanding certain crucial trays.

Lowenfeld described this as a pivotal point in therapy where a certain traumatic event is
described in terms of everything that was going on at the time. It is as if the psyche pours all
kinds of illogical and supposedly unrelated perceptions together which, when carefully

20
decoded, explains exactly what was going on in the mind of the child at the time of the
trauma. Cluster trays follow the same logic of Preverbal Thinking, in that all the associations
with the trauma are idiosyncratic and are locked into a whole construct. Psychotherapy has
traditionally advocated reworking this material with the client in order to unlock the energy
that became bound up with the trauma, the theory being that the client expends enormous
energy attempting to defend against it, to relive or even remember it. I will explain this
process further in the case presentation.

Kalff begins her book on Sandplay written in 1980 with a statement that her work with
children and adolescents convinced her " that analogies occur which can be compared to the
dynamics of the individuation process during childhood as they are described by Carl G. Jung".
She goes on to explain that her observations are in agreement with Jung’s belief that "the
Self directs the psychic developmental process from the time of birth" (p23). And she quotes
from E 䁲 ic Neumann’s theory that man is born as a totality which is kept preserved at birth
by the mother’s Self or within the mother-child unity. At one year of age the Self of the child
(the center of his totality) separates itself from the mother but experiences itself in
relationship to her. Through the mother’s love the child experiences a sense of unconditional
security and safety. Thus a relationship of trust grows out of this experience. At the end of
the second year and beginning of the third, the next phase begins where the center of the
Self is stabilized in the unconscious of the child. This is manifested by the child in symbols of
wholeness. Many therapists who work with children’s drawings or Pre-school teachers can
attest to this universal symbolic stage. However, if something has happened to disrupt " this
manifestation of Self, this inner order, this pattern of wholeness" from developing, a week or
neurotic ego development is the result. Kalff says that this could happen because the
motherly protection has not been given or because environmental factors such as war, illness,
depression or lack of understanding from caretaker substitutes which interfered with normal
development. As therapy with children involves the latter problems for the most part, she saw
her work as giving the child’s Self the possibility of manifesting in the tray material. Through
the transference, the therapist aims to protect and stabilize the relationship between the
Self and the ego. Kalff felt that this was the most crucial point in the therapeutic process.
She believed that it was not necessary to discuss the tray material or interpret it to the child
until this manifestation of Self had occurred. This was true for adolescent and adult clients
as well. Instead the material is looked at and interpreted symbolically by the therapist who
keeps a vigilant look out for the manifestation of the Self. She also maintained that these
stages follow Neumann’s theory that the developing personality is an essentially unconscious
archetypally determined process. Neumann in his work The Child, describes the three stages
as (1) vegetative and animal, (2) fighting or confrontational and (3) the phase of adaptation to

21
the collective. Being aware of these stages is helpful to the Therapist in knowing what to
expect of the sandplay process in general although each path of each client is individual. At
some point in this process, Kalff saw a majority of her clients create of tray in which the
manifestation of the Self occurred. It could be in the formation of a circle within the tray or
a mandala form. It could be the finding of a treasure or gold representing the true inner
worth of the Self manifestation, or in the forming of quadrants in the tray as a means of
centering. In contrast, aspects of the self (small s) in psychotherapy refer to the ego
identification of many personalities the parent, mother,teacher, wife, etc. In her book, Kalff
gives many examples of symbols of wholeness or expressions of the Self: the painting of a sun
as a symbol of god (from Jung’s Symbols of Transformation) , for instance, the ancient
Chinese symbol for Heaven (round) and Earth (square) or the cross within a square. Once the
Self - ego axis had been restored, the prognosis for a positive outcome of the therapy is
good. Most of us have experienced this as the point when in therapy the child is able to
disidentify himself as bad and view his problems as having solutions. The last stage of the
process is the adaptation to the collective in which the child having recovered his or her
wholeness is able to return to the world of reality with a new energy for meeting the every
day challenges of life. Kalff saw this process as a personal and even religious quest or
"opening" within each individual. She felt that the making of this particular tray or trays, was
so intense that it had a "Numinous" quality.This is a word that Jung used to describe the
presence of Spirit as a palpable experience. Both therapist and client are deeply aware of and
touched by the experience. In Martin Kalff’s address, he quoted from a letter of Jung’s that
"the existence of the numinous can be the point of therapy, as it’s existence can be the end of
illness". (Keynote address, Sandplay Therapists of America ‘95) In his prologue to Frau Kalff’s
book Sandplay, Harold Stone, Ph.D says , "Mrs. Kalff brings us a way of objectifying ,in the
form of sandplay, the energy of the unconscious... The effect is healing in the traditional
sense, but even more importantly, it leads to the deepest connection to the center within
which is the source of the human spirit." (p15) Identifying and describing this aspect of the
Sandplay process, was I feel, Kalff’s main contribution to the field of Sandplay.

I am now going to present the case of a 13 yr., 11mo. old male client whom I will call Jo. I have
chosen this case because it encompasses much of what I have explained as a sandplay process.
And yet, each client is different. I will attempt to explain the individual characteristics of
Jo’s non-verbal work in the context of an overall Sandplay process.

Jo’s Mother asked for therapy for her son because of his failing grades, lack of friends and
intense rivalry with his brother who is 2 years older. Jo’s Father died of cancer when he was
three and his Mother went to work shortly thereafter as an Executive in an Advertising
Agency in NYC . Jo’s brother was getting straight A’s in High School and was very popular with

22
his peers. In order to better understand Jo’s academic problems he was tested. The results
revealed a minor problem with motor-co-ordination which affected writing but otherwise his
IQ score was very high. Jo’s learning problem was emotional and therapy was therefore
appropriate.

Usually in the first three sessions, the sandplay will reveal the major issues that the client
has brought into therapy. In addition, the developmental history and parent’s perspective of
problems, helps one to develop goals for therapy.

Slide#1: Wet Sand only

He made a pool of water with five balls of sand; above it but erased were the words "Beware
of the Undertoe". He states that this is a play on words. The toes are in a pond of water and
lead in a line, from large to small, to a structure on the left. He describes this as a "Castle in
the Desert".

My initial impression of Jo from this session is that he is emotionally very remote. He avoids
talking very much, often shrugs his shoulders in answer to a question and does not look at me,
but stares at the floor instead. My attempt to elicit any more information about his sand
picture was met with silence and shrugs. I commented that the Castle looked like a face, to
which he nodded in agreement.

Nevertheless, it is possible to glean information from his first tray. The warning of the
undertow and his hint at a double meaning, I interpreted to be both a fear of his own
unconscious or shadow and a warning to me as therapist that I might not like what I would find
out about him, i.e. he has bad thoughts that he wants to hide. The Castle in the desert gives
me the clue that he feels himself to be in a wasteland, where life is meaningless. He has
succeeded in walling himself off from everything and his Life Force or" E " is spent defending
himself from the outside world.

This is hardly the kind of tray one would expect an almost 14 year old boy to make. The balls
of sand can be seen as anal products which signifies that he has not moved beyond the anal
stage of Freudian developmental theory, i.e. age 3-4. It is likely that Jo reacted to his
father’s death and his mother’s return to work as a double abandonment. Each individual

23
experiences a death, an accident,etc, differently. For Jo, this event was a shock to his psyche
and it caused him to become blocked at the developmental stage he was in at the time of the
trauma. For his older brother, this was not the case. Jo was put into a preschool environment
while his mother worked which he apparently disliked. This situation contributed to his
present problem because early on he must have made up his mind that authority figures were
to be disposed. This attitude becomes clearer in the next two sessions.

Slide#2: Mass Murder theme w\Lone Soldier

On the right there are 6 German soldiers and 2 artillery men who are squared off against 4
American soldiers and 2 artillery men. In the center he pours some water and puts a lone
soldier. He calls the area "quicksand" and says that the soldier is suicidal. In the action that
follows, the German artillery men kill everyone else, even there own men. Jo laughs as he
shoots each soldier, obviously enjoying carrying out the killing. I commented on the lone
soldier, saying that he probably feels everyone is against him.

I interpreted this tray to symbolize Jo’s feelings of helplessness, isolation and depression.
He, like the lone soldier, feels he is in the line of fire from everyone around him. Quicksand is
often used to symbolize depression and helplessness which can drag one down if therapy is not
made available. The killing of everyone is Jo’s fantasy which he was warning the therapist of in
the first tray. He is furious at everyone and he wants to kill. Even his own men are the object
of his wrath, showing me that he has no loyalty towards anyone. Jo’s suicidal feelings could
even be a desire to join his dead father, a common reaction of children who have lost a parent.

Slide #3: Killing Townspeople

In this tray, the four artillery men have attacked what Jo called "townspeople", for target
practice. "I know it’s cruel", he said, "but they are using innocent people". 

24
In the right center area, a nurse kills the man on the stretcher and one of the soldiers. A
woman with a bandana retaliates against the soldiers and kills both of the German artillery
men. She then strides the gun and shoots the last soldier.

I reframe the action in the tray by commenting that the target practice is very effective
(each figure was carefully hit with a toy bullet). I then said that those women were so angry
that they were able to kill the soldiers. I refrained from discussing the death of the sick man
even though it made no sense at the time that a nurse would kill a patient. I made a note of it
however, to see if more clues would evolve in later trays.

I have been careful to convey to Jo that I am empathetic about his feelings of isolation and
depression and that I am not judgmental about his fantasy of killing innocent people without
remorse. This allows him to feel comfortable enough with me to play out his fantasies. The
woman with the bandana symbolizes Jo’s fear of castration and his belief that he deserves to
be punished, probably for his oedipal fantasies around mother.  It also gives me an
understanding of his image of mother\the feminine as angry, murderous and emasculating.
Looking at these three trays together, the picture of a depressed and hostile adolescent
becomes clear. His blocked development seems to have fixated on vengeful fantasies towards
authority figures and women. In asking Jo for information about his daily activities, I found
that he felt hated and picked on by classmates and teachers alike. He came home to an empty
house until his older brother drove home from high school. The boys often made dinner for
themselves as their mother came home around 7PM. Jo’s comment about his life was "boring".
In talking to Jo’s teachers, I discovered that his failure to turn in homework was the central
problem. Obviously Jo’s refusal to cooperate was due to a deep seeded resentment which he
was unaware of consciously. At this point in therapy I discussed Jo’s emotional problems with
his mother and outlined the goals for therapy. I felt confident that Jo would make good
progress in Sandplay therapy as he seemed to enjoy it and he was able to express himself well
with non-verbal materials.

Jo continued to play out scenes of innocent people being gunned down by army artillery men.
However, each scene changed slightly giving me the insight into the gradual healing process

25
which took place over the three years that I worked with Jo. The next slide is an example of
how Jo expressed these shifts in his non-verbal language process.

Slide #4: (3 mo. into therapy)

On the right we have the Green and Red Barret soldiers who are mixed together so that one
can’t tell who is killing who. First the Red Barret Officer is shot because, Jo says, "men don’t
like to be ruled". I reflected back to Jo that he was finding it hard to put up with adults
always telling him what to do.

Here the issue of killing is more diffuse and less charged.The problem with authority figures
however is is clearly stated and acknowledged. The lone soldier, a self image, is not in the
crossfire but not completely out of danger. He is not quite on land, as bear ground can be
water, but he is not in quicksand. Jo has made progress in recognizing his problem with
authority and is beginning to see himself outside of direct danger.

Slide #5A: Family Session (8 mo. into therapy)

The family, Jo, his brother and mother, are given a choice of how to divide up and those
working together are asked to choose a theme. In the first tray we see mother on the right
and brother on the left. The theme is "what I like to do". Brother has made a mandala form of
motorcycles going around a tree. There are four fences defining his space and he has a bird to
the left and a monkey in the tree ( the observer function). A black van right is put on Mother’s
side. He says, "It belongs to the farm". Mother has a house and pond with ducks and geese and
a peacock around it. "It is a peaceful place where she likes to go in the mid-west". It is her
white cat which has strayed into her son’s area. This tray depicts what happens often to sons
when the father is absent. Mother is slightly seductive and the son tries to be a masculine
caretaker.

26
In tray two, Slide #5B, Jo reacts to his mother and brother’s alliance, by first making a river
which turns into a swamp. He puts a mother alligator and her baby in the center and then a
second baby far to the left. He says, "It is not hers". This baby has a wide open mouth
denoting oral needs unmet and there is a stork nearby, symbolizing that Jo is expressing in
poignant terms his feelings of early childhood rejection. He has two snakes between the
unwanted baby and the mother and child, both meaning danger and awareness of the oedipal
aspects of the alliance. Notice that this is the first time that Jo has expressed the
Animal\Vegetative stage, in Kalff’s terms. He went from the earliest form of sandplay, pure
sand, into the 2nd stage, Fighting. Now as expresses his earliest memories, the first stage
becomes evident.

Slide: # 6: Cluster (1 mo. later and 9 mo. into therapy)

In the foreground we see the familiar 2 German artillery soldiers. In the center rear a stone
marks a grave with 4 grave diggers in front and to the left a group of people. The action began
in the lower left corner where a school boy carries the stretcher of "a man who died in the
hospital". A Priest and a Nun, a woman with a basket (called the wife) and 10 townspeople are
in a procession leading towards the left rear.

