Audrey Punnett, PhD, RPT-S, JA, CST-T
Journal of Sandplay Therapy
Volume 18, Issue 1, 2009
Keywords
tic disorder, symbol, symptom, identity, anxiety, sandplay, clinical example, child, male, congenital deafness, abandonment, separation, development, stages, Sandplay therapy, sister, emotional, parents, medical needs, sibling, stages
Abstract
The author discusses how the symbolic manifestation of a symptom reflects the identity of the person. In the case of this 5-year-old boy the symptom was a specific ear tic that conveyed symbolically the problem related to congenital deafness in the younger sister. He experienced an emotional abandonment by the parents due to the increased medical needs of the sister. This resulted in over-control of his emotions and resultant anxiety, which exacerbated when he entered kindergarten, a developmentally normal separation from mother. He was not emotionally equipped to handle this separation, and thus became symptomatic. The sandplay therapy allowed the necessary healing for him to become tic-free and meet developmental challenges appropriately.
Suggested Citation
Punnett, Audrey. (2009). Symptom, symbol, and sandplay: Manifestation of a tic disorder in a child. Journal of Sandplay Therapy, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.61711/jst.2009.18.1.324
