Bobo, LaVon. NEUMANN’S MAP: GUIDE TO SANDPLAY AS NATURAL EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS

Bobo, LaVon
NEUMANN’S MAP: GUIDE TO SANDPLAY AS NATURAL EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS

Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 6, Number 1, 1997

KEY WORDS: Neumann, sandplay therapy, clinical example, abuse, girl, uroboric, great mother, terrible mother, vessel, mother-child unity, ego-hero, self, treasure, objective psyche.

ABSTRACT: The natural evolutionary archetypal pattern that Erich Neumann proposes in THE ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF CONSCIOUSNESS is, in this article, used to help in the charting and understanding of a Sandplay process. The stages of the process, from uroboric to hero, are discussed and demonstrated using the Sandplay of children. The difficulty, or even, inability, of children who have experienced major trauma to make the journey to the hero stage is discussed with the resulting implications for the child’s Sandplay process as well as the therapist’s realistic expectations.