Jo pours water on the procession and says, "the boy is caught in quicksand but is pulled out".
The woman then tries to carry the stretcher through the water but it is buried in
"quicksand"(left mound ). The procession continues to the Center left. The boy then climbs
the tree, "because", Jo says, "no one will see him up there". The artillery men however, shoot
him and he falls along with the tree. The artillery men shoot the 4 grave diggers as well and
would have killed the townspeople to but Jo says, "they are spared because a man throws
dynamite at them and kills them".

As this figure of the boy has been used before as a self symbol, it is clear that Jo is here
describing his reaction to his father’s death in a hospital and his burial. The man on a
stretcher is the same figure from the third session where the nurse kills him. The meaning of
that act now becomes clear. This is a cluster of Jo’s confused memories and feelings of his

27
father’s death. He assumed, as a three year old might, that the nurse killed his father in the
hospital and the grave diggers ‘finished off ‘ the job by burying him. Therefore they are
killed.

Jo also here explains that he tried to carry the weight or memory of his dead father and it
almost took him down into the quicksand (suicidal depression) but someone pulled him out
(possibly the therapist). He sees his mother as trying to carry the load i.e. unable to complete
the grief process as well, but the body is buried in the quicksand, not in the grave. Jo’s
perception is accurate that his mother has not completed the grief process. Jo’s reaction at
three to this traumatic experience was to try and become invisible (no one will see him), but
he is shot down. Perhaps his own anger, projected onto the artillery men, leaves him exposed
as well.

You can see that this tray represents a cluster of Jo’s confused and conflicted feelings of
loss. This material carried a dynamic charge which Jo could never have expressed in words
because of the idiosyncratic and multidimensional nature of his early childhood memories. I
was able to refer to this tray in future sessions, as clarifying and bringing Jo’s confused
feelings into his awareness was an important part of processing his reactions to the traumatic
experience. Note also that the Vegetative state is included in this early memory. Two trees
are standing (mother and brother) and two are down (his father’s and his).

I am now going to jump ahead and show you a tray from the third year of therapy.

Slide #7: Self -Worth

On the far bank, four men with shovels are mining gold. Three tanks are positioned on top of
the mound to protect the operation. In the road in front of the main mine, four trucks have
been loaded and are ready to transport the gold to the factory. In the forefront, a mail truck
and other equipment contain "men who are hiding and preparing to attack". It is interesting
that the four grave diggers are here used as gold diggers. Jo is showing progress in that he is
now able to use his previous blocked energy to mine his inner resources.  Gold is a symbol of
alchemy or transformation.  In other words a symbol of contacting the "Self" or "Higher-
Self" potential.  The work has to be done under vigilance and protection as there is still
danger from attack. This tray represents a constellation of the Self for this particular child.
I have seen other examples of the manifestation of the Self as mandala constructions. It is

28
important to keep in mind that these theoretical concepts are in fact expressed
idiosyncratically.

The last slide ( # 8A) is a follow-up session i.e. the fall of the third year. It gives a us an
insight into the process of "adaptation to the collective" and a resolution to the trauma of
loss.On the right, 4 skiers are coming down a hill. The car in the right bottom corner is
protecting them. To the right of it, a rabbit is called, "something small" and is on the side of
protection. In the left corner a wolf and buck deer between trees are called, "something from
nature".

Slide #8B: In the upper left corner is a space ship, constructed from shells. 3 Aliens have
come to earth to take "the man on a stretcher" away "to another universe". This tray
represents a resolution of Jo’s traumatic experience of his father’s death in that now he is
transported to a place which Jo can accept. Finally, in Jo’s mind, he has resolved the dilemma
and the trauma of his father’s death.

The skiers represent Jo’s ability to adapt to his peer group who go skiing for the weekend
during the winter. He is now able to access "E" energy for growth and normal development.
Even though protection is important, it is minimal . Notice that the Animal\Vegetative Stage
(1) has now been integrated into Jo’s mature process of Adaptation to the Collective ( Stage
3). Jo is also able to integrate both the masculine left and feminine right aspects of his
nature in normal and positive images. The healing of his early childhood trauma is complete.

    Many years later I received a note thanking me for helping her son and telling me that he
was on the honor roll in college but more important, he was a happy, well-rounded young man. 

Click on Image to See Larger View

29
 Slide 1 Slide 2 Slide 3

Slide 3A Slide 4 Slide 5A

Slide 5B Slide 6 Slide 7

Slide 8A Slide 8B

Sandplay as a Therapeutic Tool for School Guidance Counsellors 1

This is the author’s version of a paper that was later published as:
Campbell, Marilyn A (2004) Value of Sandplay as a Therapeutic Tool for School Guidance Counsellors. Australian
Journal of Guidance and Counselling 14(2):211-232.
Copyright 2004 Australian Academic Press.
The Value of Sandplay as a Therapeutic Tool for School Guidance Counsellors
Sarah Goss and Marilyn A Campbell
Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Abstract
Sandplay therapy is a technique that is a potentially valuable tool for guidance counsellors working in the
context of challenging school environments. It is particularly suited to work with children and adolescents
as it provides unique and developmentally appropriate opportunities for them to engage in the therapeutic
process. In fact, as it is play-based and developmentally appropriate, sandplay may be a useful adjunct for
the mainly cognitive and behavioural techniques most commonly used by school guidance counsellors. It
provides a multiple intelligences perspective and may meet the specific needs of children with particular

30
cognitive and socio-emotional difficulties more effectively than the traditional ‘talking’ therapies.
In Australia and internationally, the roles of school guidance counsellors and school
psychologists are increasingly characterised by complexity and diversity as a result of individual
differences and the unique contexts of particular school communities. In order to most effectively
facilitate positive outcomes for students guidance counsellors require an extensive array of
knowledge, skills and abilities to enable them to work therapeutically with children. Sandplay
therapy is one technique that presents as a potentially valuable tool for guidance counsellors
working in the context of these challenging school environments. Considerable clinical evidence
and theoretical support exists for the use of sandplay therapy in schools; however, the technique
is currently lacking the empirical support provided by scientific validation.
The Process
Sandplay has been defined as a psychotherapeutic technique that enables clients to arrange
miniature figures in a sandbox or sandtray to create a ‘sandworld’ corresponding to various
dimensions of his/her social reality (Dale & Wagner, 2003). The technique originated from the
work of British paediatrician and child psychiatrist Margaret Lowenfeld (1939; 1979), who
utilised the medium of sand and water in combination with small toys in a method of play called
the world technique. Inspired by the work of Lowenfeld, Jungian analyst Dora Kalff (1980)
further developed and refined the sandplay method and was influential in formulating its
theoretical principles and in the provision of training for clinicians in the United States and
internationally (Allan & Berry, 1987).
The process of sandplay therapy involves the use of one or two sandtrays and any number
of small objects or figures from categories including, people, animals, buildings, vehicles,
Sandplay as a Therapeutic Tool for School Guidance Counsellors 2
vegetation, structures, natural objects and symbolic objects (Allan & Berry, 1987). It is intended
that these objects may represent people, ideas, situations, feelings and a potentially limitless
range of other possibilities to facilitate children’s expression.
Most commonly, the sandplay process consists of two central stages. The first involves
the construction of the sand picture, where the perceived needs for the counselling session and
the intentions of the facilitator guide the specific instructions given to the child (Pearson &
Nolan, 1995). In general, the child is invited to create a picture in the sand tray, using any of the
available miniatures. The ways in which the counsellor interacts with the child at this time and
also their perspective on the purpose and meaning of the sand picture is largely determined by
his/her therapeutic orientation. However, sandplay pictures are generally considered to be a
projection of the child’s internal experiential world and a representation of his/her worldview
(Dale & Wagner, 2003). As such, they provide children with an opportunity to express the
negative feelings and memories that exist in their unconscious and impact on their choices,
feelings and behaviour (Pearson & Wilson, 2001). It is suggested that bringing these to
consciousness is the first stage in disempowering them and allowing them to be released (Pearson
& Wilson, 2001).
After the completion of the sand picture, if the child is comfortably able to engage in
verbal communication, the second stage of the process involves their sharing of a story or
narrative about the sand picture they have created. This stage of the process allows children to
clarify personal meanings and to integrate new feelings and insights that may have emerged
through the creation of the sand picture. Additionally, the counsellor may engage in interpretation
of the child’s sand picture based on knowledge of the meanings associated with particular
symbols, in conjunction with information about the child’s history and current circumstances.
However, the question of interpreting children’s sand pictures is widely debated in the
literature. Several schemes for interpreting sandplay pictures exist (Carmichael, 1994); however,

31
it is argued that although these schemes may be useful for researchers, they are not practical for
counsellors working in schools. Rather than these detailed schemes, viewing the construction as a
metaphor for the child’s world gives a greater understanding. Furthermore, while counsellors
practising from a Jungian perspective commonly use interpretation of children’s pictures as a
component of the therapeutic process (Carey, 1990), others argue that interpretation is not only
unnecessary but also inappropriate. It is suggested that symbols are arbitrary and have unique
meanings for individuals and as such their subjective nature must be respected (Vinturella &
James,1987). It is also noted that because sandplay allows issues to be resolved on an
unconscious level interpretation is seldom needed (Allan & Berry, 1987).
On the contrary, the counsellor’s primary role is to provide a safe and emotionally
permissive environment for the child’s expression of feelings and experiences. The child should
be encouraged to express in the sand, whatever he or she is experiencing with the freedom to
determine how materials are used and what scenes are created. In establishing an environment
where the child is free to direct activity in the sandtray, the counsellor provides an opportunity for
the emergence of the child’s natural, inbuilt, intelligent movement towards wholeness (Pearson &
Wilson, 2001). It is suggested that this innate inner healing mechanism can reveal those things
that need to be remembered, felt, released or integrated and as such, children are viewed as being
capable of actively directing the resolution of their own concerns (Hoffman, 1991). Using
Sandplay as a Therapeutic Tool for School Guidance Counsellors 3
sandplay in this way also allows counsellors to gain insight into the inner worlds of children that
they may be otherwise unable to access.
The Importance of Play
Sandplay therapy can be considered as a form of play therapy and its basis in play is one factor
that makes it particularly worthy of consideration for use in school contexts. It is known that play
is the singular central activity of childhood and is a spontaneous, enjoyable, voluntary and nongoal
directed activity (Landreth, 2002). It gives concrete form and expression to children’s inner
worlds and provides them with a symbolic language for self-expression.
It has been suggested that in a counselling context, play is to the child, what verbalisation
is to the adult (Tharinger & Stafford, 1995) and literature pertaining to the use of therapeutic play
with children frequently describes play as their language and toys as their words (Hall, Gerard-
Kaduson, & Schaefer, 2002). It is known that in traditional counselling approaches, when
children experience enormously complex feelings and thoughts in relation to the events in their
lives, they often have difficulty trying to communicate these verbally in the counselling context
(Landreth, Baggerly, & Tyndall-Lind, 1999). Using therapeutic techniques that are based in play
provides the most natural and non-threatening means for children to communicate and act out
sensitive material related to frightening and difficult situations (Gumaer, 1984).
Through the use of sand, water and symbols, sandplay therapy provides children with the
means to give expression to emotionally significant experiences. The use of symbols allows
children to distance themselves from profound emotional experiences and thereby allows them to
engage in contemplation and reflection. Symbols also provide children with the opportunity to
reenact problems in nonthreatening ways, change outcomes through play and empower
themselves to more competently cope with problems and issues in their real life context
(Hickmore, 2000). The use of symbols also provides children with the means to access and
express unconscious material which they may be otherwise unable to process at a cognitive level.
Currently, cognitive and behavioural perspectives provide the central models that are
most commonly used by guidance counsellors in Australia and internationally (Hickmore, 2000;
Pearson, 2003). In contrast, sandplay therapy offers an alternative to such cognitive approaches
as it works at a level beyond the realm of cognition and intellect (Vaz, 2000). Practice at this

