The Body and the Wound: Analysis with Sandplay Process

Paola Manzoni

Abstract

Western culture has posited within the tradition of philosophical thought a dichotomy between mind and body. The body–mind union opens the subject to the relationships and being an “opening that desires” exposes the subject to the frustrations born in that dimension of life: the wounds. The wound, however, that is at first sight a gash, from another point of view is an opening which makes it possible to see in a new way. The wound is an experience that leads us to consider the trauma, because every trauma leaves the subject with deep wounds. The article develops an introduction to the psychological theory of the body and the wound, followed by the presentation of two case studies, of different complexity. The final reflection concerns the opportunity of integration of methodologies within the analytical approach of the process. This paper was presented at Sandplay Therapy: Spanning the Great Divide, STA 2010 National Conference, Boulder, Colorado.

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