News About Sandplay

Trees and Roots: Dancing Together in a Sandplay Forest

TREES AND ROOTS: DANCING TOGETHER IN A SANDPLAY FOREST *** ISST 26TH Congress, Jerusalem, 2023 Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 32, Number 2, 2023 A reflection by Robin Zeiger, PhD, JA, CST-T Kfar Haro’e, Israel KEYWORDS: ISST, 26th, Congress, When East Meets West: Past, Present, and Future, Jerusalem, Israel, 2003, reflection, International Society for Sandplay Therapy, theory, research, clinical cases, experiential exercises, nature, creativity, images, symbolism, multi-cultural, international, many languages, colleagues, new growth, memories, elders, next generation, sandplay therapists. Reflections: Books & Events *** ABSTRACT: Dr. Zeiger reflects on When East Meets West: Past, Present, and Future, the 26th Congress of the International Society for Sandplay Therapy (ISST) which took place in Jerusalem in 2023. She not only describes the congress activities and the experience but also mentions that she does not remember any conference that felt so positive. The author notes that perhaps it had something to do with finally meeting again face to face after COVID. “Our organizing committee, Michal Troudart (Chair), Bert Meltzer, Michelle Mendelowitz Yuval, and I received so much positive feedback, gifts, hugs, and appreciation. I reflected on this impression and asked myself why. I think it is because we are a group that values wonder and the humility of watching a sandplay process unfold. We are taught the value of putting own ego aside and allowing the Self of Other to touch us and to emerge.” *** REFLECTIONS: BOOKS & EVENTS appear online and on the CD of the Journal of Sandplay Therapy IN HEBREW עצים ושרשים: ריקוד משותף ביער המשחק בחול הכנס ה-26 של האגודה הבינלאומית, ירושלים 2023 Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 32, Number 2, 2023 , PhD, JA, CST-T סקירה על ידי ד"ר רובין [...]

Trees and Roots: Dancing Together in a Sandplay ForestRitu Tandon2024-05-06T21:52:49-07:00

Book Review: Diversity, Cultural Humility, and the Helping Professions: Building Bridges Across Difference, by Sana Loue

DIVERSITY, CULTURAL HUMILITY, AND THE HELPING PROFESSIONS: BUILDING BRIDGES ACROSS DIFFERENCE BY SANA LOUE, JD, PHD, MPH, MSSA, MA, LISW-S, CST-T, AVT Springer, 2022 *** Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 32, Number 2, 2023 A reflection by Linda Cunningham, MA, PhD, LMFT, CST-T San Francisco, California and Gig Harbor, Washington, USA KEYWORDS: Diversity, cultural humility, helping professions, difference, book review, archetype of the Other, othering, stereotyping, microaggressions, structural racism, marginalization, cultural competence, cultural humility, curiosity, empathy, consciousness, unconsciousness, unconscious behaviors, individual shadow, cultural shadow. ABSTRACT: The reviewer notes that in this book Dr. Sana Loue explores problems of marginalization and stereotyping of various individuals and groups within the helping professions. Within this exploration, she provides a critique of the notion of "cultural competence," inviting us instead to embrace "cultural humility" as a way to transform ourselves and our implicit attitudes and unconscious behaviors toward others. *** REFLECTIONS: BOOKS & EVENTS appear online and on the CD of the Journal of Sandplay Therapy CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE ONLINE IN GERMAN DIVERSITÄT, KULTURELLE DEMUT UND DIE HELFERBERUFE: BRÜCKEN BAUEN ÜBER UNTERSCHIEDE VON SANA LOUE, JD, PHD, MPH, MSSA, MA, LISW-S, CST-T, AVT Springer, 2022 *** Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Band 32, Nummer 2, 2023 Eine Besprechung von Linda Cunningham, MA, PhD, LMFT, CST-T San Francisco, Kalifornien und Gig Harbor, Washington, USA SCHLÜSSELWÖRTER: Diversität, kulturelle Demut, Helferberufe, Unterschied, Buchrezension, Archetyp des Anderen, Stereotypisierung, Mikroaggressionen, struktureller Rassismus, Marginalisierung, kulturelle Kompetenz, kulturelle Demut, Neugier, Empathie, Bewusstsein, Unbewusstsein, unbewusstes Verhalten, individueller Schatten, kultureller Schatten, Reflexionen: Bücher & Veranstaltungen *** ABSTRACT: Die Rezensentin betont, dass Dr. Sana Loue in diesem Buch Probleme der Marginalisierung und Stereotypisierung verschiedener Individuen und Gruppen in Helferberufen untersucht. Innerhalb dieser Untersuchung kritisiert sie das Konzept der [...]