32
level is concerned with the expression of emotional conflicts and blocked energy in order to
activate the self-healing potential that is embedded in the human psyche (Allan & Berry, 1987;
Jung, 1964; Pearson & Nolan, 1995). The use of sand and symbols allows projections of multiple
meanings from the conscious and unconscious, thereby allowing issues to be clarified and
released (Pearson & Wilson, 2001). Sandplay may therefore, provide an additional dimension to
counsellor’s work with children in schools by forming a bridge between verbal and expressive
therapies (Pearson & Wilson, 2001).
Sandplay as a Multiple Intelligences Strategy
Further, recent research suggests that the application of Gardner’s (1983) theory of multiple
intelligences to the counselling context may facilitate positive outcomes for child clients
(O’Brien & Burnett, 2000). The process of sandplay therapy simultaneously incorporates all of
Sandplay as a Therapeutic Tool for School Guidance Counsellors 4
Gardner’s seven intelligences (O’Brien & Burnett, 2000). In constructing the sandplay story,
children use the visual-spatial and body-kinaesthetic intelligences. The verbal-linguistic
intelligence is encouraged through discussion, storytelling and possibly journal writing about
what is depicted in the sandtray. The logical-mathematical intelligence is incorporated through
deductive reasoning and “what if” and “what then” questions and thinking. Music may be played
during the construction of the sandtray and, in addition, feelings awakened by the sandplay may
be explored and expressed through the use of music. The context of the child-counsellor
relationship incorporates the interpersonal intelligence, and the intrapersonal intelligence is
explored through reflection on the links between the sandtray and real life contexts.
Uses of Sandplay with Different Client Populations
Children with language and communication difficulties
The non-verbal nature of the sandplay process means that it is likely to be useful with children
with cognitive deficits and language and communication disorders, who experience particular
difficulty with verbal expression (Vinturella & James, 1987). Sandplay has also been shown to
improve concentration and peer relations in speech and language disordered students as well as
being useful with children who use excessive verbalisation as a defence strategy (Carey, 1990).
Children with attention deficits
In addition, sandplay may be appropriate for use with children who ordinarily have difficulty
maintaining attention to low interest activities, as it provides for children’s need to be actively
engaged in concrete and self-directed activity (Carmichael, 1994; Gumaer, 1984). It is noted that
sand is tactile yet facilitates total kinaesthetic involvement and concentrated focus, while the
physical boundaries of the sand tray also minimise distractions and promote a focusing effect
(Carey, 1990; Vinturella & James, 1987). Research also suggests that children demonstrate
gender-specific preferences for participation in counselling, with females reporting an affinity for
emotional expression and males reporting an interest in action methods (Pearson, 2003). Clearly,
sandplay therapy allows participation according to both of these preferences.
Children from various cultural groups
Furthermore, as play based therapies are less limited by cultural differences than are other forms
of intervention, sandplay is also likely to be a valuable technique for use with children from
diverse cultural groups (Cochran, 1996). Play is a universal activity exhibited by children of all
cultures and it offers a therapeutic medium that is not restricted by language barriers (Siehl,
2001). In addition, it is suggested that play based techniques provide children from different
cultures with a safe place to express themselves in a way that is comfortable to their individual
characteristics and needs (Siehl, 2001).
Children who have experienced trauma
Sandplay is also likely to be appropriate for use with children who have experienced particularly
difficult events, including various forms of abuse and trauma. Abuse experiences are particularly

33
difficult for children to acknowledge, and even more challenging to verbalise (Grubbs, 1994).
Sandplay offers these children a “free and sheltered” place to express through play and symbolic
Sandplay as a Therapeutic Tool for School Guidance Counsellors 5
activity, the complex emotions related to abuse experiences (Grubbs, 1994). One study examined
the use of sandplay therapy as an assessment tool with 52 abused and non-abused children and
reported significant differences in the sandtray constructions of children in the two groups (Zinni,
1997). Reported differences in content, theme and approach were said to be reflective of the
emotional distress experienced by the children in the abused group.
Children with behavioural difficulties
For aggressive students, sandplay offers the opportunity for expressing and acting out angry and
aggressive behaviours and feelings (Vinturella & James, 1987). This is particularly significant as
children have few other releases for these emotions and impulses, particularly in school settings
(Tharinger & Stafford, 1995). Several case studies have reported positive outcomes including a
reduction in impulsive and aggressive behaviour, improvement in social skills and the ability to
channel energy into appropriate activities, including sport and art (Allan & Berry, 1987).
Similarly, it is reported that sandplay allows children to release hurt and aggressive feelings to
facilitate more prosocial and appropriate behaviours (Allan & Brown, 1993). There is also
evidence that sandplay therapy is a valuable tool for enhancing the teaching of reading (Noyes,
1981). One study reports that the use of sandplay techniques in a remedial reading program
resulted in improved teacher-student rapport, increased clarity of thinking, increased motivation
and improved ability to focus on academic tasks (Noyes, 1981).
Sandplay in the Context of Contemporary School Guidance Practice
Corey (2001) suggests that therapists who hope to be effective with a wide range of clients, such
as those encountered in schools, must be flexible and versatile. However, as it is known that no
single theory can comprehensively account for the complexities of human behaviour and no
single set of techniques is always effective when working with diverse groups of clients;
guidance counsellors must learn to use different strategies to address the multitude of issues they
regularly face (Corey, 2001; Siehl, 2001). An integrative perspective characterised by an
openness to the inclusion of techniques addressing cognitive, behavioural and affective aspects of
experience may be one way to attempt to effectively meet the therapeutic needs of diverse groups
of students (Lazarus, 1989; Thompson & Rudolph, 1992). Individualised counselling plans are
imperative but are only possible when the counsellor is able to draw on a vast array of theory and
techniques (Thompson & Rudolph, 1992).
Sandplay as Part of an Integrative Approach
Sandplay therapy is one technique that may form a valuable part of an integrative approach, and
it is suggested that this technique may be integrated into therapeutic practice within the
framework of different theoretical orientations (Boik & Goodwin, 2000; Vinturella & James,
1987). For example, behaviourists can use sandplay as a diagnostic tool for gathering data and
assessing maladaptive behaviour. Cognitive therapists may work with children in the sand tray to
restructure unhelpful patterns of thinking. Family counsellors may use it to facilitate children’s
exploration of family boundaries, structure and interaction patterns. Child-centred counsellors
may use sandplay to build the therapeutic relationship and establish a climate of acceptance,
while counsellors working from a psychoanalytic perspective may use sandplay to detect and
address unconscious conflicts and issues.
Sandplay as a Therapeutic Tool for School Guidance Counsellors 6
In a recent Australian review of expressive therapies used by a small sample of school
guidance counsellors, it was reported that sandplay therapy was found to be the most helpful
modality from the expressive therapies in achieving positive outcomes for students. It was also
reported to be the technique most favoured by child clients (Pearson, 2003).

34
Research reveals that while school guidance counsellors do in fact use varying theoretical
frameworks to inform their guidance practice, they also commonly incorporate techniques from a
variety of theoretical perspectives (Gerler, 1992). Subsequently, as sandplay therapy offers
unique advantages and opportunities not offered by other approaches, it is a potentially valuable
addition to the counsellor’s range of therapeutic skills.
However, it is interesting to note that despite sandplay’s apparent value, it is not widely
used in school contexts. Rather, cognitive and behavioural techniques continue to be the
orientations of choice for many guidance counsellors and school psychologists (Hickmore, 2000;
Pearson, 2003). This raises the question of why sandplay therapy is not more widely used when it
appears to be a particularly appropriate and potentially useful therapeutic technique. The reason
for this may be found in the challenges and limitations that are commonly associated with the
sandplay approach as well as the lack of scientific validation for its effectiveness.
Possible Challenges to the Use of Sandplay in Schools
Cost Effectiveness
One of the most significant concerns about the use of sandplay therapy in schools is the question
of cost effectiveness. It is a common perception that many sessions are required in order for
children to benefit from the sandplay process. However, research suggests that this is not in fact
the case (Pearson & Wilson, 2001) and numerous authors and researchers report case studies and
recommendations that suggest that sandplay therapy can be used in settings where short-term
counselling is required. Significantly, it is suggested that most children reach the resolution stage
of the sandplay process within eight to ten sessions (Carmichael, 1994). Furthermore, in school
settings it has been reported that after eight sandplay sessions, teachers have noted significant
changes in children’s emotional state and ability to participate in school tasks (Allan & Berry,
1987). In fact, one clinician reported dramatic behaviour change in a young hyperactive male
client after just one session (Teakle,1992). In addition, it has been noted that sandplay formed a
significant element in the approach to working with students from schools located near the site of
the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, where it formed a valuable part of a crisis-oriented, shortterm
process enabling students to process and express their emotions (Sullivan, 2003).
Another concern related to cost effectiveness may be based on the perception that the
equipment used for sandplay therapy is expensive and difficult to obtain. However it is suggested
that sand trays are simple and economical to construct (Vinturella & James, 1987); or as an
alternative, commercially available, light and inexpensive storage containers may also be
effective (Carmichael, 1994). In addition, although commercially available symbols sets are an
option when establishing a sandplay area, symbols need not be purchased in this form. Instead
they may be collected from many and varied sources including discount shops and donations. For
ease of storage and portability, several symbols from each category are suggested to be adequate
(Landreth, 2002).
Sandplay as a Therapeutic Tool for School Guidance Counsellors 7
Expectations
Another significant challenge for the implementation of sandplay in school guidance programs
may be the expectations and opinions of administrative personnel. The term play is often
associated with ‘time-wasting’ and is frequently considered to be inappropriate in a school setting
where children should be learning and working (Siehl, 2001). In addition, expectations pertaining
to the role of guidance counsellors are often strongly associated with assessment and behaviour
modification. As previously discussed these objectives are not inconsistent with the use of
sandplay in school settings, and it is essential that guidance counsellors intending to use sandplay
therapy communicate its value to staff and parents (Siehl, 2001).
Training Opportunities
An additional challenge to the use of sandplay therapy in school settings is the reality that few

35
opportunities for training in sandplay therapy exist in guidance counsellor education programs. In
the United States, it is stated that few counsellor education programs offer any form of training in
play-based techniques, with only 39 universities providing related courses (Landreth et al., 1999).
In Australia, opportunities for training in play techniques are even more limited, although recent
research suggests that sandplay and other expressive techniques should form a significant
component of training for school guidance counsellors (Pearson, 2003).
Research Limitations
While each of the forementioned factors may pose challenges to the use of sandplay in school
settings, perhaps the most significant challenge is found in the lack of scientific research
available to support its effectiveness. While sandplay is consistently presented in the theoretical
literature as a powerful assessment and treatment tool, few studies have attempted to provide
scientific validation for the technique (Zinni, 1997). Rather, a wealth of case studies have
collectively accumulated to form the principles of therapeutic intervention (Carroll, 2000).
However, it is important to consider that current research into therapeutic work with children is
characterised by two main methodologies: narrative case studies and process and outcome
research (Carroll, 2000). Because of this reliance, conclusions regarding the effectiveness of
these techniques are currently impossible (Carroll, 2000). This is significant when it is noted that
in the field of counselling and psychology, considerable emphasis is placed on evidence-based or
empirically supported therapies (Sharpley, 2003).
Consequently, in critically evaluating the validity of play-based techniques that are not
currently supported by empirical research, the question of why this support is lacking is a
significant consideration. For example, is it appropriate to conclude that the techniques are in fact
not effective, or is it more likely to be an issue relating to research design and methodology? It is
known that traditional research approaches are derived from a scientific paradigm and involve the
quantitative analysis of outcome data to draw conclusions about the efficacy of particular
therapeutic approaches. While this approach may be readily applied to certain therapeutic
techniques, it is suggested that its use with play-based methods is significantly more difficult
(Carroll, 2000). Additionally, randomised controlled clinical trials are said to be ‘the wrong
method for empirically evaluating psychotherapy because they omit too many crucial elements of
what is done in the field’ (Seligman, 1995). Subsequently, it is possible that such factors may
have deterred many play-based therapists from undertaking work to validate the efficacy of their
approaches. It may also be the case that traditional research methodologies are beyond the
Sandplay as a Therapeutic Tool for School Guidance Counsellors 8
logistical limitations of many practitioners (Sharpley, 2003). Additionally counsellors working
with play-based techniques may be inherently less inclined to undertake scientific research, as
their work is focused on practice at the level of emotions and symbolic expression, and is
consequently less conducive to methods of scientific enquiry. The way forward in efforts to
provide research support for counselling techniques including sandplay therapy may therefore lie
not in the abandonment of empirical investigations but in the direction of increased
methodological diversity (Woolfe, 1996). This is significant as the search for scientific validation
of various therapeutic approaches remains a significant goal for researchers and there is a clear
and continuing need for rigorous empirical research into the efficacy of play-based therapeutic
work with children (Carroll, 2000).
Conclusions
On the basis of available research and perspectives on the difficulties of research in this area,
several tentative conclusions may be made. The first of these is that the available case study
accounts of positive therapeutic outcomes associated with sandplay therapy should be considered
as valid clinical evidence for the therapeutic efficacy of the technique. Also, the lack of scientific
validation may at this stage be viewed as reflective of methodological limitations, rather than a

36
conclusive indication that sandplay therapy is ineffective or inappropriate for therapeutic work
with children. Finally, conclusions regarding the nature of outcomes associated with the practice
of sandplay therapy will be greatly informed by ongoing attempts to address the challenge of
creating a research design that incorporates both processes and outcomes.
As the range of presenting issues and diversity of student needs continue to grow, school
guidance counsellors will be increasingly required to draw on a large range of skills and abilities
to assist with multiple and complex problems and circumstances. Sandplay therapy needs to be
considered as a valued and therapeutically effective part of those school guidance programs.
Sandplay as a Therapeutic Tool for School Guidance Counsellors 9
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counselling children. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 10, 145-156.
Pearson, M. (2003). Guidance officer and counsellor perspectives on using expressive therapies
to help students. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 13, 204-223.
Pearson, M., & Nolan, P. (1995). Emotional release for children: Repairing the past - preparing
the future. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research.
Pearson, M., & Wilson, H. (2001). Sandplay and symbol work : Emotional healing with children,
adolescents and adults. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research.
Seligman, M. (1995). The effectiveness of psychotherapy. American Psychologist, 50, 965-975.
Sharpley, C. (2003). N=1 research methodology in counselling: Focusing upon the individual
client. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 13, 133-144.
Siehl, P. (2001). Play therapy in the elementary school. In D. Sandhu (Ed.), Elementary school
counseling in the new millennium. Alexandria: American Counseling Association.
Sullivan, M. (2003). Sandplay therapy used to help teens heal. Clinical Psychiatry, 31(1), 62-64.
Teakle, H. (1992). My Daddy died: Supporting young children in grief. North Blackburn: Collins
Dove.
Sandplay as a Therapeutic Tool for School Guidance Counsellors 11
Tharinger, D., & Stafford, M. (1995). Best practices in individual counseling of elementary-age
students. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology.
Washington: National Association of School Psychologists.
Thompson, C., & Rudolph, L. (1992). Counseling children (3rd ed.). Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole
Publishing.
Vaz, K. (2000). When is a sandplay psychotherapy process complete? International Journal of
Action Methods, 53(2), 66-86.
Vinturella, L., & James, R. (1987). Sandplay: A therapeutic medium with children. Elementary
School Guidance and Counseling, 21, 229-236.
Woolfe, R. (1996). The nature of counselling psychology. In R. Woolfe & W. Dryden (Eds.),
Handbook of counselling psychology. London: Sage.
Zinni, R. (1997). Differential aspects of sandplay with 10- and 11-year-old children. Child Abuse
& Neglect, 21, 657-668.

Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay TM: The Tool

As developed by

Gisela Schubach De Domenico, PhD

The Light of Consciousness is reflected in

38
 the Crystal of Creation and the Mirror
of Your own World.
Sandtray–WorldplayTM is a transformational method that supports growth, development and healing in diverse
psychotherapeutic, educational, spiritual, legal, business, familial, communal, nature and intercultural settings.
Using different shapes and depths of trays filled with different colored and textured sand, earth, or water, along
with fire, air, man-made and natural miniatures, Sandtray-Worldplay offers people direct access to their deepest
consciousness so they may align themselves with the innate wisdom of their own Psyche, be present with each
moment regardless of prevailing conditions, and create an integrated, authentic life for themselves, their family,
their community, humanity, nature, and the planet earth.
Sandtray-Worldplay Journeys are offered in attractive but simple healing environments to people of all ages,
backgrounds, cultures and circumstances. We engage in this unique method of sandplay, supported by
meditative reflection, centering, natural rhythmic movement, music, drama, expressive arts, travel, and
explorations in nature. We journey into the depths of our individual and communal being. We explore the
growing edge of our life stream.
A Sandtray-Worldplay and Dynamic Expressive Play Journey inevitably takes us directly to our Soul, our
Spirit, our Ancestors, our Self, our Family and our Community. Coming into the presence of our own Selves, our
Life, and our Universe, we learn to embrace the play of our consciousness to enhance our lives.
As we experience the integrity, wholeness and wisdom that result from such play, we become more rooted in
ourselves and more interested in living in familial and global community with one another and the earth. We also
learn how to embrace and support others on their transformational healing journey.

39
 Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Tool.
Introducing the Space and the Tool:
To create Worlds in the sand you need at least two waterproof trays, approximately 20 in by 24
in and 4 in deep (26x28x4), with a level bottom that is painted blue. Place each tray on a waist-
high work surface1. Fill the trays halfway with either moist or dry sProvide an extensive
collection of small man-made or natural objects (see photo above and lists in the following
section) that may be stored on shelves, in baskets, or drawers. Add other inchart-and construction
materials and building blocks to increase the scope of expression. Do not forget candles, incense,
crystals, and fresh flowers. Let them be readily available to the builder. Add stepping stools. and.
Make available additional water, sand and tools. oate may be unnecessarily difficult when taboo
28” in diameter, which increases the sense of wholeness, i.e. the at-one-ness of all that is.
Octagonal and triangular trays are
Suggestions for Sand and Trays to hold it:
1 1. General Size of the tray: 20" by 24" and 3 to 4”deep. Without using peripheral vision,
the builder can see every part of the tray. Each portion of the tray is readily accessible to
the builder for manipulation. Trays may vary in size. We do not use very small trays
because of the trauma factor: many clients will not be able to use a small tray session
after session because Worlds can become too ‘charged’ when the play space is not large
enough. It ed, and conflicting forces do not have ‘enough room’ to negotiate different
ways of meeting. It is preferable to use the regular sized trays that are nearly square so
that there is nearly equal space from center to the periphery. You may wish to add a
circular tray, 26” to

1. Usually one tray is used during each session. Sometimes two or three may be used. The most that have
been used by one client in one session is 14 sandtrays. You may wish to keep several extra trays on hand:
these may be used for ‘mucky wet’ work; different colors of sand; water trays or extra trays. One very deep
tray is essential if you work with pre-school children or clients who have experienced trauma.
Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Tool.
1
whimsically interesting, but do not seem to have any particular merit in and of
themselves. It is good to have larger sandtrays for trauma -, family - and couple work,
(appr34” x 36” x 4 oximately ”). The author finds a 5 to 6 square feet sandtray most
helpful when 2. by a carpenter and rdering them from mail order houses, you may use flat
bottomed photo developing d. You
working with certain individuals who need a large space to integrate many different
experiences, and when working with families and/ or groups. Source of trays: Aside from
having them made of sealed wood
o
trays, such as Cesco-lite trays, either lined with blue adhesives shelfpaper or paintemay also
contact Vision Quest Images at www.Vision-Quest.us to order durable, shaland deep blue
plastic sandtrays weighing about two pounds each. Source of sand: 0-30 or 0-60 mesh
white or natural silica sand. In C
low 3. alifornia, RMC Lonestar (1-800-227-5186) is a good source: request lapis luster,
garnet, green, glass 4. your area to a sandtray makes for a very special earthtray that can
evoke the experience of grounding and many other helpful teachings. 5. install a drain
with plug on bottom of the tray. 6. all sticks and dried rosemary, for experiencing light,
smoke and fire play. bead sands. Salix Corporation in Salt Lake City, Utah (1-877-531-
8600) offers fine orange and white sands. Their black sand tends to be 0-30 mesh, which
is too rough. Request 0-100 mesh black sand. Earth: Adding ordinary earth from
Have plenty of water. Reserve an extra tray for flooding- and water play. Be creative and
Provide plenty of candles, tin-foil boats with sm

40
Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Tool.
Suggestions for outfitting the Sandtray Room2:
Basics Supplies:
1 1. At least TWO trays: one wet and one dry
2 2. A pitcher of WATER available
3 3. TOWELS or a FINGERBOWL with WATER
4 4. A brush to clean off the images before returning them to the shelf
5 5. KLEENEX
6 6. A CAMERA: digital or a 35mm camera is preferred
7 7. Notepaper for notes
8 8. A tarp/area rug/cloth for protecting the floor from sand when the play becomes
vigorous; you may also install a linoleum or tile floor; a good broom or dustbuster and
dustpan
9 9. Your reference books: your own journal of your Sandtray-Worldplay Journey and your
journal of how you animated various images and symbols in your own collection,
multicultural and multiethnic mythology and folktale collections, science dictionaries,
metaphysical, spiritual, and religious studies, symbol books, currently popular stories,
etc.

Your basic categories of miniature objects:

1 1. Multicultural People and Humanoid Life forms: grouped together as females, males,
couples, children, and social groups. Show a full range of activities, behaviors,
professions, sizes, emotions, attitudes, races, cultures etc.
2 2. Animal and animal communities: show individual variation in color and size
3 3. Plant life, reflecting the lifecycle from seed to barren branches to broken branches
4 4. Natural objects of all sorts: rocks both ordinary and precious; polished and naturals
woods; seashells; feathers; bones; eggshells; tumble glass; dried flowers; lichen;
bromeliads; etc.
5 5. Glass beads and marbles
6 6. Environments belonging to different cultures and historical epochs: furniture, houses,
monuments, hospitals, schools, fire-and police departments; churches etc

2. See Dr De Domenico’s Sandtray-Worldplay Manual and The Experiential Home Study Module for
further details about setting up a sandplay space. Contact www.Vision-Quest.us or
sandworldplay@rcn.com for more information.
Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Tool.
1 7. Transportation and communication of all kind
2 8. Pre-historic and fantasy creatures of all different sizes and color
3 9. Miscellaneous art materials
4 10. Modern and ancient miniature art sculptures; 20th century heroes and heroines and
villains, cartoon figures
5 11. Sand and Water tools
6 12. Planetary, earth and space symbols
7 13. Food
8 14. Topographical and geological symbols: caves, tunnels, arches etc
9 15. Reflective surfaces and illuminating objects: mirrors, lights, candles, and torches
10 16. Ordinary, cultural and mystical treasures of all kinds, including treasure boxes,
dragon treasures, gold coins, national and political icons, etc.

41
 11 17. Magical figures: magicians, sorceresses, priests, priestesses, ghosts, elementals,
nymphs, Gods and Goddesses, including satanic and angelic beings and personalities, etc
12 18. Death objects, birth objects, tombs, wombs, incubators; hospitals and recovery
centers, war and weapons; blood; (food-dye or red play dough)
13 19. Fabric of different colors and textures; different colored string; rope; wire;
14 20. Indigenous, religious, sacred and spiritual images from different cultures and
epochs
15 21. Plastic, pewter, wooden, golden and colorful images
16 22. Fences, blocks, stones, street signs etc
17 23. Broken, hurt, and fragmented objects, including various animal-plant body parts
18 24. Play-Dough or Stick'em for attaching objects together during play

Please note the categories that are missing in your sandtray playroom. You are not creating a
‘collection of fine art’; instead you are collecting a reference library of human experiences that
occur in all planes and dimensions. When you begin your collection: Get a few things in EACH
category first, so your collection is diverse and complex. For pewter, gold, black, white, ethnic
diversity: spray or paint ordinary objects. Later you may be able to afford these more expensive
items. To add ancient images to your collection: make them out of clay/plasticine by copying the
designs from books. For couple, family and group sandplay provide a rich and extensive
collection of images that truly reflect the diverse experiences that arise for humans in all
dimensional realities.
Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Tool.
Sources for Images:
Vision Quest Images at www.vision-quest.us
Toys of the Trade at www.toysofthetrade.com
Sandplay Toys, e-mail at lisa@sandplay-toys.com
Sacred Source at www.sacredsource.com
Fine Toy Stores
Toys-R-us, Walmarts, Drugstores, Joanne’s Fabric Store, Michaels
Museums, galleries, religious Stores, New Age stores
Airports, amusement parks, and other domestic, import stores, and worldwide Souvenir and
Tourist Attractions
E-Bay
Flea Markets and Garage Sales
Make them yourself
Procedure for Sandtray-Worldplay therapists getting to know their images:
When adding new objects to your collection, experience them first. Notice:
1 􀂾What experiences arise when you spend time with them?
2 􀂾What experiences or stories do they bring to you on different days and at different
times?
3 􀂾What do they mean to you?
4 􀂾How does your psyche use them in sandtray play?

After you have used them, look them up in a symbol or a mythology dictionary Then, notice
how your clients use them: keep a log of the type of experiences they evoke in different
Worlds. You may notice that there are no short cuts to experiencing and that interpretations are
wonderful mental exercises, can create exciting stories for you that unfortunately often bear
little resemblance to the actual realities embodied by the characters in the Creator’s World!
Indeed, life and its meanings are relative to the prevailing circumstances of the observer and the
play. There is no easily objectifiable reality in a sandplay: In time, you will learn that it is very

42
exciting to help builders/creators animate their own symbols, learn how to experience
deliberately and consciously in the many different dimensions of reality, weave their own
dynamic, living story and then share it with you.

