What Are the Benefits of Sand Play Therapy?

The concept of sand play therapy was originally born out of a book by H.G. Wells titled "Floor Games." Margaret Lowenfeld thought of this when she added a "Wonder Box" to her children's psychiatric clinic in the 1920s. Sand play therapy was first called World Technique.

Out of World Technique was born the Jungian sand play therapy. Dr. Carl Jung and Dr. Dora Kaff developed and marketed this technique for children and adults.

Symbolism

• Symbolism ties heavily to the subconscious as being its way of communicating deeper thoughts and meanings to individuals. Sand play therapy provides a way to express one's feelings symbolically and to draw closer to his subconscious self.

Play

• Sand play therapy reawakens the playful spirit of one's childhood.

Self-Healing

• As part of a psychological belief system that the mind can heal oneself, sand play is a valuable tool in the accomplishment of this.

Freedom of Expression

• Articulation sometimes becomes complicated when one is not tuned in to the roots of her problems. Sand play therapy grants the freedom of expression without the need for being able to fully articulate all that is wrong.

Balance

• This technique brings balance to a lifestyle that may involve more secular and intellectual focus than is necessarily healthy for the psyche.