Book Review: Diversity, Cultural Humility, and the Helping Professions: Building Bridges Across Difference, by Sana LoueRitu Tandon2024-05-06T21:52:13-07:00

A Conversation with David Capitolo

A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID CAPITOLO, MA, LMFT, CST-T Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 32, Number 2, 2023 An Interview by Laura Soble, MA, LMFT, REAT, CST-T, JA San Anselmo, California, USA Pages: 129-136 KEYWORDS: Sandplay Therapy, David Capitolo, interview, 2023, Sandplay Therapists of America, International Society for Sandplay Therapy, Masculine Awareness Committee, symbols, Garuda, eagle, wedding vessel, Father’s Blessing, Child Therapy Institute, Tessamarie Capitolo, Harriet Friedman, Lauren Cunningham, Alexander Shaia, Cassandra Light. ABSTRACT: Laura Soble interviewed David Capitolo, a Teaching member of Sandplay Therapists of America (STA) and the International Society for Sandplay Therapy (ISST), whose contribution to the acknowledgement and discussion of the masculine in sandplay therapy has deep roots. Capitolo reflects on the history of exploring the masculine in sandplay, and the creation of the Masculine Awareness Committee within STA, including men and women, which led to the 2021 workshop entitled, “The Meaning and Importance of the Father’s Blessing to Transform the Space Between Us.” In addition, David Capitolo discusses the creation of the Child Therapy Institute, which he founded with his wife, Tessamarie. CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE ONLINE IN GERMAN EIN GESPRÄCH MIT DAVID CAPITOLO, MA, LMFT, CST-T Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Band 32, Nummer 2, 2023 Ein Interview von Laura Soble, MA, LMFT, REAT, CST-T, JA San Anselmo, Kalifornien, USA SCHLÜSSELWÖRTER: Sandspieltherapie, Interview, 2023, Sandplay, STA-Männlichkeitsbewusstseinskomitee, Symbole, Garuda, Adler, Hochzeitsgefäß, "Väterlicher Segen", Child Therapy Institute, Tessamarie Capitolo, Harriet Friedman, Lauren Cunningham, Alexander Shaia, Cassandra Light. ABSTRACT: Laura Soble interviewed David Capitolo, ein Lehrmitglied der Sandplay Therapists of America und der International Society for Sandplay Therapy, dessen Beitrag zur Anerkennung und Diskussion des Männlichen in der Sandspieltherapie tief verwurzelt ist. Capitolo reflektiert über die Geschichte der Erforschung des Männlichen in der [...]

A Conversation with David CapitoloRitu Tandon2024-05-06T21:41:16-07:00

Spirit and Matter: A Journey to the Soul

SPIRIT AND MATTER: A JOURNEY TO THE SOUL Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 32, Number 2, 2023 Philippe Voglimacci Stephanopoli, MD, MD, CSPQ, FRCP, CST Duparquet, Québec, Canada Pages: 113-126 KEYWORDS: Sandplay therapy, archetype of the soul, constellation of the self, ego-self relationship, paradoxical thinking, depression, anxiety, trauma, somatic, neglect, man, clinical vignette, creative mind, healing dream, active imagination, anima mundi, alchemist, abaissement du niveau mental, horse and rider metaphor, hara, elves, pelican, butterfly, bear, Raff, Gilligan, Mindell, Kawai, McGilchrist, Chogyam Trugpa, Cousineau Brutsche, Kalff, Jung, Processwork, transpersonal, soul, eros, Aesculapius, pandemic. ABSTRACT: The main thread of this article is the anima mundi. The author shows part of the sandplay process of a depressed man who regains a taste, or zest for life. He was challenged by the repetition of a rider and his mount in a particular position that suggests a partner relationship of this man with his unconscious, like the alchemists who described their relationship with the philosopher's stone. His unconscious came as a benevolent support to the therapy with numinous manifestations in his dreams, his body and in his sandplay images. For the author, the therapeutic work with this man was a profound reflection on the spiritual aspect of C.G. Jung’s writings. He cites the contribution of several authors who consider that a fundamental spiritual element for therapy is the concept of the anima mundi as a universal field, source of wisdom and support for healing and highlights the common elements of what these authors transmit to us. IN GERMAN GEIST UND MATERIE: EIN WEG ZUR SEELE Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Band 32, Nummer 2, 2023 Philippe Voglimacci Stephanopoli, MD, CSPQ, FRCP, CST Duparquet, Québec, Kanada SCHLÜSSELWÖRTER: Sandspieltherapie, Anima Mundi, Konstellation des [...]