43
 Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Tool.
Therapists and Facilitators need to experience their own personal Sandtray-Worldplay process:
Sandplay evokes very deep realities. It cuts across many familial and cultural taboos as it
activates the deep, primordial integrative forces of the psyche. Whether an educator, a trained
expressive-, art- or play therapist or whether an accomplished verbal, behavioral, or cognitive
clinician, each sandplay facilitator needs to use the sandtray for his/her own personal growth and
development before integrating the tool into the play- and consultation room. Personal experience
in individual journey sessions, couple sessions, family sessions, group sessions and experiential
training groups is essential. Each practitioner needs the experience of using the medium by
him/herself in their own playroom for at least twenty sessions – otherwise he/she has little
indication that he/she is able to trust the psyche of the client-at-play.
Sandtray-Worldplay Training Opportunities:
Sandtray-Worldplay Trainings are offered by Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Her training studio
is located in Oakland, California. During May-June she offers trainings in the Portland, Maine
area.
You may inquire about private Journey Sessions and private training/consultation.
Her small group experiential Vision Quest Into Symbolic Reality Workshop and Training Series
offer Sandtray-Worldplay Journey Days, Nature and Wilderness Retreats, Monthly Women
Circles, Monthly Consultation and Journey Groups, and Level 1-6 Sandtray- Worldplay
Intensives (5-9 days each).
Dr De Domenico, or a certified Sandtray-Worldplay Trainer, will travel to your agency, group, or
organization. In 2005 her work is being sponsored by Round Oaks Center in Charlottesville, the
Kentucky Play Therapy Association in Louisville, and the Georgia Play Therapy Association in
Atlanta.
For your convenience, a home study Sandtray-Worldplay course is available. This course is
suitable for Clinic Study Groups, University Sand Play Therapy Courses, educators and teachers
who want to develop some salient skills before or after coming to the ST-WP intensives with Dr
De Domenico.
Journeys to Ancient- and Modern Sacred Sites are in the planning for 2006.
Contact Dr De Domenico at www.vision-quest.us/VQISR/schedule; sandworldplay@rcn.com;
Phone at 510-530-1383.
Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Too

Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay TM: The Tool

As developed by

Gisela Schubach De Domenico, PhD

The Light of Consciousness is reflected in
the Crystal of Creation and the Mirror
of Your own World.
Sandtray–WorldplayTM is a transformational method that supports growth, development and
healing in diverse psychotherapeutic, educational, spiritual, legal, business, familial, communal,
nature and intercultural settings. Using different shapes and depths of trays filled with different
colored and textured sand, earth, or water, along with fire, air, man-made and natural
miniatures, Sandtray-Worldplay offers people direct access to their deepest consciousness so
they may align themselves with the innate wisdom of their own Psyche, be present with each
moment regardless of prevailing conditions, and create an integrated, authentic life for
themselves, their family, their community, humanity, nature, and the planet earth.
Sandtray-Worldplay Journeys are offered in attractive but simple healing environments to
people of all ages, backgrounds, cultures and circumstances. We engage in this unique method
of sandplay, supported by meditative reflection, centering, natural rhythmic movement, music,
drama, expressive arts, travel, and explorations in nature. We journey into the depths of our
individual and communal being. We explore the growing edge of our life stream.
A Sandtray-Worldplay and Dynamic Expressive Play Journey inevitably takes us directly to
our Soul, our Spirit, our Ancestors, our Self, our Family and our Community. Coming into the
presence of our own Selves, our Life, and our Universe, we learn to embrace the play of our
consciousness to enhance our lives.
As we experience the integrity, wholeness and wisdom that result from such play, we become
more rooted in ourselves and more interested in living in familial and global community with one
another and the earth. We also learn how to embrace and support others on their transformational
healing journey.
Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Tool.
Introducing the Space and the Tool:
To create Worlds in the sand you need at least two waterproof trays, approximately 20 in by 24
in and 4 in deep (26x28x4), with a level bottom that is painted blue. Place each tray on a waist-
high work surface1. Fill the trays halfway with either moist or dry sProvide an extensive
collection of small man-made or natural objects (see photo above and lists in the following
section) that may be stored on shelves, in baskets, or drawers. Add other inchart-and construction
materials and building blocks to increase the scope of expression. Do not forget candles, incense,
crystals, and fresh flowers. Let them be readily available to the builder. Add stepping stools. and.
Make available additional water, sand and tools. oate may be unnecessarily difficult when taboo
28” in diameter, which increases the sense of wholeness, i.e. the at-one-ness of all that is.
Octagonal and triangular trays are
Suggestions for Sand and Trays to hold it:
2 1. General Size of the tray: 20" by 24" and 3 to 4”deep. Without using peripheral vision,
the builder can see every part of the tray. Each portion of the tray is readily accessible to
the builder for manipulation. Trays may vary in size. We do not use very small trays
because of the trauma factor: many clients will not be able to use a small tray session
after session because Worlds can become too ‘charged’ when the play space is not large
enough. It ed, and conflicting forces do not have ‘enough room’ to negotiate different
ways of meeting. It is preferable to use the regular sized trays that are nearly square so
that there is nearly equal space from center to the periphery. You may wish to add a
circular tray, 26” to

1. Usually one tray is used during each session. Sometimes two or three may be used. The most that have
been used by one client in one session is 14 sandtrays. You may wish to keep several extra trays on hand:
these may be used for ‘mucky wet’ work; different colors of sand; water trays or extra trays. One very deep
tray is essential if you work with pre-school children or clients who have experienced trauma.
Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Tool.
2
whimsically interesting, but do not seem to have any particular merit in and of
themselves. It is good to have larger sandtrays for trauma -, family - and couple work,
(appr34” x 36” x 4 oximately ”). The author finds a 5 to 6 square feet sandtray most
helpful when 2. by a carpenter and rdering them from mail order houses, you may use flat
bottomed photo developing d. You
 working with certain individuals who need a large space to integrate many different
experiences, and when working with families and/ or groups. Source of trays: Aside from
having them made of sealed wood
o
trays, such as Cesco-lite trays, either lined with blue adhesives shelfpaper or paintemay also
contact Vision Quest Images at www.Vision-Quest.us to order durable, shaland deep blue
plastic sandtrays weighing about two pounds each. Source of sand: 0-30 or 0-60 mesh
white or natural silica sand. In C
low 3. alifornia, RMC Lonestar (1-800-227-5186) is a good source: request lapis luster,
garnet, green, glass 4. your area to a sandtray makes for a very special earthtray that can
evoke the experience of grounding and many other helpful teachings. 5. install a drain
with plug on bottom of the tray. 6. all sticks and dried rosemary, for experiencing light,
smoke and fire play. bead sands. Salix Corporation in Salt Lake City, Utah (1-877-531-
8600) offers fine orange and white sands. Their black sand tends to be 0-30 mesh, which
is too rough. Request 0-100 mesh black sand. Earth: Adding ordinary earth from
Have plenty of water. Reserve an extra tray for flooding- and water play. Be creative and
Provide plenty of candles, tin-foil boats with sm
Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Tool.
Suggestions for outfitting the Sandtray Room2:
Basics Supplies:
10 1. At least TWO trays: one wet and one dry
11 2. A pitcher of WATER available
12 3. TOWELS or a FINGERBOWL with WATER
13 4. A brush to clean off the images before returning them to the shelf
14 5. KLEENEX
15 6. A CAMERA: digital or a 35mm camera is preferred
16 7. Notepaper for notes
17 8. A tarp/area rug/cloth for protecting the floor from sand when the play becomes
vigorous; you may also install a linoleum or tile floor; a good broom or dustbuster and
dustpan
18 9. Your reference books: your own journal of your Sandtray-Worldplay Journey and your
journal of how you animated various images and symbols in your own collection,
multicultural and multiethnic mythology and folktale collections, science dictionaries,
metaphysical, spiritual, and religious studies, symbol books, currently popular stories,
etc.

Your basic categories of miniature objects:

7 1. Multicultural People and Humanoid Life forms: grouped together as females, males,
couples, children, and social groups. Show a full range of activities, behaviors,
professions, sizes, emotions, attitudes, races, cultures etc.
8 2. Animal and animal communities: show individual variation in color and size
9 3. Plant life, reflecting the lifecycle from seed to barren branches to broken branches
10 4. Natural objects of all sorts: rocks both ordinary and precious; polished and naturals
woods; seashells; feathers; bones; eggshells; tumble glass; dried flowers; lichen;
bromeliads; etc.
11 5. Glass beads and marbles
12 6. Environments belonging to different cultures and historical epochs: furniture, houses,
monuments, hospitals, schools, fire-and police departments; churches etc
2. See Dr De Domenico’s Sandtray-Worldplay Manual and The Experiential Home Study Module for
further details about setting up a sandplay space. Contact www.Vision-Quest.us or
sandworldplay@rcn.com for more information.
Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Tool.
19 7. Transportation and communication of all kind
20 8. Pre-historic and fantasy creatures of all different sizes and color
21 9. Miscellaneous art materials
22 10. Modern and ancient miniature art sculptures; 20th century heroes and heroines and
villains, cartoon figures
23 11. Sand and Water tools
24 12. Planetary, earth and space symbols
25 13. Food
26 14. Topographical and geological symbols: caves, tunnels, arches etc
27 15. Reflective surfaces and illuminating objects: mirrors, lights, candles, and torches
28 16. Ordinary, cultural and mystical treasures of all kinds, including treasure boxes,
dragon treasures, gold coins, national and political icons, etc.
29 17. Magical figures: magicians, sorceresses, priests, priestesses, ghosts, elementals,
nymphs, Gods and Goddesses, including satanic and angelic beings and personalities, etc
30 18. Death objects, birth objects, tombs, wombs, incubators; hospitals and recovery
centers, war and weapons; blood; (food-dye or red play dough)
31 19. Fabric of different colors and textures; different colored string; rope; wire;
32 20. Indigenous, religious, sacred and spiritual images from different cultures and
epochs
33 21. Plastic, pewter, wooden, golden and colorful images
34 22. Fences, blocks, stones, street signs etc
35 23. Broken, hurt, and fragmented objects, including various animal-plant body parts
36 24. Play-Dough or Stick'em for attaching objects together during play

Please note the categories that are missing in your sandtray playroom. You are not creating a
‘collection of fine art’; instead you are collecting a reference library of human experiences that
occur in all planes and dimensions. When you begin your collection: Get a few things in EACH
category first, so your collection is diverse and complex. For pewter, gold, black, white, ethnic
diversity: spray or paint ordinary objects. Later you may be able to afford these more expensive
items. To add ancient images to your collection: make them out of clay/plasticine by copying the
designs from books. For couple, family and group sandplay provide a rich and extensive
collection of images that truly reflect the diverse experiences that arise for humans in all
dimensional realities.
Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Tool.
Sources for Images:
Vision Quest Images at www.vision-quest.us
Toys of the Trade at www.toysofthetrade.com
Sandplay Toys, e-mail at lisa@sandplay-toys.com
Sacred Source at www.sacredsource.com
Fine Toy Stores
Toys-R-us, Walmarts, Drugstores, Joanne’s Fabric Store, Michaels
Museums, galleries, religious Stores, New Age stores
Airports, amusement parks, and other domestic, import stores, and worldwide Souvenir and
Tourist Attractions
E-Bay
Flea Markets and Garage Sales
 Make them yourself
Procedure for Sandtray-Worldplay therapists getting to know their images:
When adding new objects to your collection, experience them first. Notice:
5 􀂾What experiences arise when you spend time with them?
6 􀂾What experiences or stories do they bring to you on different days and at different
times?
7 􀂾What do they mean to you?
8 􀂾How does your psyche use them in sandtray play?

After you have used them, look them up in a symbol or a mythology dictionary Then, notice
how your clients use them: keep a log of the type of experiences they evoke in different
Worlds. You may notice that there are no short cuts to experiencing and that interpretations are
wonderful mental exercises, can create exciting stories for you that unfortunately often bear
little resemblance to the actual realities embodied by the characters in the Creator’s World!
Indeed, life and its meanings are relative to the prevailing circumstances of the observer and the
play. There is no easily objectifiable reality in a sandplay: In time, you will learn that it is very
exciting to help builders/creators animate their own symbols, learn how to experience
deliberately and consciously in the many different dimensions of reality, weave their own
dynamic, living story and then share it with you.
Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Tool.
Therapists and Facilitators need to experience their own personal Sandtray-Worldplay process:
Sandplay evokes very deep realities. It cuts across many familial and cultural taboos as it
activates the deep, primordial integrative forces of the psyche. Whether an educator, a trained
expressive-, art- or play therapist or whether an accomplished verbal, behavioral, or cognitive
clinician, each sandplay facilitator needs to use the sandtray for his/her own personal growth and
development before integrating the tool into the play- and consultation room. Personal experience
in individual journey sessions, couple sessions, family sessions, group sessions and experiential
training groups is essential. Each practitioner needs the experience of using the medium by
him/herself in their own playroom for at least twenty sessions – otherwise he/she has little
indication that he/she is able to trust the psyche of the client-at-play.
Sandtray-Worldplay Training Opportunities:
Sandtray-Worldplay Trainings are offered by Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Her training studio
is located in Oakland, California. During May-June she offers trainings in the Portland, Maine
area.
You may inquire about private Journey Sessions and private training/consultation.
Her small group experiential Vision Quest Into Symbolic Reality Workshop and Training Series
offer Sandtray-Worldplay Journey Days, Nature and Wilderness Retreats, Monthly Women
Circles, Monthly Consultation and Journey Groups, and Level 1-6 Sandtray- Worldplay
Intensives (5-9 days each).
Dr De Domenico, or a certified Sandtray-Worldplay Trainer, will travel to your agency, group, or
organization. In 2005 her work is being sponsored by Round Oaks Center in Charlottesville, the
Kentucky Play Therapy Association in Louisville, and the Georgia Play Therapy Association in
Atlanta.
For your convenience, a home study Sandtray-Worldplay course is available. This course is
suitable for Clinic Study Groups, University Sand Play Therapy Courses, educators and teachers
who want to develop some salient skills before or after coming to the ST-WP intensives with Dr
De Domenico.
Journeys to Ancient- and Modern Sacred Sites are in the planning for 2006.
Contact Dr De Domenico at www.vision-quest.us/VQISR/schedule; sandworldplay@rcn.com;
Phone at 510-530-1383.
Gisela Schubach De Domenico. Introduction to Sandtray-Worldplay: The Too

