Sandplay and the Wounded Healer

Michal Troudart, MA, CST-T, JA, Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Abstract

The author discusses the significance of sandplay for mental health professionals, who meet both the wound of the Other and their own, in times of war and trauma. Following Hamas attack on Israel on October 7^th, 2023, my colleagues and I experienced horrors either directly or indirectly and felt deeply wounded. Knowing the power of sandplay, I invited therapists to work in the “sandbox.” The complex experiences of traumatized therapists are discussed, as well as the role of sandplay in the well-being of therapists in a situation of trauma. The author discusses the term “shared trauma” and ‘shared traumatic reality). She writes about STR, “professionals are both victims of the disaster and providers or care within the affected community. This dual exposure results in heightened emotional distress, and can evoke deep feelings of vulnerability, heightened awareness of mortality, and death anxiety. Professionals face an internal conflict between distancing themselves from clients to protect their own mental health and engaging with them to fulfill their role -- both of which serve as psychological defenses against mortality awareness.” Troudart explores the Greek myth of Chiron—the wounded healer, illustrating C. G. Jung’s idea that the power to heal is found, in part, in the therapist’s own wounds. “it is his own hurt that gives a measure of his power to heal. This, and nothing else, is the meaning of the Greek myth of the wounded physician” (Jung, 1993/1954, para.239). This article represents a proceeding from the author’s presentation at Changing Horizons: Encountering the Other in Sandplay Therapy -- 27^th ISST Congress Netherlands, 2025.

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