Spirit and Matter: A Journey to the SoulRitu Tandon2024-05-06T21:45:25-07:00

Under Construction: A Boy’s Struggle to Strengthen His Foundations through Sandplay Therapy

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: A BOY’S STRUGGLE TO STRENGTHEN HIS FOUNDATIONS THROUGH SANDPLAY THERAPY Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 32, Number 2, 2023 Daphna Rosin, MAAT, CST Rosh Ha'ayin, Israel Pages: 93-111 KEYWORDS: Sandplay therapy, child, boy, developmental delay, ADHD, premature birth, emotional regulation difficulty, learning disabilities, motor and speech developmental delays, chaos, impulsivity, centering, ego, ego strength, sense of self, builder, purifying, cleansing, building, destruction, houses, psyche, insects, ants, hogans, caves, mother archetype, water pipes, sewer, racetrack, demons, ghosts, incubation, water, infusion, jail, doctor, police officer, numinous. ABSTRACT: This article describes the sandplay process of seven-years-old Ron, a boy whose birth had been premature and difficult and was diagnosed with motor and speech developmental delays, ADHD, learning disabilities and emotional regulation difficulties. His therapeutic process began with chaotic and impulsive trays which gradually became more centered and well designed. He was deeply engaged with purifying the underground waters, cleansing the sand and strengthening the underlying foundations of his many buildings and roads, which may express an inner need to fix negative aspects of the mother archetype. He had a specific urge to construct houses for ants, those chthonic creatures who also mythically helped Psyche develop ego strength and a better connection with the positive inner masculine. The author brings clinical material showing the child’s unrelenting efforts to cleanse the “pipes of his soul” and achieve a better inner balance and a more solid sense of self through sandplay therapy. IN HEBREW כאן בונים! - מאבקו של ילד לחיזוק יסודותיו באמצעות טיפול במשחק בחול Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 32, Number 2, 2023 , MAAT, CST דפנה רוזין, ראש העין, ישראל מילות מפתח: טיפול במשחק בחול, ילד, איחור התפתחותי מוטורי ושפתי, הפרעת קשב וריכוז, פגות, קושי בוויסות [...]

Under Construction: A Boy’s Struggle to Strengthen His Foundations through Sandplay TherapyRitu Tandon2024-05-06T21:40:02-07:00

Alchemy and the Transformation of the Therapist–Client Relationship

ALCHEMY AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE THERAPIST-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 32, Number 2, 2023 Sana Loue, JD, PHD, MPH, MSSA, MA, LISW-S, CST-T, AVT Cleveland, Ohio, USA Pages: 79-90 KEYWORDS: Sandplay therapy, interactive field, intersubjective field, therapist-client relationship, transindividual field, alchemy, “alchemical helper”, clinical material, emotional abuse, paranoid schizophrenia, trauma, symbols, Pegasus, heart, bridge, knight, Joan of Arc, elephant, golden phallus, trees, rainbow. ABSTRACT: The concept of the alchemical process is relevant not only to the individual client venturing forth in therapy, but to the relationship between the therapist and the client as well. Although alchemy was a highly solitary work, alchemists frequently had one helper; perhaps the therapist can be viewed as the “alchemical helper” to the client. We may posit that as the client moves through the various alchemical stages of their therapeutic journey, so too does the relationship between the alchemist/client and alchemist/helper-therapist transform through a parallel alchemical process. This article explores the alchemical transformation of the therapist-client relationship in the context of therapy with one client. IN GERMAN ALCHEMIE UND DIE TRANSFORMATION DER THERAPEUTEN-KLIENTEN-BEZIEHUNG Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Band 32, Nummer 2, 2023 Sana Loue, JD, PHD, MPH, MSSA, MA, LISW-S, CST-T, AVT Cleveland, Ohio, USA SCHLÜSSELWÖRTER: Sandspieltherapie, interaktives Feld, intersubjektives Feld, Therapeuten-Klienten-Beziehung, transindividuelles Feld, Alchemie, "alchemistischer Helfer", klinisches Material, emotionaler Missbrauch, paranoider Schizophrenie, Trauma, Symbole, Pegasus, Herz, Brücke, Ritter, Jeanne d'Arc, Elefant, goldener Phallus, Bäume, Regenbogen. ABSTRACT: Das Konzept des alchemistischen Prozesses ist nicht nur für den einzelnen Klienten relevant, der sich auf den Weg der Therapie begibt, sondern auch für die Beziehung zwischen Therapeut und Klient. Obwohl die Alchemie eine hochgradig einsame Arbeit war, hatten Alchemisten oft einen Helfer; vielleicht kann der Therapeut als der "alchemistische [...]