A Sandtray-Worldplay Training Group experiences Sept 11-12,

2001: this article was first published in the SandTray Network Journal,
Vol6,No1. Winter 2001-02. all rights reserved by Gisela S. De Domenico Group
Sandplay on September 11 and 12, 2001:
Using Sandtray-Worldplay to Work with the Trauma of the Day
By Gisela Schubach De Domenico, Phd, MFT, RPT-S
__________________________
Introduction
The fearsome hijacking of four passenger airplanes, the successful use of two planes to destroy the World
Trade Center, a third to damage the Pentagon, and the fatal crash of a fourth plane created great suffering
for so many in America, in the Middle East and all around the World.
September 11, 2001 marks a day of intercultural shock and trauma. Young and old sensed more fully the
exquisiteness and the fragility of life. Many were catapulted into experiencing pain, fear, terror, paralysis,
helplessness, anger, loss, uncertainty, or silence. Many found themselves ready to rescue, to help, to hope
and to pray. Many were catapulted into the need to protect, defend, attack, kill, and destroy.
Our mundane view of the world was hijacked. As individuals, families, nations and global community we
were challenged to review, if not revise, the way we are with life and with one another. Violence and terror,
life and death, helping and helplessness, power and powerlessness were offered as a mirror to each one of
us. The immeasurable surprise created an opportunity to go beyond our habituated selves and to review the
ways in which we meet the challenges of being human.
Many sandplay, sandtray and Sandtray-Worldplay therapists used the sandtray to help themselves, their
families, friends, clients, and students explore and integrate the terror that so abruptly touched them and
their communities. Using the sandtray room during such times makes perfect sense for the sandtray
apparatus remains a solid cornerstone to the successful integration of trauma-in-the-present, be this trauma
of a personal, familial, communal, or international nature.
Sandworldplay facilitates the manifestation, the witnessing and the exploration of life-changing and life-
threatening events from an individual, a communal, an archetypal, and a transhuman point of view. Led by
psyche, each builder whether alone or in-group uses the play to re-experience and re-arrange the ways
his/her family, community, nation, ancestors, and humanity view life and being human. In play, the builder
creates an updated personal meaning matrix that can hold his/her immediate experience of self, others, and
the world. This very special type of play taps the rich reservoir of the many innate faculties of human
consciousness. We sense, embody, feel, remember, think, intuit, embrace and expand into being-
consciousness. We enter into the many realms of reality that give us the necessary perspective to
understand the nature of life and death as a human being on earth.
The awakening of expanded presence measurably increases our access to the interdimensional realities that
are frequently ignored by us, our families, and our culture. We are often surprised when, as ordinary
people, we suddenly explore not only the social-communal, but also the personal, the ancestral, the
archetypal, the primordial, and universal spiritual realms of reality, those realms often reserved for elders,
mystics, spiritual seekers, dreamers, artists, physicists, healers or shamans. Once there, our expanded
presence draws on the innate wisdom of these dimensions. As we enter into the deeper mysteries, we learn
means of being-within the as yet uncharted and often tabooed territories of life.
This article was first published in the Winter 2001 and Spring 2002 edition of the Sandtray Network
Journal. It has been adapted for the Vision Quest Into Symbolic Reality Website.1 In this special edition of
the Network Journal the editors took care to bring students of sandtray/sandplay the journeys of many.
They demonstrated that the sandplay room is indeed a “laboratory of the world” where people of all ages
can integrate the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Readers could read about the play of those who were
nearby, who may have watched the burning and the collapse of the Twin Towers, those who lost family,
and those who
1
The STNetwork aims to post past Journals on its website: www.sandtray.org in 2006.
Group Sandtray-Worldplay 1
cared for the families of victims. They were offered the play of children, adolescents, and adults who lived
far away from ground zero, the Pentagon, or Pennsylvania. There was an account of how one therapist used
the sandtray to confront and self-witness the ways in which she was affected by the events. Her work
illustrates how a solo sandtray play process may be used to support one’s own integrative processes.
Another child therapist traced the evolution of a communal client sandtray dedicated to healing the shock
and the wounds of September 11. In yet another article the author traced the way in which the psyches of
children and adults integrated the traumatic events of September 11 in a manner that actually expanded
their capacity to meet and support their own growing edge, thus actively and synchronistically furthering
their individual and social development.
This article shows how the group Sandtray-Worldplay processes created on September 11and 12 offered
healing visions that spontaneously appeared from the multidimensional planes of existence – they include
the ancestral, archetypal, earth and spirit realms. Notice how in play we all are capable of accessing the
view of the ancestors, of all of humanity, of the forces of nature and of Gods, Goddesses and Spirit: we
discover capacities of Being-in-Life and the innate intelligence we lost as our civilization separated from
direct relationship to Nature. Play helps us to view, sense, feel, remember, think about, and integrate
frightening and ‘big’ events that are beyond our control and that threaten to overwhelm us.
As you read this special account of the stories birthed in the sandtray room, you may notice how the play
process weaves the events of September 11th, for each individual member and for the group-as-one into a
personal and communal rite of passage. The play ventures fearlessly into a direct exploration of the critical
moment of intercultural and global crisis. Notice how the communal group psyche invites each one of the
players to attend more consciously to the interrelationship of all the people of planet earth. Witness how
each builder enters into a dialogue with birth and death, with human freedom and human enslavement, with
human interdependence and human isolation, with human love and human rage, with human helpfulness
and human helplessness.
Each is challenged to grow more fully human, both individually and collectively. Each strives to relate to
how he/she creates life for themselves and others. Inevitably each has to confront life and his/her fellow
humans by either undoing or supporting these individual or collective strivings.
As I worked with the journeys of my student-colleagues I felt so privileged to bear witness and to preserve
our experience as a testimonial of resilience during a time of shock. As your read our journey, read slowly
and let the images come alive as you study the photos and feel your way into the space between the words.
Warning: Do not analyze the play – or assess the players. Do not get lost in symbolism – instead use the
photos and the text from the builders to animate the Worlds once more.
These Worlds contain the seeds of life, birth, death and transformation of both individual and collective
human consciousness. They are precious. They mark our innate strivings to move beyond our familial,
cultural, and human limitations. Sense the struggle of what it takes to reach beyond our limited view and
ignorance. Sense the deeply rooted stirring of the need to find a way to experience and acknowledge a
situation of terror and rage from a position of peace, understanding, compassion, and forgiveness. Sense
our deep capacity to “not turn away,” to insist on naming completely without denying anyone and any
deed.
Notice that all of us are called to examine our role as witnesses and watchers in and out of the sandtray.
Wonder what it means to “bear witness” in the inner and the outer world – and in the playroom. Ponder
what qualities we can cultivate so that we may truly activate and embody the witness who carries that
which has been witnessed.
For my own part, the honesty of this work continues to inform the way in which I look at my daily life. It
continues to raise deep internal dialogues about how I harm myself and others, how I misuse my own and
the planet’s resources, how I am self-righteously insensitive in my own interpersonal relationships, and
how I too destroy the efforts of so many generations that came before me. I feel ever so deeply the
naggings of my communal self: somehow, I am a part of all of humanity that has engaged and continues to
engage in the cultivation of selective murder. I feel myself in the shadow of the spoken and unspoken
campaigns of genocide waged in the name of peace, justice, colonization, expansion, conversion, cleansing,
civilization, development, or progress.
A Sandtray-Worldplay Training Group experiences Sept 11-12, 2001: this article was 2 first published in the SandTray
Network Journal, Vol6,No1. Winter 2001-02. all rights reserved by Gisela S. De Domenico
 Group Sandplay on
September 11 and 12, 2001:
Dedication:

I share this transformational group process with gratitude to the participants of the September 2001 level

two Sandtray-Worldplay training group practicum intensive and with sympathy and compassion for all

those involved in the tragedy of September 11: the victims and their families, the hijackers and their

families, the watchers and helpers, our world leaders who have contributed to this event, and all the people

who are trying to heal our global community.

.
The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe….
All is registered in the ‘boundless heart’ of the bodhisattva.
Through our deepest and innermost responses to our world – to hunger and torture
and the threat of annihilation – we touch that boundless heart.
Joanna Macy
On the morning of September 11, over 3000 people died. Many lost friends, enemies, benefactors, helpers,
co-workers, fathers, mothers, grandmothers, grandfathers, sons, daughters, cousins, nieces, and lovers. In
and of itself the actual event was not an unusual trauma: most of us are aware that many thousands of
people are murdered each day for the sake of cultural, political, religious, economic or personal ideologies
and passion. What was unusual about this day, however, was that much of the world stood still and
watched the crashing planes and the crumbling twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York either
directly at the site or on television screens at home, work at school. Most feared that additional attacks
would be announced at any moment. Terror reigned. Trauma touched our national and international
communities. The nations of the world witnessed and responded to the death, terror, and suffering
unfolding before its eyes.
One planet … one earth … one humanity
At noon on September 11, a small training group convened at my Sandtray-Worldplay Studio in Oakland.
We immediately knew that we would use the day to learn how to use the sandtray to communicate our
innermost feelings, to find ways for understanding what was happening in the world, and to support one
other in enduring the uncertainty and the shock of the day. Our hearts were ripped open. Our minds raced.
Time was standing still.
We began with our ritual dance meditation, followed by a period of silence and story telling. One of our
members had not been notified of the events in New York and Washington D.C. She had seen no images on
television. In fact, she had had no idea why she had been unable to get a cab and had to walk to the
workshop that morning. Sitting in a circle, we each spoke of our experiences - we created a communal altar
to amplify the shared experience.
Then we each built our own sandtray. We chose to take as long as we needed. We followed the lead of our
heart. We took time to silently experience our own and everyone else’s World.
Group Sandtray-Worldplay 3
After we had looked at all the sandtrays, and had shared some of the stories hidden inside them, we knew
that between us we had indeed opened our boundless hearts. We had embraced much of the essence of
these events, which were shattering any notion that we were safe from the terrors of global violence. By
each holding a significant part of this global event of terror, we had, in fact, constructed a sound communal
foundation from which we could derive strength to continue learning more ways of integrating the complex
reality of September 11, 2001 into our personal, professional, cultural and spiritual life.
The five Worlds and the altar built on 9/11.
 Procedure for our Group ST-WP Process:
Each person chose a rectangular, square or round sandtray and a given color or texture of sand such as
white, black, orange, green, tan, mauve, soft or coarse. After a silent meditation to the accompaniment of
Tibetan Lama chants softly playing in the background, everyone simultaneously created their own sandtray.
There were no assigned witnesses and no leader was appointed to hold and protect the space. Instead, we
witnessed ourselves and we held and protected our space together. Each of us was free to share, to be with
another, or to work silently. This included the building phase of our session. Everyone took breaks
whenever they felt the need to rest. We had not declared an ending time as we chose to work in the sand
until we were finished. Everyone was encouraged to journal their process and most of us journaled at least
some of the time.
For many hours the group built Worlds in the sand. The atmosphere of the Sandtray-Worldplay training
studio was thick with mindful presence, deep feeling, heartful respect, immediacy of sensation, measured
breath, intense focus, and such spaciousness that became a calling to all humanity, all living beings, the
elements, the Ensouled and the Spirits to join us in our quest to take in and to become informed by what
was happening in the world around us on this day of September 11, 2001.
When finished, each person was asked to experience their World in silence first. Then each was free to
move or remove any elements in their World and/or make any adjustments in the scene. Everyone was
instructed to experience their World alone and to journal their free-associations. Then, they were asked to
compose an essence statement.
Next, all the sandtrays were arranged in a circle. Everyone took their turn sitting in silent meditation before
the others’ Worlds, taking-in one World at a time. This was a very sacred moment: we knew we had
journeyed deeply, had made visible the core realms of being human and had connected them to the far
reaches of our Universe. While in the playroom we felt awe and connectedness to the Source of All that Is.
When the private viewings of the circle of Worlds had been completed, the builder who held “the
beginning” shared her World with the others. The sharings were written down as they emerged. Everyone
co-experienced and participated in deepening the builder’s experience of his World. Everyone engaged in
asking questions. In the ensuing discussions, we continued to explore and be touched by the events of the
day, their effect on us and the Earth Community. We appreciated and savored the medicine provided by the
Sandplayworldplay that had just been shared. When one builder was finished, the one who held the next
story revealed his/her World.
We used two full days to create and to experience the fullness of the circle of these special Worlds. At the
end of our fourteen hours together, we created a closing ritual to help us bring the gifts of our journey back
into our private, professional, and communal lives. We knew we were fortunate to have been able to
receive and process this time of sudden shock, uncertainty, pain, outrage, and grief while in the sandtray
retreat. The play took us into the deepest chamber of our hearts, and brought us the capacity and wisdom
we needed.
In this article only parts of the commentaries about each World are given. Some are direct quotes and
others are paraphrased sharings of the builders. Notice how most have a poetic and free-associative quality
about them. They are evidence of the innate experientially-based thinking process in action. They are not
organized stories. None are interpretive commentaries or symbolic speculations about the builders’
experiences.
Readers may use the text to engage in personal and communal discussions about the effects of the hijacked
and crashed airplanes of September 11, 2001 and of other “big” traumatic events that challenge us.

