Reece, Sachiko Taki
THE CRUCIAL MOMENT IN SANDPLAY RELATIONSHIP: THE THERAPIST’S EMOTIVE EXPERIENCES
Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 13, Number 1, 2004
KEY WORDS: sandplay therapy, clinical example, preliminary report, qualitative, SED, children, numinous, therapist’s emotive moment, relational field, adaptive behavior, child.
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this sandplay qualitative research was to describe the SED children’s and the therapist’s experiences in sandplay therapy. Setting: an inner-city community mental health center with a special education and day treatment program. Research design: case study-multiple case model for children’s experiences and phenomenological heuristic approach for the therapist experiences. Seven children received 3 months of weekly sessions and outcome was assessed. Findings: Therapist experience of “emotive moments” energized the relational field; which occurred in response to children’s personal disclosure and the archetypal Self-disclosure of numinous experience in play. This was replicated in seven cases. Triangulation results validated that “emotive moments” in sandplay relationship were likely to be significant generator of children’s adaptive behaviors.