Alchemy and the Transformation of the Therapist–Client RelationshipRitu Tandon2024-05-06T21:46:05-07:00

No Witch in This Town: From Devouring to Nurturing Energies

NO WITCH IN THIS TOWN: FROM DEVOURING TO NURTURING ENERGIES Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 32, Number 2, 2023 Jacinta Frawley, MA, JA, TA Sydney, Australia Pages: 59-77 KEYWORDS: Child, sandplay therapy, gorging, self-harm, anxiety, somatization, ego-Self axis, therapeutic boundaries, integrative benefits, long-term child sandplay therapy, witch, Snow White, Cinderella, zombie, messy play. ABSTRACT: The author presents an illustrated long-term sandplay process with an initially self-harming, highly anxious and fearful four-year-old girl. The author argues for the integrative benefits of slow, repetitive sessions that tolerate long periods of destructive, messy, and wild play. The value of the therapist modelling consistent therapeutic boundaries, maintaining a strong alliance with the primary caregiver and embodying hope at difficult times is described. The therapeutic process begins in chaos and distress, a little girl “beside herself,” and culminates, after 90 sessions, including 65 sandtrays over almost three years, in the development of a functioning ego-Self axis represented in the final sandplay pictures. IN GERMAN KEINE HEXE IN DIESER STADT: VON VERSCHLINGENDEN ZU FÖRDERDEN ENERGIEN Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Band 32, Nummer 2, 2023 Jacinta Frawley, MA, JA, TA Sydney, Australien SCHLÜSSELWÖRTER: Sandspieltherapie, Kind, Verschlingen, Selbstverletzung, Angst, Somatisierung, Ich-Selbst-Achse, therapeutische Grenzen, integrative Vorteile, langfristige Sandspieltherapie für Kinder, Albträume, Hexe, Schneewittchen, Cinderella, Zombie, unordentliches Spielen. ABSTRACT: Die Autorin präsentiert einen illustrierten langfristigen Sandspielprozess mit einem anfangs selbstverletzenden, hochängstlichen und furchtsamen vierjährigen Mädchen. Die Autorin plädiert für die integrativen Vorteile von langsamen, wiederholten Sitzungen, die lange Zeiträume des zerstörerischen, unordentlichen und wilden Spielens tolerieren. Der Wert der Therapeutin, die konsistente therapeutische Grenzen modelliert, eine starke Allianz mit dem primären Betreuer aufrechterhält und in schwierigen Zeiten Hoffnung verkörpert, wird beschrieben. Der therapeutische Prozess beginnt im Chaos und in der Not, einem kleinen Mädchen "außer [...]

No Witch in This Town: From Devouring to Nurturing EnergiesRitu Tandon2024-05-06T21:40:52-07:00

The Color Blue: Its Physiological and Psychological Impact as the Inner Surface of the Sandtray in Jungian Sandplay

THE COLOR BLUE: ITS PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT AS THE INNER SURFACE OF THE SANDTRAY IN JUNGIAN SANDPLAY Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 32, Number 2, 2023 Lenore F. Steinhardt, MA, ATR, CST-T Ramat Hasharon, Israel Pages: 37-57 KEYWORDS: Sandplay therapy, clinical examples, adult, child, depression, clinical Blue, continual distancing from the eye, blue depth, blue movement, blue metaphors in language, blue in imagination, blue in nature, blue in art, visual perception of color, artist’s blue pigments, blue in healing, calming, meditation, thinking, tranquility, spiritual healing, blue shapes in the sand tray, ocean, meandering river, pool. ABSTRACT: In this article the author reviews the range of properties of blue colors, their place in the rainbow, appearance in nature, their movement and effects on human perception, emotion and language. Theoretical examples describe the power of blue in thinking, meditation, in depression and also as limitless imagination. Several forms of blue “oceans” that are spontaneously created in the sand tray are discussed, with clinical examples from two sandplay processes, of a young boy and a fifty-year-old woman. In sandplay, the entire inner surface of the sand tray is to be painted blue, intended to simulate water or sky when the sand is moved aside (Kalff, 2022). A precise hue or intensity of the color blue has not been suggested. Both sand trays are filled halfway with sand, so that in both, part of this large expanse of blue is always visible, whether or not it is deliberately used for sky or water imagery. Blue, as one of the colors that comprise white light, has its own specific physiological and psychological impact on human thought processes and behavior. For artists, each of the six most common blue pigments [...]