Group Day One

The First Sharing of September 11, 2001
What happened today is bigger than we are.
It is part of a bigger event. It is bigger than we are … it is more all encompassing …It is difficult to grasp
this with the mind. It is so big. It is hard to be with.
A Sandtray-Worldplay Training Group experiences Sept 11-12, 2001: this article was 4 first published in the SandTray
Network Journal, Vol6,No1. Winter 2001-02. all rights reserved by Gisela S. De Domenico
The group encouraged the builder to stay silently with her experiences and settle into the World before her.
They are all going home: The Source.
And here are the souls of all those who are dying right now.
All of them are dying …
the hijackers of the planes,
the passengers of the planes,
the people who are in the twin towers and
the firefighter who tried to rescue those trapped and
stranded inside …
They are all returning to their Source in the Center. All are all going together, illuminated by the light ….
It is a long procession.
I had to place each soul individually.
I named each one of them.
It was important that they have a name.
Slowly I placed each one …
I held them in my heart.
Many have the same name.
So many people … so many families.
Many are dying today.
Each and everyone have family left behind.
They all came from the same Source, whether perpetrator or victim. And they all are going together to the
same place, whether killer or victim …
they are going on the same path.
I do not know why, but I am so touched by the children, the innocent children who died today. Their Souls
are white and are illuminated by the inner circle of light ….
I made a special circle of light for them. They are pure and white. They already are closer to the Source,
the white hands holding the red rose of life.
They are almost there. Such a short time they had here. They are precious ….
The little children who died are getting closer to their original source in the center.
There is much sorrow in the world right now.
I feel this sorrow so deeply….
Today, I saw (on TV) the light around the twin towers … a tunnel of light surrounded the structures …
Higher Beings, LightBeings attended to the dying and to the ones who escaped, helped and lived. They
escorted the dead. I knew that. Here, (in the World) they are returning to the Source that we all return to.
The column of light extended out from the earth into the center of the Universe: a steady stream of the
souls of those who had to leave the earth today …
Two nights ago I had a dream: I watched two Roman Numeral One Structures crumble … I linked them to
the falling towers of the Tarot and to a time of change. This morning I realized that I had actually seen this
event already in my dream.
Here is the Buddha under the golden tree …

Here is Shiva dancing the dance of life and death …

Group Sandtray-Worldplay 5

Here is the Christ with uplifted arms

Here are the great Mothers.

All are all watching ...

They are the holy ones who are watching the procession of the return to the Center …

They are watching over everyone ...

It comforts me to know this …

The Second Sharing of

September 11, 2001
A time of horror is here.
The World has been turned upside down.
It is a time of evil.
It is a time of confusion.
The buildings have collapsed.
Beliefs are collapsing.
So much pain … so much death.
The universe can hold this … this is not the biggest thing.
The Spirit Father teaches the child and the kneeling one. The great teachers of life are here. In the center is
knowledge.
Time has been turned upside down …
innocence has died.

Evil and death have come into the World ….

The wolves howl “stop!”
Evil and death are coming into the World.
The demons are coming out.
Time has been turned upside down …innocence has died.
It is a time of evil.
The wolves, mother and baby, are howling for the whole world … “Stop! Stop!” This howling needs to be
done …This evil and violence need to stop … this cannot be.
The baby (wolf) does not understand … she just follows the Mother … and without knowing why, she
knows that it feels right to howl on this day.
A Sandtray-Worldplay Training Group experiences Sept 11-12, 2001: this article was 6 first published in the SandTray
Network Journal, Vol6,No1. Winter 2001-02. all rights reserved by Gisela S. De Domenico
The giraffes are confused.
The blue hummingbird (on the rock in upper left) does not know anything has happened. It goes about its
business.
But the little giraffes are so confused …
They go in all different directions.
They run off and might be lost.
They bump into things.
They just keep going, not knowing.
They seek.
They are together and not together.
They are lost.
They are innocent …
They know something terrible is happening …
They don’t know what happened, but they know
they are going crazy.
They just don’t know where to go and what to do.
They run about here and there.
They go back and forth.
They lose each other …
They are so confused …
Nothing is the same …
They do not have their bearings.
The confusion is intolerable …
During most of the sharing time, the builder moves the small giraffes all around the World, dramatically
enacting their panic and in confusion. They are in total chaos. They have lost touch with their center. They
have no one outside to follow – we feel their panic.
Eventually, they find their way to be near the Spirit Place. This changes them. They can calm down.
Only Spirit and the vicinity of compassion can exert the calming influence they need at this time.
The Earth is always there. The elk father has his baby underneath him, just like the wolf mother
The rocks … the earth is always there.
One of the giraffes goes and hides in the rocks. It does not change anything. But the Rock is there.
The Earth is old.
The Earth is solid ground
No matter what, there is still life.
The elk has his baby underneath him … she is underneath, just like the Wolf Mother and her baby. The
babies follow the old ones. These babies have their old one.
The Earth is always there.
The Earth is solid.
The Seasons keep going
There is help.
The Father is caring for the child in the Spirit Realm.
There is an old woman who feels the pain … and the sorrow ….
She is at peace ….
She sits. She looks. She feels.
Group Sandtray-Worldplay 7
She can do this. She is at peace.
The Father is taking care of the baby in the spirit realm.
There is more help in this World:
The Goddesses are there in all of their forms … the ones we see here are but a small sample of the ones
that have come into the World at this time of pain. They have come to help. They feel divine concern and
compassion.
The Indian, the moon, the totem animals are all there to help.
The light illuminates. This helps.
The (triple) head is ancient, from a time before the Goddesses.
It does not know what is happening here today.
It is just there.
The kneeling seeker asks for help and desperately tries to understand.
She is reaching out to the invisible world. She feels the presence of the spirit, but is not yet sure …
She cannot see to the other side.
She senses but she cannot yet see beyond …
I sense my dead Father trying to console me from the other side.
He knows what is happening here.
He knows that this is very hard for me.
In the center is the Light.
It is the most ancient thing.
And in the center of the World is the Light.
It is the most ancient thing.
It is before the mystery.
This is knowledge.
All the colors are part of this Light …
The colors make everything that is in the World.
Everything and everyone comes from these colors that are part of the Light in the center.
Hands are holding the crystal.
This is a time for People to hold one another.
The people are holding one another…
The hands are also holding.
They are small hands, but they are holding.
They cannot do much, but they can hold.
So, they hold.
This is a time for People to hold one another.
September 12, 2001:
Group Day Two
The second day everyone returns. We dance and express ourselves in movement followed by a brief
silence.
In check-in circle, conducted near our group altar, we each speak of our encounters last evening, our
dreams, and of our ways of coping with yesterday’s events. We note how difficult it is to be away from
family in this time of uncertainty.
When we are ready, we return to be alone with our Worlds built yesterday. After meditative and journaling
time, we come together to be led into experiencing the third World of September 11, 2001.
A Sandtray-Worldplay Training Group experiences Sept 11-12, 2001: this article was first published in the
SandTray Network Journal, Vol6,No1. Winter 2001-02. all rights reserved by Gisela S. De Domenico 8

The Third Sharing of September 11, 2001

All the positive energy in the universe surrounds us.
Every crystal knows its place in the Universe.
No crystal is more important than any other one.
Yesterday, it was clear to me that the World had to be circular. It also could not be human, for it was to be
universal. I had to go to the universal dimension.
People, animal and plant life could not go there …
It had to be very universal. It was so big.
This is not faith … faith cannot touch this place.
This is the most ancient thing … it’s Before the Mystery.
After I had created the World, I shifted from feeling the negative energy of what I saw in New York and in
D.C. I saw what we could do to hold people …
I saw that we could pray …
The energy was so strong ... The energy that was emanating from this universal place easily overcame all
the negative energy that was being generated.
Not only the attacked are affected, but everyone: the families, the rescue people, and all of us. Whether you
know someone there or not, you are affected. We are all part of this.
Last night it helped me so much to leave here knowing that all the positive energy in the Universe
surrounds us, whether we pick up on it or not. People are in shock. But the positive energy is enormous.
There was so much power in creating the World. It is hard to go back again today. I don’t know if I can
experience the intensity again.
The builder is asked to go into the Silence, to re-enter the World and to re-animate it once more. We do the
same. He is encouraged to start at the beginning and to take his time.
New candles have been lit.
We all sit quietly for a while.
The Gateway is in the Center. Energy is so intense. With every drip (candle wax) the World changed.
I first picked the gateway in the center, then the crystals came. I needed more and more crystals … the
World just assembled itself. They (crystals) went where they belonged. The candles needed to be directed
inward: the energy had to first come in (towards the center) and then go out.
I watched the candles burn. The energy was so intense. With every drip it changed. I watched the little tea
light candles burn, melt, get ready to spill, and then spill … It is amazing to watch candles burn. I watched
them melting, spilling, dying for such a very long time.
I became fascinated by all the Colors of the crystals. In the universe everything is Different. There is not a
sameness of anything … different sizes, colors and shapes, some more and some less.
And then I brought it back to the Earth … so many different cultures and so many different people … and
yet, we do not live like the natural world. All these crystals know their place in the Universe and one
crystal is no more important than any other one.
The way that we humans war with one another is beyond belief … for thousands upon thousands of years
we have destroyed each other. We have our justifications, our beliefs, our lands, our religions, yet it does
not make any sense.
We are one with all the resources we have on the Earth and it does not make sense that the resources
aren’t shared … it really doesn’t make sense that we do not share resources, medicine, fuel … you are
hungry and no one shares.
We set off big explosions. We go to the moon … we send satellites into space that become big chunks of
metal. I am amazed (at) how we, as a race, destroy things.
This World is about the energy that overcomes those destructive ways of mankind . Yes, this force is bigger
Group Sandtray-Worldplay 9
than mankind. Just as yesterday was incomprehensible to people, this force is far beyond our
understanding.
We are limited as humans … whether it is in our thinking or our sensing … This force goes far beyond
what we think and what we experience.
I know there are a lot more people out there … people bigger than those who planned and carried out this
thing. I know that in time, people will take this on. In time they will heal. In time they (will) have a different
perspective.
I admit I do not understand the thinking of the people who did this: for some, yesterday was a time to
celebrate ...
I know that these positive forces of the universe are far greater than the negativity that exists … and yet
with what happened yesterday, when I think of all the people who were involved, the planes, the people at
work, the people at the Pentagon, the people helping, they are so miniscule compared to the number of
people on this earth … but when I look at the wound, the incredible wound, the planners have caused, I
know that it will take a long time to heal.
It will take a very long time to heal.
I have friends who work at the Pentagon.
No one is more important than anyone else.
No one is more precious than anyone else.
This positive Energy will heal it …
This Energy began before the hijackers, the attack and the destruction ...
All these crystals have a purpose and they know where they fit in the Universe.
It is very remarkable to know where your place is and not to worry about the crystal next to you and the
ones at the other end of the Universe.
It’s beautiful.
They all resonate Energy.
And it just is, like this. They just are.
And all is going into the center … all the energy is going into the center.
The healing Energy combined in the center flows out to us infinitely.
No one is more important than anyone else.
No one is more precious than anyone else.
The center is collecting, resonating and combining all those individual energies. And then that combined
Energy goes out into the Universe.
I just know that this is happening.
I just know that this is continuing.
And I know that this Energy flows out infinitely to us.
I know that it is so.
We all knew that it was so.

The Fourth Sharing of September 11, 2001

We must learn to mourn after the great Wings of War come into our World.
A Sandtray-Worldplay Training Group experiences Sept 11-12, 2001: this article was 10 first published in the
SandTray Network Journal, Vol6,No1. Winter 2001-02. all rights reserved by Gisela S. De Domenico

The cold war machine has come again.

This is such a difficult time … it is very hard for me to look at this … hard to conceive that this really
happened.
It is hard to believe that the wings of war came to this country yesterday and are now spreading around the
world. This cold war machine is more than anyone can bear: mechanical, hard, and determined ….
It is a cold machine that kills the living.
Flowers have turned to ash.
It is too much to be with.
First, the little one (lower left) hides deep inside and it goes like this:
You make yourself small, as small as you can be.
You become very still. You barely breathe ...
You think that it just cannot be. But you know it is so.
Something terrible has happened. The Wings of War have come into the World. The war machine is here.
And all is gray. The flowers have turned to ash.
All is ash.
The little monkey (first of the three monkeys on the left) covers his eyes, lest he might see anything.
He thinks: ‘This is beyond what we can see.
The sight is so terrible … such death … such suffering … such magnitude. It is too much to bear. I cannot
stand to see it.’
The other monkey covers her ears, thinking:
‘This will not be heard … it cannot be heard …
It should not be listened to.
How can anyone stand to hear the sounds of the Wings of War that have come into the World?
The sound of terror is too much for me.’
The last monkey covers his mouth, lest a sound come out. Here are his inner thoughts:
‘What can be said at a time like this? What can words do? Silenced I sit in despair … knowing that I
cannot show what I see, what I feel, what I hear …
I cannot say what I need to say … I cannot say what needs to be said.’
Standing woman wails and shakes the earth.
The standing woman feels all this inside her.
Her mouth is open.
Her eyes are open.
She holds in the wailing scream.
This scream will shake the earth.
It is the scream of the Mother and of all the Mothers … it is the wail of the world.
It comes from deep below, from the belly, like the rumbling of an earthquake …. The sound builds.
Group Sandtray-Worldplay 11
It grows wider and bigger and louder and more all encompassing as it rises to her diaphragm
and into her chest and throat ….
The arms extend skyward …
It is the wail of death, of loss, of murder, and of war.
It is the answer to the cold machine of war.
As builder teaches us how to wail the scream of terror and horror, she learns more of her experience. We
practice over and over again. Together we scream and wail.
There is so much pain.
The sound fits the pain.
The light helps birth this sound of pain.
This is hard work.
Too much grief.
Charon has come to help ferry the souls of the dead and the dying.
Charon has come to help …

This is so heavy … It is so oppressive.

