Windows Into The Inner Sanctum

So often we think of windows as enabling us to look OUTSIDE. However, I’d like to introduce a window that allows us to look INSIDE, specifically, into the inner workings of the psyche.  As a former psychologist with a specialty in playtherapy, I used sandplay therapy with both children and adults to gain a better understanding of what my clients were struggling with. Sandplay was truly a window of privilege – no other technique revealed as much about what was really going on INSIDE.

“At the beginning in sandplay, we observe images of the daily world, its difficulties. When we continue this work, we get into deeper realms of ourselves. We discover contents which have remained unknown. They have become dark and negative. All of our potentials would like to be developed. If they are not taken care of, they get furious and work against us.

Beyond this darkness is the beauty of the Self. This is a moment when a transformation of energy can take place, because the moment is in tune with the transpersonal qualities within us. This is no longer just personal, but it is universal. From here we build up a new personality, where the ego is in contact with the Self. It is guided by the Self. We can make use of more and greater capacities than before…. When one can live up to his capacities, he will feel good in himself and will not look jealously at the other person. Sandplay develops this path that is indicated by birth” The Teachings of Dora Kalff, pg.2.

The late Dora Kalff is considered the mother of Jungian sandplay therapy.  Her sandplay method, developed in Switzerland, did not reach the US until the 1980s and is still not widely known here.  However, I won’t bore you with the politics of the American mental health system.

Instead, I would like to show you images that convey windows into the psyche.  First, let me introduce you to a sandplay setup. A sandplay therapist has one or more shallow trays that are filled with sand. The wooden or plastic trays are about the size of the old photo developing trays (for those of you who still knew a darkroom, before the digital age). The therapy room has shelves covered with various miniature objects and figurines that will be used to create a world inside the sandtray.

Shelves with sandplay miniatures

Here is an example of an initial sandtray world:

Everything seems dandy and peaceful except for the bench that’s empty and the Nurse’s kit.  This kit was frequently used by children to signal their need for help, even if they verbally resisted coming to therapy claiming they did not need to be there.  Sometimes, an ambulance or firetruck would replace the nurse’s kit, still symbolizing the cry for help.

Symbols of being jailed, tied up, or locked in would appear:

As clients developed trust in me as the therapist and embraced the sandplay process, their worlds began to be populated with monsters and threatening characters representing their inner struggles, fears, and inadequacies. This is a child’s representation of her parents’ messy divorce and custody fight:

the chaos of life

A very shy little girl who was initially non-verbal in therapy was able to show me how she felt, utterly alone in the world:

utterly alone

This young man was intelligent and sensitive but was constantly in trouble and had great difficulty controlling his angry impulses:

intense energies

A young woman with an eating disorder realized she had a great deal of grieving to do:

the need to grieve

Very often, there were two sides opposing and battling each other, sometimes originating and reflective of the outer world (e.g. family situation) and then inevitably taking over the inner world:

a line in the sand

two opposing sides

The inner demons became visible:

the inner demons

Fierce battles ensued often resulting in total destruction of the old ways:

Powerful allies came along:

Hope and creativity started to return:

And eventually, clarity and wholeness:

completion

These final worlds often feel like altars to the self, the healthy self: a feeling of peacefulness, wholeness and holiness enters in a palpable way. That’s when therapy is coming to an end, that’s when both client and therapist are in awe of the window they have been privileged to look through together so that all the disorganized and missing pieces could be retrieved and re-arranged into a healthier whole.