The Color Blue: Its Physiological and Psychological Impact as the Inner Surface of the Sandtray in Jungian SandplayRitu Tandon2024-05-06T21:43:09-07:00

Tending the Garden of the Soul: Entering the Mundus Imaginalis through Dreams, Nature, and Sandplay

TENDING THE GARDEN OF THE SOUL: ENTERING THE MUNDUS IMAGINALIS THROUGH DREAMS, NATURE, AND SANDPLAY Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 32, Number 2, 2023 Shannon K. Yockey, MSW, LCSW, CST-T Fort Collins, Colorado, USA Pages: 19-34 KEYWORDS: Sandplay therapy, analysis, Jung, garden, soul, Henry Corbin, mundus imaginalis, dreams, nature, clinical vignettes, adults, child, school refusal, attachment, insomnia, anxiety, post-partum depression, abandonment, loss, Self, transference, countertransference trauma, imagination, “world-weary man,” suffering, Ba-soul, Anima Mundi, inner guide, stories, embodied imagery, numinous, soul precincts, Red Book, balance, hope, condition of the modern world, transcendent function, God image, psychic reality, Dora Kalff, active imagination, jaguar, falcon, peacock, tree of life, synchronistic event, deep connection, proceeding, “When East Meets West”, 26th Congress, International Society for Sandplay Therapy, ISST, Jerusalem, Israel, 2023. ABSTRACT: The author states that we live in difficult times and collectively suffer hopelessness, despair, and a fear of total annihilation of our species and planet. These destructive archetypal forces threaten our sense of shared humanity and connection to the Anima Mundi (world soul). During such times, it is vital to go to the deep wellspring of the collective unconscious, which brings soul into the world. In the mundus imaginalis, we encounter figures of both light and shadow that mirror what we need for psychic healing. Each time we work with a dream, create a sand scene, ponder a nature visitation or synchronistic event, we bring forth unconscious contents that want to be known, which can bring balance and wholeness. When we connect to this imaginal realm, our body-soul split is mended, which ripples into the collective situation. This article describes several life-changing imaginal encounters that brought forth healing from the Self. The author includes five clinical vignettes. “Tending [...]

Tending the Garden of the Soul: Entering the Mundus Imaginalis through Dreams, Nature, and SandplayRitu Tandon2024-05-06T21:47:46-07:00

When East and West Become Irrelevant: Neumann’s “Unitary Reality” and Its Relevance to Sandplay Therapy

WHEN EAST AND WEST BECOME IRRELEVANT: NEUMANN’S “UNITARY REALITY” AND ITS RELEVANCE TO SANDPLAY THERAPY Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 32, Number 2, 2023 Michal Troudart, MA, CST-T, JA, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST Jerusalem, Israel Pages: 7-16 KEYWORDS: Sandplay, Unitary Reality, unus mundus, numinosity, Erich Neumann, archetypal field, synchronicity, unity, inter-connectedness, extraneous knowledge, glass marbles, the Beyond, ego-consciousness, clinical material, proceeding, “When East Meets West”, ISST, 26th Congress, Jerusalem, Israel. ABSTRACT: This article explores E. Neumann’s concept of the Unitary Reality and its relevance to synchronicity and to numinous experiences in sandplay therapy. Our ego-consciousness differentiates and splits the reality into opposites. Neumann writes about another level of reality, the unitary reality, “which exists beyond and before the primal split and out of which the polarized reality of our conscious minds developed in the first place” (Neumann, 2017, p.71), and which embraces both the world and the psyche. It is a spaceless and timeless realm of diffusion, where the opposites are nonexistent, and we experience ourselves as one with the universe. This article represents a proceeding from “When East Meets West” -- the ISST (International Society for Sandplay Therapy) 26th Congress, Jerusalem, Israel, 2023 which was hosted by the Israeli Sandplay Therapists Association (ISTA). IN HEBREW כאשר מזרח ומערב הופכים ללא-רלבנטים: המציאות האחידה של נוימן והרלבנטיות שלה למשחק בחול Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 32, Number 2, 2023 מיכל טרודרט, פסיכולוגית קלינית MA, CST-T, JA, ירושלים, ישראל תקציר: מאמר זה בוחן את מושג המציאות האחידה של אריך נוימן ודן ברלוונטיות שלו לסינכרוניות ולחוויות נומינוזיות בטיפול במשחק בחול. תודעת האגו שלנו מפרידה ומפצלת את המציאות לניגודים. נוימן כותב על מישור אחר של המציאות, מציאות אחידה, המתקיימת, לדבריו, מעֶבֶר ולפני הפיצול הראשוני, ושמתוכה התפתחה מלכתחילה המציאות המקוטבת של תודעת [...]

When East and West Become Irrelevant: Neumann’s “Unitary Reality” and Its Relevance to Sandplay TherapyRitu Tandon2024-05-06T21:44:44-07:00