It is hard for me to breathe.

Charon has come to help ferry the souls of the dead and the dying ….

Into their death he brings the light, that they may come.

He has the light for safe passage.

He has a big capacity boat …

No one will be left behind.

There are a lot of bodies …

There are many bodies …

They are going away honored …

They are going away safe.

I feel much pain and much heaviness in my chest at the sight of all these bodies, the magnitude of the dead,
and the enormous capacity of this boat …
Yet, Charon receives them all…
He ferries them across…and he leaves no one who has died behind.

The healing Fairy brings little bubbles

of comfort to everyone.
The healing fairy wasn’t sure how to be when the Wings of War suddenly came into the World.
She holds a garland of flowers to honor the dead and the dying.
She has the light with her.
She can still fly.
She brings the bubbles, little bubbles of comfort to the mourners … and to those who cannot mourn … and
those that feel so deeply, but do not now how to mourn.
She brings comfort to the woman who has learned to wail. She brings comfort to the dead and the dying.
Her healing goes out to the courageous workers who dig in the rubble.
The workers are the courageous ones who dig in the rubble in the middle of it all.
Here are the workers … they are the courageous ones.
They do the unspeakable … they are in the midst of it all.
They do what I cannot do. They see what I cannot bear to see.
A Sandtray-Worldplay Training Group experiences Sept 11-12, 2001: this article was 12 first published in the
SandTray Network Journal, Vol6,No1. Winter 2001-02. all rights reserved by Gisela S. De Domenico
Selflessly they dig in the rubble, searching to save a life … they dig … they listen … they are there in the
greatest danger …
They work to find more of the dead and the wounded.
They have to do this.
They can do this.
The fairy sends them healing.
The mourners assemble.
Grandson honors the dying grandmother with flowers. It is hard to say good-bye.
And here are families gathered to mourn the dead and the dying.

The Wings of War prevent many families from coming together to say good-bye. It is hard to say good-bye.
My son’s grandmother is dying back East …
He has been unable to go to visit her because the planes are not flying … He has been kept away.

I have been worried about how to be with my son and this dying ….
I have not known how to talk to him about it.

After this, I think I will know how …

I will know how to make a beginning …

I know a little about how to feel …

how to talk about the pain of it all.

People need to gather and come together.
The healing bubbles of the open-armed, winged Fairy do reach them.

They touch each other … hold each other … they understand.

Here is my son bringing grandmother the flowers of his love.

He cares about her so much. Everyone is there in the moment of her dying. It is special for them to be
together at this time of her death.
They touch each other … hold each other … they understand.
The healing bubbles of the open armed, winged Fairy do reach them.

People need to gather and come together at this difficult time. In fact, people coming together is the most

important thing that can happen now. The Fairy helps them come together.

The Fifth Sharing of September 11, 2001

The eternal and the human are one rhythmic cycle of swirling sand around the light in the center.
It all begins with sand swirling and moving around the light in the center … creating patterns in the sand
…
In the beginning this central light is all there is.

Playing the song of creation

This light births the different colors of the rainbow.
Color becomes the sound of the flutes that sing the song of creation (two flutists on left and right side).
Group Sandtray-Worldplay 13
Color and sound make this man and woman.
From the color and sound come Primordial Man and Woman in union.
They are an essential part of Creation …
They are sacred ….
Blood flows.
Our Great Mother births us from the Light.
Nature Woman births children in blood. Kali woman kills all living beings ...
In Nature blood always flows …
Our great Mother births us from the light within her.
She is huge. She births all of creation.
What happened in the world yesterday does not destroy her … but it is disrespectful of her …
She gives her blood just the same … she sheds it onto the earth. She births all of us with equanimity … she
favors none….
We are the same to her. We are her wondrous creation.
She and her sister Kali play with all of us. They are one.
Great Mother Kali comes and sheds our blood.
 Killers and warriors serve her.
Kali is Our Great Mother… She makes life possible.
The Mother of our death she is the path to re-absorption into the Eternal Light in the Center of all.
She is the Queen of Death.
She sheds our blood all over the earth …
Killers, warriors, and armies serve her purpose ...
We begin and we end in the light at the center.
A Sandtray-Worldplay Training Group experiences Sept 11-12, 2001: this article was 14 first published in the
SandTray Network Journal, Vol6,No1. Winter 2001-02. all rights reserved by Gisela S. De Domenico
At the center is just being in the light and dissolving in the full colors … It is truly beautiful ...
The light loves all … it is love.
There are no distinctions … for out of the same light comes everyone and everything on our planet …
Union
These two, the Father and the Mother are connected …
United … they flow together …
They are the Vehicle for the light to emerge into form.
Though they are Sacred, we can know them ...
We are Them …
Our Freedom: Annihilation
These two, the cobra and dragon, are also coming together … they have embraced one another in
annihilation …
Their intent is to shatter, to push apart, and to destroy.
Father and Mother, cobra and dragon are coming together …
Both ways are forms of intimacy …
One marks issuance from the light … birth …
The other marks return to the light … death …
One marks increase and the other decrease ….
On their level it makes little difference.
In our human world it makes all the difference.
The death of so many … such untold suffering
It makes a difference
Here are the pools of blood … many people dying … many people screaming … many are in pain … lives
shattered … efforts of untold generations are lying here in broken bits and pieces … lives destroyed …
ancestors dishonored … ruins. Nothing will ever be the same for generations to come … such pain.
My Mother called yesterday morning to tell me about New York … it was so early in the morning … yet, I
heard the echoes of her adolescent World War II voice awakening deep inside her belly … it crept into her
story about this new terror … I recognized it … unbearable suffering came back home again … bombs …
destruction … fires burning … worry … buildings falling … evil and malice … hatred.
Who can witness this? Who can hear this? What mind can think about this? What could ever justify this
horror? Who would want to do this?
Children are crying … people are bent into all shapes of agony …
some are wielding clubs and are raging angry … one carries the wounded … one is twisted … some cannot
be recognized … parts of human bodies are scattered over the site.
Group Sandtray-Worldplay 15
The space man rages against divinity, putting the blame into the lap of the Gods. Somehow this too makes
sense, for this is just too big. Let God be responsible!
The Madonna looks on without flinching … she knows the work of nature and she knows the work of man.
She has compassion for everyone. She takes no sides.
Everyone’s response is needed.
Everyone’s reaction, no matter how great or small responds to some aspect of the truth of it all.
The peoples of the world
Here is our world community … such a rich celebration.
Different cultures … different people …
Different races … different ages …
Different religions … different ways.
Yet, all have much in common …
We all play. We all dance.
We all sing. We all tell stories.
We all need food. We all need shelter.
We all have children and families.
We all do our work. We all love and fight.
We come from long lineages of ancestors.
We are here to share the earth.
We are here to gift one another.
We are all vulnerable.
We all must die.
Holding the dying child
In the rubble He holds the burning, dying one. He is being humbled … In this very moment he is
taking something from the dying one … it is a transfusion of understanding what was not known
before… the knowing that life will never be the same and that no cause is big enough to justify
humans inflicting such suffering on anyone.
Holding the starving child
He also holds the starving one … the one who is not in the fire in New York, D.C. or Pennsylvania. He
holds the child in Afghanistan … the starving child that is to be found everywhere, on every continent
including the Americas. He is humbled. Again he takes knowledge imparted by the dying one … it is an
understanding that we are all brothers and sisters … that we all deserve to share privilege and the bounty
of the earth. Our bottom line is life and death, community or devastation, elitism or parity. It really does
not have to come down to dollars and cents.
A Sandtray-Worldplay Training Group experiences Sept 11-12, 2001: this article was first published in the
SandTray Network Journal, Vol6,No1. Winter 2001-02. all rights reserved by Gisela S. De Domenico 16
Even before the dead and the bereaved are tended to, some take out their guns
Others readily find people to blame …
The fire is still burning …
Already the call comes for bloody revenge.
Some take out their weapons.
They ready the soldiers while the fire is still burning.
They prepare for a Holy War.
Others in the world shall suffer too … we will force other families, other people in the world to join us in
our suffering. We do not see our reflection in their eyes.
Crazed, we run declaring another holy war.
There is no pause. Blood lusts for blood.
It is hard to look into the eyes of the dead.
It is hard to be still and to listen to the depths.
I wonder what would happen if we stayed with the dead and lingered with the pain of this great suffering in
our midst…
Could we see how everyone is already suffering?
Would we be more selective about our killing?
Would we stop to look at our accusers?
Would we wonder why ‘they’ want to terrorize us? Would we see what we have done to evoke revenge?
Would we notice the path of death and would we honor the innocent people whose lives were ended so
abruptly by the acts of a few?
Would we support all who have been catapulted into this suffering? Would we help the survivors and the
families of the dead? Would we start caring about everyone?
There are so many questions, so few answers.

Tracking the path of return into the earth

And what would happen if we really paid more attention … if we stayed with our dead for a while … if we
experienced the flow of bodies dissolving back into the great Mother Earth.
My son’s best friend died this year … I was in the presence of his dead body … we buried him nine months
ago … I know his body is dissolving … I miss him being alive. Why do we kill? There is plenty of Death in
our lives … there is an overabundance of tombstones in the world ….
In the earth the physical form is composted and recycled … the consciousness of all of the people who die
becomes part of the planet too. Bodies are not insignificant. Like Spirit, they are precious ...
Our people put up the memorials and the tombstones … but who actually misses what we have lost in the
people who died because of our violence, rage and greed?
The international community must assume a responsibility to give strong and effective support to
non-violent movements committed to peaceful changes. Otherwise, it will be seen as hypocrisy to
condemn and combat those who have risen in anger and despair but to continue to ignore those
who have consistently espoused restraint and dialogue as a constructive alternative to violence.
The Dalai Lama, 2002
Group Sandtray-Worldplay 17
The broken family that makes children for
Hitlers and Queens of Heart
All of us, enemies and friends, were once little children. Some of us become pawns of war. This cycle of suffering will
not end until we stop making children to be used as agents of war….
Mothers and Fathers can take a stand … old parenting paradigms can break down. Here they are shattered in so many
pieces. As I placed the Mother – Father and toddling child into the sandtray they broke into pieces … just like yesterday
shattered many families. It is unfathomable how much love, how much care, how much labor, how much devotion it took
to bring into the world all the people who were killed yesterday and all the people that will be killed by us tomorrow in
revenge of yesterday. We are so fragile. Can we not teach ourselves and our children differently?
We are the Earth.
The globe had to go on top of the pain and the suffering.
The globe is the earth.
It is our earth. It is awareness of our earth.
The earth feels the caring, the nurturing, the helping …
This earth is fully aware of all of its people.
As I look at the planet, it seems that we cannot have peace and world community until we stop ravaging the earth. We
cannot respect one another until we can respect the earth. Only then can we see what we are doing to each other.
We are all in this heap of blood and death … We each think that we and everyone else should be one way and not the other.
We do indeed have the option to do this to each other. We are the killers and the victims. We are the helpers and mourners
too.
This terrorism and the war on terrorism are agents of change … this cannot stop until men and women stop raising their
own children to serve games of death … terrorism is a part of the continuing story of humanity struggling to unite in global
community, wanting to be seen and responded to … whether dead or alive.
Conclusion:
I cannot help but marvel at the beauty, the ingenuity and the capacity of the ageless human psyche at play. No technique
or treatment model can begin with such devastation and then carve out untold numbers of exquisitely tailored healing
journeys into the less-explored mysteries of life. As I review the work of this Level Two Sandtray-Worldplay Training
Group I am gripped by the universal wisdom of the group psyche and how each member of this group holds some essential
aspect of life’s revelations. Birth and death keep such close company. Each one of us followed an inner guidance that
brought forth all that was essential for us to move into and be with this trauma. Each one of us accessed the depth of our
consciousness to teach ourselves and the others how to see, sense, feel, think , accept and be with what was happening in
our world community. Between the five of us, no dimension and no capacity of consciousness was denied or ignored. This
brought us a special kind of wisdom and groundedness that is teaching all of us to not be numbed by the magnitude of the
terror, the devastation, the suffering, and the loss. But this wisdom is also allowing us to recognize and acknowledge the
more silent suffering and subtle exploitation of the unseen, the poor, the hungry, the disenfranchised, and the persecuted
peoples of the world.
I have no doubt that a similar sentience emerged in each of the playrooms across the nation and the world. May we not
shy away from using play – all forms of play – to allow us to endure, heal and avert human-based trauma. May we learn to
use it well – in Nature, in Playrooms, in Classrooms, at Conferences and whenever the opportunity arises.
Gisela Schubach De Domenico, Ph.D. is the originator, of Sandtray-Worldplay, developed the Vision Quest into Symbolic Reality
Training Course, and offers personal consultations, supervision, and transformational Sandtray-Worldplay Journeys for individuals and
groups. She may be reached at 510-530-1383, sandworldplay@rcn.com, www.vision-quest.us.

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