Donna M. Johnson
Journal of Sandplay Therapy
Volume 8, Issue 2, 1999
Keywords
fairy tale, symbol, sandplay therapy, collective, parental complexes unconscious, animus, anima, projection, separation, individuation, clinical example
Abstract
An interpretation of the Grimm's fairy tale “The Skillful Huntsman” is interwoven with sandplay case examples to illustrate the various psychological stages portrayed in the tale. It is a tale of a man’s journey and that of his anima, a woman’s journey and that of her animus and the journey that both man and woman must travel in order to unite fully as whole personalities. Through the interpretation, various Jungian concepts are explained: puer aeternus, hero, anima/animus, trickster, logos, eros senex, and conjunction. Symbols that are explored include forest, giants, tower, castle sword, king, and hut. Case examples are that of an 11-year-old boy with an eating disorder, a 34-year-old woman shifting form domination by patriarchal values to an internal transformation, a 16-year-old depressed girl, a 50-year-old woman retreating to introversion for healing, and a 44-year-old woman at the culmination of her process.
Suggested Citation
Johnson, D. (1999). Fairy tale symbolism applied to sandplay. Journal of Sandplay Therapy, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.61711/jst.1999.08.2.266
